He debuted as a co-writer on AIP's "The Dunwich Horror" (1970), executive produced by Roger Corman. Hanson became a writer-director with the genuinely unsettling Tab Hunter cult flick "The Arousers/Sweet Kill" (1971, released 1973) and segued to producing as the associate producer (and screenwriter) of "The Silent Partner", a 1978 Canadian flick starring Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer. With maverick director Samuel Fuller, Hanson also co-wrote the screenplay of the long-unreleased--due to undeserved charges of racism (and consequently overrated in some quarters)--melodrama, "White Dog" (filmed 1982, first theatrical release 1991). He also contributed to the script for the atypical Disney nature film, "Never Cry Wolf" (1983).

After trying his hand producing and/or helming a kids' adventure ("The Little Dragons" 1980) and a teen sex comedy ("Losin' It" 1983, with a young Tom Cruise), Hanson came into his own as a suspense specialist in the late 1980s and early 90s. He wrote and directed "The Bedroom Window" (1989), a surprisingly good Hitchcock homage, and followed up by directing the slick, "Strangers on a Train"-like psychological suspense film "Bad Influence" (1990), starring Rob Lowe and James Spader. Hanson finally enjoyed a runaway box-office success with "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (1992), a compelling, expertly acted and cannily directed nanny-from-hell thriller. He advanced to the genre A-list with "The River Wild" (1994), a tense adventure set in the great outdoors that starred Meryl Streep in her action movie debut and featured a top-notch supporting cast including Kevin Bacon and David Strathairn.

Hanson used his new-found clout in Hollywood to get the tricky "L.A. Confidential" (1997) made, its 80 speaking parts and 45 locations demanding the budget of a studio movie. The result was an impeccably crafted, densely plotted, fast-paced tale of police corruption in the City of Angels (c. 1950s) and the best American film noir since Roman Polanski's "Chinatown" (1974). Along with co-writer Brian Helgeland, Hanson faithfully captured the L.A. of James Ellroy's pulp novel, giving great attention to period detail in the background while shooting a contemporary movie focused on the characters and their emotions. Photographed primarily in a naturalistic style that emphasized "practical" lighting whenever possible, "L.A. Confidential" deviated momentarily from its dark palette for some memorable fantasy images contrasting blue with brilliant pink and orange light before reverting to the darkness, carried to powerful extreme in the film's climactic scene. Although it featured relative unknowns Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce, along with the more familiar Kim Basinger, Danny De Vito and Kevin Spacey, the real star was Los Angeles, growing up before our very eyes.

Hanson's masterful work on "L.A. Confidential" elevated him out of conventional, journeyman thriller and onto Hollywood's A-list of directors-the film also earned him an Oscar nomination, snared a supporting actress trophy for Basinger and made Russell Crowe a major movie star. Rather than plunge into a whirlwind of new commitments, Hanson instead continued to nurture thoughtful, literate material. His next effort was "Wonder Boys" (2000), a film based on author Michael Chabon's acclaimed novel about a college professor and author (Michael Douglas), who has been unable to finish a massive follow-up to his one highly-praised novel, and his quirky relationship with a young, troubled student (Tobey Maguire). Although the story has some wobbly moments and sends some mixed messages, Hanson shot it with flair, style and sensitivity, wresting top-notch performances from Douglas, Maguire and supporting players Robert Downey, Jr., Katie Holmes and Frances McDormand.

Hanson next turned his skilled hand a seemingly much more unconventional film: "8 Mile" (2002), a street-level drama played out in the hip-hop world of urban Detroit, starring and loosely based on the life of Grammy-winning rapper Marshall Mathers III, aka Eminem. Adopting a raw, gritty documentary filmmaking style, Hanson was able to garner a compelling, intense performance from Eminem (in his first on-screen role), as well as strong work from Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Pfifer and his "L.A. Confidential" star Basinger. Continuing to demonstrate his diversity, Hanson next took on what might have been a conventional "chick flick" in other hands: "In Her Shoes" (2005) starred Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette as close but opposite sisters (Diaz the sexy, irresponsible party girl, Collette the plain achiever with low self-esteem) who have a severe falling out and slowly learn to appreciate each other and themselves when brought back together by the maternal grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) they thought was long dead.