Satyaiit Ray hailed from an affluent family of literates and artists; He was born on and May, 1921. Ray's family belonged to the progressive Bengali Bramho Samaj which influenced his outlook and created a lasting impression on his life and works.

Satyajit Ray's grandfather and father, Upendrakishore Raychoudhury and Sukumar Ray respectively, were both distinguished writers and painters. They made special contributions especially in Children's literature.

A student of Presidency College and Santiniketan, Satyajit Ray started his career as a commercial artist, but he was attracted to independent filmmaking after meeting the French filmmaker Jean Renoir and after viewing Vitterio De Sica's Italian neorealist film 'Bicycle Thief'.

He was the founder of Calcutta's first film society. Before that Ray also received the Legion of Honor from the President of France in 1987.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Ray an Honorary Oscar in 1992 for lifetime achievement. Entertainment Weekly Magazine ranked Ray at no. 25 in its "50 Greatest Directors" list, and in 2007 Total Film Magazine included Ray in its "100 Greatest Film Directors Ever" list.

In 1992 Ray's health deteriorated due to heart complications and the great son of Bengal died on 23rd April, 1992, at the age of 70 only.

Born- Born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature.

www.satyajitray.org