Nikos Kazantzakis (February 18, 1883 – October 26, 1957) was a Greek novelist and philosopher, best known for his novel Zorba the Greek, which is considered his greatest work. He became internationally famous after 1964, when the film Zorba the Greek was produced by director Michael Cacoyannis, based on his novel. His fame was renewed in 1988, when the film The Last Temptation of Christ was produced by director Martin Scorsese, also based on a novel by Kazantzakis.