Paul Thomas Anderson
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Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the preeminent filmmakers of his generation,Template:Efn his accolades include a BAFTA Award and nominations for eleven Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy. He is the only person to have won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and the Silver and Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
Many of Anderson's films are psychological dramas characterized by depictions of desperate characters and explorations of dysfunctional families, alienation, loneliness, and redemption, alongside a bold visual style that uses constantly moving cameras and long takes. After his directorial debut, Hard Eight (1996), Anderson had critical and commercial success with Boogie Nights (1997), and received further accolades with Magnolia (1999) and Punch-Drunk Love (2002).
There Will Be Blood (2007), Anderson's fifth film, is regarded as one of the greatest films of the 21st century. It was followed by The Master (2012) and Inherent Vice (2014), an adaptation of the 2009 novel by Thomas Pynchon. Anderson's next two films, Phantom Thread (2017) and Licorice Pizza (2021), were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. His tenth film, One Battle After Another, was released in 2025, and became Anderson's highest-grossing film.<ref name=wwrd>Template:Cite web</ref>
Anderson is noted for his collaborations with the cinematographer Robert Elswit, the costume designer Mark Bridges, the composers Jon Brion and Jonny Greenwood, and actors including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Daniel Day-Lewis, John C. Reilly, and Joaquin Phoenix. He has directed music videos for artists including Fiona Apple, Haim, Aimee Mann, Joanna Newsom, Michael Penn, Radiohead, and the Smile. He also directed a 2015 documentary about Greenwood's album Junun, and the short music film Anima (2019) for the Radiohead singer Thom Yorke.
Early life
Paul Thomas Anderson was born in Studio City, Los Angeles, on June 26, 1970,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> to Edwina (née Gough) and actor Ernie Anderson.Template:Sfn<ref name=ghoulardi/> His father was the voice of ABC and played a Cleveland late-night horror host known as Ghoulardi, after whom Anderson later named his production company.Template:Sfn<ref name=ghoulardi>Template:Cite web</ref> Anderson has three siblings and five half-siblings from his father's first marriage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=portmagazine/><ref name=esquire/> He grew up in the San Fernando ValleyTemplate:Sfn and was raised as a Roman Catholic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He had a troubled relationship with his mother, but was close with his father, who encouraged him to become a writer or director.<ref name=nytimes2/> He attended private schools including the Buckley School, John Thomas Dye School, Campbell Hall School, Cushing Academy, and Montclair College Preparatory School.<ref name=esquire>Template:Cite web</ref>
Anderson was involved in filmmaking from an early age,<ref name=time1/><ref name=nytimes3/> and never had an alternative plan to directing films.<ref name=beauty73/> He made his first film when he was eight years old,<ref name=portmagazine>Template:Cite news</ref> and started making films on a Betamax videocamera his father bought in 1982.<ref name=nytimes3/> He later started using 8 mm film, but realized that video was easier.<ref name=time1/> As a teenager, he began writing and experimenting with a Bolex 16 mm camera.<ref name=time1/><ref name=latimes>Template:Cite web</ref> After years of experimenting with "standard fare", Anderson wrote and filmed his first real production as a senior at Montclair Prep, using money he earned cleaning cages at a pet store.<ref name=nytimes3/><ref name=slate2>Template:Cite web</ref> The film was a 30-minute mockumentary about a porn star, The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), with a story inspired by John Holmes, who also inspired Boogie Nights (1997), the feature-length adaptation of The Dirk Diggler Story.<ref name=esquire/><ref name=nytimes2>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=time1/><ref name=latimes/>
Career
1990s
Anderson attended Santa Monica College<ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref> before spending two semesters as an English major at Emerson College, where he was taught by David Foster Wallace. Anderson attended New York University for two days before he began his career as a production assistant on television, films, music videos, and game shows in Los Angeles and New York City.<ref name=esquire/><ref name=ebertqa/>Template:Sfn Feeling that film school turned the material into "homework or a chore",<ref name=melbourne>Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Anderson decided to make a 20-minute film as his "college".<ref name=ebertqa>Template:Cite web</ref>
On a budget of $10,000 (which came from gambling winnings, his girlfriend's credit card, and money his father had set aside for him for college),<ref name=ebertqa/> Anderson made Cigarettes & Coffee (1993), a short film connecting multiple storylines with a $20 bill.<ref name=esquire/><ref name=latimes/>Template:Sfn It screened at the 1993 Sundance Festival Shorts Program.<ref name=latimes/> He planned to expand it to feature-length, and was invited to the 1994 Sundance Feature Film Program.<ref name=esquire/><ref name=latimes/>Template:Sfn Michael Caton-Jones served as Anderson's mentor. He saw him as someone with "talent and a fully formed creative voice, but not much hands-on experience", and gave him some hard and practical lessons.<ref name=nytimes3/>
