Best known as the director of several well known American films, including, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, Martin Scorsese is often referred to as one of America's best movie directors. When it came time to cast for the then upcoming Dreams (1990), Scorsese jumped at the opportunity to play a role in Akira Kurosawa's film. He then landed the part of the over obsessive, English speaking Vincent Van Gogh, a role that can easily be traced back to Kurosawa's early years where he trained to become a painter.