He's been a long time inspiration to aspiring writers and directors and gives back plenty to the community, even going so far as to write a book for people starting off in the business. He has humble beginnings himself--his first film, El Mariachi (1992), breaths low-budget Indifilm. And yet, it was soon clear that Rodregiuez was a little too brilliant to keep in the backrow, and thanks to little more than his expansive imagination and his slavish devotion to the absurd and explosive, he made it to the professional world. His success story is the one every budding writer/director wants, but his talent is all his own and completely unmistakable. Plus, he's BFFs with Quentin Tarantino. And together...well. It's the best romance since 007 and Aston Martin.