While at Sundance, Anderson had a deal with Rysher Entertainment to direct his first full-length feature film, Sydney, which was retitled Hard Eight.<ref name=nytimes2/><ref name=nytimes3>Template:Cite news</ref> After he finished the film, Rysher reedited it.<ref name=nytimes3/> He had the workprint of the original cut and submitted the film to the 1996 Cannes Film Festival,<ref name=latimes/> where it was shown at the Un Certain Regard section.Template:Sfn<ref name=1996cannes>Template:Cite web</ref> He had the version released, but only after he retitled the film, and raised the $200,000 necessary to finish it. Anderson, Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, and Gwyneth Paltrow contributed to the final funding.<ref name=nytimes3/><ref name=latimes/> The version that was released was Anderson's and the acclaim it received launched his career.<ref name=latimes/><ref name=esquire/> The film follows the life of a senior gambler and a homeless man. In his review, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert wrote, "Movies like Hard Eight remind me of what original, compelling characters the movies can sometimes give us."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Anderson worked on the script for his second film while working on the first one,<ref name=nytimes3/> and completed it in 1995.<ref name=latimes/> The result was his breakout film Boogie Nights (1997),<ref name=slate/><ref name=guardian3>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=book1/> which is based on his short film The Dirk Diggler Story and is set in the Golden Age of Porn. The film follows a nightclub dishwasher who becomes a pornographic actor.<ref name=esquire/><ref name=latimes/>Template:Sfn The script was noticed by New Line Cinema president Michael De Luca, who felt "totally gaga" reading it.<ref name=nytimes3/> It was released on October 10, 1997, and was a critical and commercial success.<ref name=nytimes2/> It revived the career of Burt Reynolds,<ref name=nydaily>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=time3>Template:Cite news</ref> and provided breakout roles for Mark Wahlberg and Julianne Moore.<ref name=rollingstone1>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=moore1>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=moore2>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 70th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for three awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Reynolds), Best Supporting Actress (Moore), and Best Original Screenplay.<ref name=nom70aa>Template:Cite web</ref>
After the success of Boogie Nights, New Line told Anderson he could do whatever he wanted for his next film and granted him creative control.<ref name=nytimes2/> Anderson initially wanted to make a film that was "intimate and small-scale", but the script "kept blossoming". The result was the ensemble piece Magnolia (1999), which tells the story of the peculiar interaction of several people in San Fernando Valley.<ref name="patterson"/><ref name=time2>Template:Cite news</ref> It was inspired by the music of the singer-songwriter Aimee Mann,<ref name="bessman">Template:Cite news</ref> who wrote songs for its soundtrack.<ref name="lamag">Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the 72nd Academy Awards, Magnolia was nominated for three awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Tom Cruise), Best Original Song ("Save Me"), and Best Original Screenplay.<ref name=nom72aa>Template:Cite web</ref> After its release, Anderson said, "Magnolia is, for better or worse, the best movie I'll ever make".<ref name=guardian1>Template:Cite web</ref>
2000s
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After the success of Magnolia, Anderson said he would make his next film around 90 minutes and would work with Adam Sandler.<ref name=guardian3/><ref name="patterson">Template:Cite web</ref> Punch-Drunk Love (2002)<ref name=usatoday2>Template:Cite web</ref> follows a beleaguered entrepreneur in love with his sister's co-worker. A subplot was inspired by civil engineer David Phillips.<ref name=usatoday2/> Sandler received critical praise for his first dramatic role in the film.<ref name=nydaily2>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=sfgate>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, Anderson won the Best Director Award and was nominated for the Palme d'Or.<ref name=2002cannes>Template:Cite web</ref> Time Out included it among the best films of the 21st century. Karina Longworth wrote, "Anderson's cracked ode to the transformative power of love in a world that actively mocks sensitivity is perhaps his most original work".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There Will Be Blood (2007), Anderson's fifth film, is loosely based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!<ref name=goodwin>Template:Cite web</ref> It follows a ruthless oil prospector exploiting the Southern California oil boom in the early 20th century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Against a $25 million budget, the film earned $76.1 million worldwide.<ref name=twbbboxoffice>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 80th Academy Awards, it was nominated for eight awards, tying with No Country for Old Men.<ref name=nytimesnom>Template:Cite news</ref> Anderson was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, losing all three to the Coen Brothers for No Country for Old Men.<ref name=nom80aa/> Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor and Robert Elswit won Best Cinematography.<ref name=nom80aa>Template:Cite web</ref> Paul Dano received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.<ref name=baftas>Template:Cite web</ref> Anderson was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There Will Be Blood was regarded by some critics as one of the greatest films of the decade, with some further declaring it one of the most accomplished American films of the modern era.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> David Denby of The New Yorker wrote, "Anderson has now done work that bears comparison to the greatest achievements of Griffith and Ford", while Richard Schickel proclaimed it "one of the most wholly original American movies ever made."<ref name="gawker">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, New York Times film critics A. O. Scott and Manohla Dargis named it the "Best Film of the 21st Century So Far".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2010s
