A popular director of drama-tinged comedies, Lasse Hallström segued from Swedish television and directing virtually all of ABBA's music videos to forging a successful Hollywood career without abandoning his European sensibilities. Hallström emerged onto the international scene with "My Life as a Dog" (1985), which earned him a pair of Oscar nominations while opening the doors to American audiences. He made his U.S. debut with the family dramedy "Once Around" (1991) before hitting his stride with the critically acclaimed "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993). After "Something to Talk About" (1995), Hallström entered his most fruitful phase with beautifully crafted adaptations of "The Cider House Rules" (1999) and "Chocolat" (2000), both of which put him back into Academy Award contention. Following the appreciated, but little-seen, docudrama "The Hoax" (2007), Hallström finally had the box office hit he was waiting for with the adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' "Dear John" (2010). Having demonstrated an impressive flair for adapting material and drawing award-worthy performances from his actors, Hallström was noted for crafting emotionally wrought films that were deftly devoid of sentimentality.