William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946, in New York City) is an acclaimed American filmmaker renowned for his politically charged and controversial films that often explore themes of war, corruption, and American history. His early life was marked by a privileged upbringing in Manhattan, the son of a Jewish stockbroker father and a French Catholic mother. He attended elite schools, including The Hill School, before briefly studying at Yale University. He then volunteered for the U.S. Army and served as an infantryman in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968, receiving a Bronze Star with "V" device for valor and a Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster—an experience that profoundly shaped his worldview and became central to his filmmaking career. After returning, he studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts under Martin Scorsese, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1971. He began his career writing screenplays like Midnight Express (1978), which earned him his first Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Stone rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s with critically and commercially successful films including the Vietnam War drama Platoon (1986), which won him Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture; the corporate greed satire Wall Street (1987); and the conspiracy thriller JFK (1991), which reignited debates over the Kennedy assassination. Other notable works include Born on the Fourth of July (1989), The Doors (1991), Natural Born Killers (1994), and Nixon (1995). His films are characterized by left-leaning interpretations of history, leading to accusations of bias, sensationalism, and historical inaccuracies—such as his adversarial relationship with historian Ronald Radosh.

Stone has also directed documentaries like Comandante (2003) on Fidel Castro, Looking for Fidel (2004), and South of the Border (2009) on Latin American leaders, further cementing his reputation as a provocative voice. His later works include the Showtime series The Putin Interviews (2017) and the film Snowden (2016). Throughout his career, he has received three Academy Awards, a BAFTA, an Emmy, three Independent Spirit Awards, and six Golden Globes. In addition to filmmaking, Stone has been involved in activism regarding U.S. foreign policy and holds dual citizenship in the United States and France. He has been married three times and has three children. He remains a polarizing figure whose oeuvre continues to influence discussions on power, media, and politics.