In December 2009, Anderson worked on a new film about a "charismatic intellectual" starting a new religion in the 1950s.<ref name=variety>Template:Cite web</ref> An associate of Anderson's stated that the idea for the film had been in his mind for twelve years.<ref name="masternyt">Template:Cite news</ref> The Master was released on September 14, 2012, in North America,<ref name="Releasedate">Template:Cite web</ref> and received critical acclaim.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film follows an alcoholic World War II veteran, who meets the leader of a religious organization. Though the film makes no reference to the movement, it has "long been widely assumed to be based on Scientology."<ref name=guardian4>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 85th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for three awards, including for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Best Supporting Actor (Hoffman) and Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Production of the film adaptation for Thomas Pynchon's novel Inherent Vice began in May and ended in August 2013.<ref name="shooting">Template:Cite web</ref> The film marked the first time that Pynchon allowed his work to be adapted for the screen,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Pynchon">Template:Cite web</ref> and had Anderson work with Phoenix for a second time.<ref name="NYTimes2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ew preview">Template:Cite web</ref> The supporting cast includes Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Martin Short, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston and Josh Brolin. Following its release in December 2014, the film was nominated for two awards at the 87th Academy Awards, including for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Costume Design.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Anderson directed Junun, a 2015 documentary about the making of the album by the composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, the Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, the Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, and a group of Indian musicians.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Most of the performances were recorded at the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Junun premiered at the 2015 New York Film Festival to a generally favorable reception.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Anderson's eighth film, Phantom Thread, set in the London fashion industry, was released in December 2017.<ref name="Phantom Thread">Template:Cite web</ref> Day-Lewis starred, after his previous film Lincoln.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The cast includes Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps.<ref name="Phantom Thread" /> Focus Features distributed the film in the United States, with Universal Pictures handling international distribution.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Principal photography began in January 2017. Elswit was absent during production,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and despite claims of Anderson acting as a cinematographer on the film, no official credit was given.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On February 16, 2019, Elswit said he would not work with Anderson on his next films.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Phantom Thread was nominated for six awards at the 90th Academy Awards, winning one for Best Costume Design,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and The National Board of Review chose it as one of the top ten films of 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has since been considered to be one of the best films of the 2010s.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2019, Anderson directed the short music film Anima, starring the Radiohead singer, Thom Yorke, and featuring music from Yorke's album Anima.<ref name="Amina">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was screened in select IMAX theatres on June 26 and released on Netflix on June 27.<ref name="Amina" /> It was nominated for Best Music Film at the 2020 Grammy Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020s
