Born Allan Stewart Konigsberg in the Bronx, New York, on November 30, 1935, Woody Allen grew up in a Jewish family with parents Martin Konigsberg, a jewelry engraver and waiter, and Nettie Konigsberg, a bookkeeper. He adopted the stage name Woody Allen at age 17 while submitting jokes to newspapers and comedians. Allen briefly attended New York University as a motion picture major and City College at night but dropped out from both to focus on comedy writing, eventually performing stand-up and transitioning to television writing in the late 1950s. As a renowned film director, Allen's film career began in the 1960s with What's New Pussycat? (1965), but he gained acclaim as a writer-director with Take the Money and Run (1969) and breakthrough successes like Bananas (1971), Sleeper (1973), and Love and Death (1975). His 1977 film Annie Hall won four Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Allen, marking a shift to more introspective, New York-centric stories. Over eight decades, he directed 50 films, earning 16 Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay (most ever), four wins, ten BAFTAs, and other honors like an Honorary Palme d'Or (2002). Later works include Midnight in Paris (2011, Oscar for screenplay) and Blue Jasmine (2013). Allen's personal life has been marked by controversy. He had a long-term relationship with Mia Farrow (1980-1992), with whom he had a son Ronan (now Farrow) biologically and adopted Dylan and Moses. In 1992, Dylan accused Allen of molesting her at age 7; a Yale-New Haven investigation found the allegations inconclusive, and Allen was not charged, but the scandal persists with Dylan reaffirming claims in 2014 and 2021 documentaries. Allen married Soon-Yi Previn, Farrow's adopted daughter from a prior marriage, in 1997 (they have two adopted daughters). Criticized for his relationships with younger women and alleged predatory behavior, Allen settled defamation suits and published memoir Apropos of Nothing (2020), denied U.S. distribution by Hachette amid backlash. He has lived primarily in New York City.