Stephen Manuel was born in 1971 in Dublin/Ireland but raised in the black forest area of southern Germany. He learnt to speak German in Kindergarten and English from his parents at home, so half the time his friends didn't know what he was talking about. His father used to take young Stephen frequently to the local cinema since for a long time there was no TV in the house, and that's where his love of film started: Superman, James Bond, and the Smurfs being the biggest favorites. Soon he would get interested in how movies were made and started making short films himself, using the local school kit and later, at 16, his own first video camera. 2004 he directed seven episodes of the German comedy series "Axel Will's Wissen" which was nominated in 2005 for best comedy series and best actress at the German comedy prize in Cologne in October. 2006 he followed up with comedy series "Spoons" for Pro 7 and then with 5 movies shot in English for the international TV and DVD market, all to be released shortly: In 2007 "Perfect Hideout" starring Billy Zane and "Fatal Rescue" starring Steve Guttenberg. In 2008 "Lucky Fritz" starring Corey Feldman, "Shoot The Duke" starring Stephen Baldwin and in 2009 "Iron Doors" starring Axel Wedekind.