Anderson's ninth film, Licorice Pizza, was released in December 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Bubp">Template:Cite news</ref> It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 94th Academy Awards. It follows a teenage actor (Cooper Hoffman) in love with a photography assistant (Alana Haim).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022, Anderson rewrote portions of Ridley Scott's 2023 film Napoleon after its lead actor, Joaquin Phoenix, who had worked with Anderson, threatened to leave the project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On January 10, 2024, it was announced that Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall and Sean Penn were cast in Anderson's upcoming project One Battle After Another, based at Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is a loose adaption of Thomas Pynchon's novel, Vineland, with only a few narrative similarities; as Anderson described it, "with [Pynchon's] blessing" he "stole the parts that really resonated with me and started putting all these ideas together."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Anderson first expressed a desire to adapt the novel around the release of Inherent Vice.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Production began in California that month with a reported $100Template:Nbspmillion budget.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the following February, Licorice Pizza actress Alana Haim and singer Teyana Taylor had joined the cast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One Battle After Another was released on September 26, 2025, to critical acclaim.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It grossed $22 million at the box office in its opening weekend and achieved a $200 million total gross,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and became Anderson's highest-grossing film.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other work
In 2000, Anderson wrote and directed a segment for Saturday Night Live with Ben Affleck, "SNL FANatic", based on the MTV series FANatic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was a standby director during the 2005 filming of Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion for insurance purposes, as Altman was 80 years old at the time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2008, Anderson co-wrote and directed a 70-minute play at the Largo Theatre, comprising a series of vignettes starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen, with a live score by Jon Brion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Anderson has directed music videos for acts including Fiona Apple, Radiohead, Haim, Joanna Newsom, Aimee Mann, Jon Brion and Michael Penn.<ref name="Music-Videos">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He directed a short film for Haim in 2017, Valentine, featuring three musical performances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, Anderson collaborated with Yorke and Greenwood again on the videos for "Wall of Eyes" and "Friend of a Friend", by their band the Smile.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Influences and style
Influences
Anderson attended film school for two days, preferring instead to learn by watching the films of directors he liked along with the accompanying director's audio commentary.Template:Sfn<ref name=beauty73>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=latimes/> He has cited Robert Altman, Martin Brest, Jonathan Demme, Robert Downey, Sr., Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Alex Cox, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Mike Leigh, David Mamet, Anthony Mann, Vincente Minnelli, Max Ophüls, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Frank Tashlin, François Truffaut, Orson Welles and Billy Wilder as influences.<ref name=time1>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=book1/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="sense2">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Themes and style
Anderson is known for films set in the San Fernando Valley with realistically flawed and desperate characters.<ref name=beauty73/><ref name=dispatch>Template:Cite web</ref> Among the themes dealt with in the films are dysfunctional families,<ref name=book1/><ref name=sense2/><ref name=faithinfilm>Template:Cite book</ref> alienation,<ref name=sense2/> surrogate families,<ref name=directory>Template:Cite book</ref> regret,<ref name=sense2/> loneliness,<ref name=book1/> destiny,<ref name=esquire/> the power of forgiveness,<ref name=portmagazine/> and ghosts of the past.<ref name=book1>Template:Cite book</ref> Anderson makes frequent use of repetition to build emphasis and thematic consistency. In Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, and The Master, the phrase "I didn't do anything" is used at least once, developing themes of responsibility and denial.<ref name="tmaster">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="mgnla">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="pflove">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="bnights">Template:Cite web</ref> Anderson's films are known for their bold visual style<ref name=dispatch/> which includes stylistic trademarks, such as constantly moving camera shots,<ref name=guardian1/><ref name=dispatch/> steadicam-based long takes,<ref name=slate/><ref name=book1/><ref name=sense>Template:Cite journal</ref> memorable use of music,<ref name=slate>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=guardian1/><ref name=dispatch/> and multilayered audiovisual imagery.<ref name=slate/><ref name=sense/> Anderson tends to reference the Book of Exodus, either explicitly or subtly, such as in recurring references to Exodus 8:2 in Magnolia,<ref>Reeling | The number 82 in "Magnolia" Template:Webarchive. Miamiherald.typepad.com (January 12, 2008). Retrieved on May 22, 2014.</ref> which chronicles the plague of frogs, culminating with the literal raining of frogs in the film's climax, or the title and themes in There Will Be Blood, a phrase in Exodus 7:19, which details the plague of blood.<ref name=slate719>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=AFItwwb>Template:Cite web</ref>
