Brett Ratner is an American film and music video director who has made a number of comedy and action films.

Starting out as a music video director, Ratner shot videos for Madonna, Miley Cyrus, and Courtney Love - among others. Since 1998, he has directed six videos for Mariah Carey.

In 1998, Ratner directed the first Rush Hour film starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. The franchise went on to gross millions of dollars worldwide and helped establish Ratner as a bankable director.

He has also directed X-Men: The Last Stand and the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon.

• 1998 - Rush Hour
• 2002 - Red Dragon
• 2004 - After the Sunset
• 2006 - X-Men: The Last Stand

• "There are very few perfect films. I think 'Reservoir Dogs' is close to being a perfect film."IMDb: Brett Ratner Biography

• "No matter how successful you are, you are not invincible. The studio is writing the checks. It's all about leverage and who has the power. The goal is to get the biggest deal you can, because you are going to have to give something back to the studios anyway."IMDb: Brett Ratner Biography

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• March 28, 1969: Born

• 1997: Money Talks

• 1998: Rush Hour

• 1999: Partners

• 1999: Madonna: The Video Collection

• 2000: The Family Man

• 2001: Rush Hour 2

• 2002: Red Dragon

• 2004: After the Sunset

• 2005: Prison Break

• 2006: X-Men: The Last Stand

• 2007: Rush Hour 3