The second-to-last National GLBT History Month Icon is no stranger to Portlanders, film buffs, activists, or artists. Gus Van Sant is a name synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, and his accomplishments in the realms of cinema have made him internationally revered.

An Academy Award-nominated director, Van Sant has been at the helm of such blockbuster films as Milk, and Good Will Hunting, the latter of which earned nine Oscar nominations, including Best Director.

Here’s a quick rundown of Van Sant’s career:

Van Sant was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a traveling salesman. At an early age, he began producing semi-autobiographical Super-8 movies.

In 1975, Van Sant graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, where he developed a fascination with the city’s marginalized subcultures.

With $20,000 in savings, he bankrolled most of his first film, “Mala Noche” (1985).  Shot in black and white, the ill-fated love story between two men earned Van Sant critical acclaim. The Los Angeles Times named “Mala Noche” the year’s best independent film.

Van Sant wrote and directed “Drugstore Cowboy” (1989), which received rave reviews and won an Independent Spirit Award for the screenplay. “My Own Private Idaho,” starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix as male hustlers, earned Van Sant another Independent Spirit Award.

Just last year, Milk garnered eight Oscar nominations, and brought the life of gay rights activist Harvey Milk back into the spotlight. The success of this film, as well as the posthumous honor from Barack Obama of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Milk, has been noted as providing a major sway in California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signing of a bill recognizing May 22nd as “Harvey Milk Day” in the state.

Van Sant was named one of The Advocate’s People of the Year in 2008.