Anecdotes

Manages his one-film-per-year schedule by setting strict budgets. Actors--famous or otherwise--receive the same salary.

Writes his scripts on a typewriter. He does not own a personal computer, and has his e-mail account managed by assistants.

Does not allow his films to be edited for airlines and television broadcasts.

According to Mia Farrow's biography, "What Falls Away", Frank Sinatra offered to have Allen's legs broken when he was found to be having an affair with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn.

Suspended from New York University.

In December 2005 he told a reporter that he has earned more money from two real estate transactions than he has from all of his movies combined--he sold his long-held Fifth Avenue penthouse (which he had purchased for $600,000) for a profit of $17 million and a renovated townhouse for a profit of some $7 million.

Since April 1997 he has played clarinet every Monday night at the Café Carlyle in Manhattan. Prior to this for about 20 years he played at Michael's Pub.

Refuses to watch any of his movies once released.

He has more Academy Award nominations (16) for writing than anyone else, all of them are in the Written Directly for the Screen category.

The oldest Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay (aged 76 in 2012 for Minuit à Paris (2011)).

His variety of neuroses include: arachnophobia (spiders), entomophobia (insects), heliophobia (sunshine), cynophobia (dogs), acrophobia (heights), demophobia (crowds), carcinophobia (cancer), thanatophobia (death), misophobia (germs). He admits to being terrified of hotel bathrooms.

In 2002 he made his first appearance at the Oscars in Hollywood to make a plea for producers to continue filming their movies in New York after the 9/11 tragedy.

Although depicting himself as a nerd in his movies, he was a popular student and an adept baseball and basketball player in high school.

Although he was granted visitation rights for his son Ronan Farrow, after a custody battle with Mia Farrow, their relationship is estranged (similar to Dylan O'Sullivan Farrow). Ronan stated that he cannot have a morally consistent relationship with a man who is his father and his brother-in-law.

Got hooked on movies when he was three years old when his mother took.him him to see Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (1937). From that day, he said, theaters became his second home.

His and Mia Farrow's 12-year relationship ended in a custody battle over their three children in which she accused him of sexually molesting their daughter Dylan O'Sullivan Farrow, though the judge dismissed the claims because they were not substantiated. Farrow ultimately won custody of the children. Allen was granted visitation rights with all three children, including Dylan, He could only see his biological son, Ronan Farrow, under supervision. At the time, Moses Farrow chose not to see his father. In later years, Woody Allen and Moses reconciled, and the latter cut off all ties with the Farrow family.

He would offer the part to actors he admires by sending them a letter and asking politely if they are interested in being in one of his movies.

Among his biggest idols are Ingmar Bergman, Groucho Marx, Federico Fellini, Cole Porter and Anton Chekhov.

Balle de match (2005) was his first film to make money in seven years.

His biological son Ronan Farrow graduated from college at 15 and was accepted into Yale Law School.

Although he is barely interested in awards, he's one of the Academy's favorites--his 16 Oscar Nominations for Best Original Screenplay as of 2014 are a record for that category. This puts him ahead of Billy Wilder,.who had 19 combined Oscar nominations for Writing and Directing. With 24 nominations in the combination of the top-three categories--acting, directing and writing--he holds the record there as well.

His top ten films of all time are: La grande illusion (1937), Citizen Kane (1941), Le voleur de bicyclette (1948), Rashomon (1950), Le septième sceau (1957), Paths of Glory (1957), Les quatre cents coups (1959), 8 1/2 (1963), Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972) and Amarcord (1973).

Legally changed his name to Heywood Allen. Goes by "Woody" in honor of Woody Herman.

In the book "Start to Finish: Woody Allen and the Art of Moviemaking" long-time Allen chronicler Eric Lax shadowed him through the making of L'homme irrationnel (2015). He writes that Allen doesn't rehearse or prepare. He does the minimum number of takes and camera setups, never does reshoots, and likes to be finished by six every evening. He barely gives his actors any instructions at all.

