Woody Allen was born on December 1, 1935. His parents were jewish and German-speaking immigrants. Allen spoke German during his early years and attended Hebrew school for eight years. He was brought up in Brooklyn (New York City) and in his childhood he impressed other students with his talent at magic tricks. When he was 16 years old he wrote jokes to be published in newspapers. After high school, he went to New York University where he studied communication and film, but, never committed as a student, he was thrown off his course because of  lack of punctuality and commitment. In 1961  he started performing  as a humourist at the club Blue Angel and after two years he was well-known in the whole country thanks to a tour. After that,  in 1966 He started writing short stories for magazines (especially the New Yorker. At the same time, he also wrote a Broadway production, Don’t Drink the Water (1966) and contributed to television shows.

Together with his managers, Allen turned his weaknesses into his strengths, developing his neurotic, nervous, and intellectual persona. He quickly became a successful comedian, and appeared frequently in nightclubs and on television.

His first film as a director came in 1969, Take the Money and Run. Allen not only directed the movie but also acted and wrote the script. The film tells the fictitious life of Virgil Starkwell, a criminal. The film had a hilarious, surrealist plot. During the 70's Woody Allen directed other movies of a similar style: Sleeper, Bananas.... But Allen's most successful movies were produced in a ten year period starting with Annie Hall (1977) a film for which he won the Hollywood Academy Award for best director. However, he didn't attend the ceremony to collect the prize, saying that the awards meant nothing to him. 

Allen's next movie, Manhattan (1979) is considered by many  critics to be his best work. The black and white film can be viewed as an homage to New York City.

In the 1980's one could say that Allen's films, even the comedies, became more serious and philosophical than they were in the 70's. Important films in this period include The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days and September.