 Satyajit Ray ( listen ; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992 ) was an Indian Bengali filmmaker , widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century . Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature . Starting his career as a commercial artist , Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica 's Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves ( 1948 ) during a visit to London . 