Directed 17 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Diane Keaton, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton, Mariel Hemingway, Michael Caine, Dianne Wiest (twice), Martin Landau, Judy Davis, Chazz Palminteri, Jennifer Tilly, Mira Sorvino, Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Penélope Cruz, Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins and himself. Keaton, Caine, Wiest (both times), Sorvino, Cruz, and Blanchett won Oscars for their performances in one of his movies.

Plays his clarinet at a jazz club where the house rule is that he cannot be addressed by any member of the audience. If someone does speak to him, they are automatically ejected from the club.

Stated in an interview that he was "not interested in all that extra stuff on DVDs" and that he hopes his films would speak for themselves. Allen has never recorded an audio commentary or even so much has been.interviewed for a DVD of any films with which he.had been involved.

One of the most prolific American directors of his generation, he has written, directed and--more often than not--starred in a film just about every year from 1969 until 2020.

Wrote the concept for the film Hollywood Ending (2002) on the back of a matchbook. Years later, he found the matchbook with the notes for the film on it and made the film.

According to Eric Lax's book, Allen's favorites of his films are (in order): Balle de match (2005), La rose pourpre du Caire (1985), Stardust Memories (1980), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), and Meurtre mystérieux à Manhattan (1993).

Despite having the most nominations for ''Best Original Screenplay'', he almost never attends the Academy Awards.

Dated Mia Farrow from 1980 to 1992. They adopted two children, Moses Farrow (b. 1978) and Dylan O'Sullivan Farrow (b. 1985), and had one son, Ronan Farrow (b. 1987). Mia Farrow became Allen's mother-in-law in 1997 when he married Soon-Yi Previn, the adoptive daughter of Farrow and second husband André Previn. In 2013, Mia sensationally claimed that Ronan may possibly be the biological offspring of her first husband Frank Sinatra, rather than Allen.

Responded to renewed allegations of child abuse by his estranged and grown daughter Dylan O'Sullivan Farrow by writing an op-ed to the New York Times published Feb 7, 2014 which he concluded by declaring it would be the last time he would ever comment on the matter.

He loves Venice, and helped to raise funds to rebuild the Venetian theater La Fenice, which was destroyed by a fire. He and Soon-Yi Previn were married in Venice in 1997.

Accused British interviewer Michael Parkinson of having a morbid interest in his private life and rejected questions about the custody battle for his children during his appearance on the BBC's Parkinson (1971) in 1999.

He has only directed one film in which both of his longtime companions Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow appear: Radio Days (1987).

Every film directed by Allen since Guerre et amour (1975) through La haute société (2016), was cast by longtime friend and New York casting director Juliet Taylor.

Many big-name actors are so eager to work with him that they usually work for a fraction of their usual salaries.

Despite the advancement of sound technology, all of his films are mixed and released in monaural sound, although later ones have a mono Dolby Digital mix.

Five actresses have won Academy Awards for his films: Diane Keaton won Best Actress for Annie Hall (1977), Dianne Wiest won Best Supporting Actress for both Hannah et ses soeurs (1986) and Coups de feu sur Broadway (1994). Mira Sorvino won Best Supporting Actress for Maudite Aphrodite (1995), Penélope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for Jasmine French (2013).

Stanley Kubrick considered casting him in Sydney Pollack's part in Les yeux grands fermés (1999).

Generally avoids giving complete scripts to actors appearing in his films, unless they're playing the lead. Everyone else receives only the pages concerning their characters.

Claims he watches TV only before bed or when he's exercising.

As an homage to Gordon Willis, his long-time friend and cinematographer, he includes a scene where you hear the actors talking outside the shot. Willis encouraged him to do this when they were shooting Annie Hall (1977).

He considers Balle de match (2005) to be his best film.

Was voted the 19th greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Married to Mia Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, from her second marriage with André Previn.

His first wife was 16 when he married her.

As a boy growing up in Brooklyn, he spent most of his time alone in his room practicing magic tricks or his clarinet.

He has directed three films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Annie Hall (1977), Hannah et ses soeurs (1986) and Minuit à Paris (2011). Annie Hall won in the category and all three also won in the Best Original Screenplay category.