Let's make this birthday one to remember.

59 years old (Born on February 17, 1965)

Film director, film producer, camera operator, actor; He is famous from The Rock, Armageddon.

Movieline revealed in 2001 that Bay's father is John Frankenheimer. Frankenheimer, who always denied paternity, took a DNA test in the 1980s which was negative. Bay still maintains Frankenheimer was his father, and has countered that DNA work was less sophisticated at the time. Filmed the movie _Armageddon (1998)_ with an eye towards Middle America. Has a love for Americana. Turned down the offer to direct Van Helsing (2004) , opting to do The Island (2005) instead. Member of Propaganda Films. Actors have often noted that he places more importance on the visuals than on his characters and actors. He is also known to do very few takes of intimate character- driven scenes, as he prefers to spend more time on action sequences and visually- interesting moments.

He is a very close friend of writer/director George Lucas from whom he often seeks advice.

Shot over 1 million feet of film for Pearl Harbor (2001). Used only about 20,000 feet for the final, 9-reel cut.

The Rock (1996) is his favorite of the films he has directed.

He shot the dynamic shots of the thrown dice in the gambling scenes for Adrian Lyne's Indecent Proposal (1993). He later "repossessed" the shots for a montage in Armageddon (1998/I).

Directed the music video for Richard Marx' hit "Angelia" in 1989.

Was offered chance to direct "Red Dragon" (2002) but turned it down. Job went to Brett Ratner.

Owns mastiff hounds named Mason and Grace, after characters in The Rock (1996) and Armageddon (1998/I).

Is known for his high grossing action-packed movies.

Educated at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design, CA.

Since the age of 26, Bay has won every major commercial directing award, including the Gold and Silver Lions at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

All of his movies after Bad Boys (1995) have grossed more than $100 million, except The Island (2005), which flopped.

In Bad Boys (1995), Bay paid $25,000 (one quarter of his fee) for the climax explosion scene. The initial shot was made impossible by a rainstorm, and the production company refused to pay for another try.

Was rejected by USC's film school.

Two films, _Armageddon (1998)_ and The Rock (1996), are in the Criterion Collection.

Has worked with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on all of his films, except The Island (2005).

All his films up to and including _Armageddon (1998)_ made him the youngest director to reach the billion dollar mark world wide.

He won the Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year for his "Got Milk/Aaron Burr" commercial, which also won him the Museum of Modern Art Award for Best Campaign of the Year.

As a teenager, he worked at ILM in the storyboard department for films like Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

Dated Playboy centerfold Jaime Bergman (45th Anniversary Playmate).

Raised by parents Jim Bay and Harriet Bay, and sister Lisa Bay.

Studied under film historian Jeanine Basinger at Wesleyan University; Basinger later provided audio commentary, along with Bay, for the Pearl Harbor (2001) DVD.

Has a mastiff hound named "Bonecrusher" after the character in Transformers.

Sean Connery is his favorite actor that he's ever worked with.

Ranked #47 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. Had ranked #54 in 2004.

He occasionally makes cameo appearances in his films: in Bad Boys II (2003) he plays a guy driving a small beat-up old car which Martin Lawrence attempts to borrow, a NASA scientist in Armageddon, and in Transformers he is the "disgusting" human that gets flicked away by Megatron.

President of The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness, a commercial and music video production company.

Uses a Mark V director's viewfinder while shooting a film. The viewfinder is often prominently featured in photographs of him, hung around his neck. It is engraved with his name and the names of every film he has directed.

He is a very good friend to Don Michael Paul and even lent him some aerial shots from The Rock (1996) to Paul's movie Half Past Dead (2002).