Within his first three films, Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia, Anderson explored themes of dysfunctional families, alienation, and loneliness.<ref name="book1"/><ref name=sense2/> Boogie Nights and Magnolia were noted for their large ensemble casts,<ref name=guardian3/><ref name=dispatch/> which Anderson returned to in Inherent Vice.<ref name="ensemble1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=ensemble2>Template:Cite web</ref> In Punch-Drunk Love, Anderson explored similar themes, but expressed a different visual style, shedding the influences and references of his earlier films, being more surreal and having a heightened sense of reality.<ref name=sense2/><ref name=sense/> It was also short, compared to his previous two films, at 90 minutes.<ref name=guardian3/>
There Will Be Blood stood apart from his first four films, but shared similar themes and style, such as flawed characters, moving camera, memorable music, and a lengthy running time.<ref name=dispatch/> The film was more overtly engaged with politics than his previous films had been,<ref name=guardian3/> examining capitalism and themes such as greed, savagery, optimism and obsession.<ref name=AFI>Template:Cite web</ref> The Master dealt with "ideas about American personality, success, rootlessness, master-disciple dynamics, and father-son mutually assured destruction."<ref name="Schwarzbaum">Template:Cite magazine</ref> All of his films deal with American themes, with business versus art in Boogie Nights, ambition in There Will Be Blood, and self-reinvention in The Master.<ref name=guardianthemes>Template:Cite web</ref>
Collaborators
Anderson frequently collaborates with many actors and crew, carrying them over on each film.<ref name=postpop>Template:Cite book</ref> He has referred to regular actors as "my little rep company", including John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Melora Walters, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.<ref name=actors>Template:Cite web</ref> Luis Guzmán is also considered an Anderson regular.<ref name=guzman>Template:Cite web</ref> Hoffman acted in Anderson's first four films<ref name=beauty73/> as well as The Master.<ref name=masternyt/> Except for Paul F. Tompkins, Kevin Breznahan, and Jim Meskimen, who all had equally minor roles in Magnolia,<ref name=avclub>Template:Cite web</ref> There Will Be Blood had an entirely new cast. Anderson is one of three directors – the others being Jim Sheridan and Martin Scorsese – with whom Daniel Day-Lewis has collaborated more than once.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Robert Elswit served as cinematographer for Anderson's films through Inherent Vice, except for The Master which was shot by Mihai Mălaimare Jr.<ref name=Elswit>Template:Cite web</ref> Jon Brion served as a composer for Hard Eight, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love,<ref name=brion>Template:Cite web</ref> and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead for every film since.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dylan Tichenor edited Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, and Phantom Thread.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Anderson regularly works with producers, JoAnne Sellar, Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, and Daniel Lupi,<ref name=indiewire>Template:Cite web</ref> and casting director Cassandra Kulukundis.<ref name=masternyt/>
Filmography
| Year | Title | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Hard Eight | Rysher Entertainment / The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 1997 | Boogie Nights | New Line Cinema |
| 1999 | Magnolia | |
| 2002 | Punch-Drunk Love | Columbia Pictures (through Sony Pictures Releasing) |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Paramount Vantage / Miramax |
| 2012 | The Master | The Weinstein Company |
| 2014 | Inherent Vice | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| 2017 | Phantom Thread | Focus Features / Universal Pictures |
| 2021 | Licorice Pizza | United Artists Releasing / Universal Pictures |
| 2025 | One Battle After Another | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Personal life
Anderson is in a relationship with actress and comedian Maya Rudolph, with whom he shares four children.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
From 1997 to 2002, Anderson dated singer-songwriter Fiona Apple.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Apple said in 2020 that he had anger issues during their relationship, and once threw a chair across the room and another time shoved her out of his car. Apple said that aspects of the relationship had made her feel "fearful and numb".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Anderson is vegan.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>
Awards and recognition
Anderson has been called "one of the most exciting talents to come along in years"<ref name=nytimes>Template:Cite web</ref> and "among the supreme talents of today."<ref name=bfi>Template:Cite journal</ref> After the release of Boogie Nights and Magnolia, Anderson was praised as a "wunderkind".<ref name=bbc>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007, the American Film Institute regarded him as "one of American film's modern masters."<ref name=AFI/> In 2012, The Guardian ranked him number one on its list of "The 23 Best Film Directors in the World," writing "his dedication to his craft has intensified, with his disdain for PR and celebrity marking him out as the most devout filmmaker of his generation."<ref name=guardian5>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013, Entertainment Weekly named him the eighth-greatest working director, calling him "one of the most dynamic directors to emerge in the last 20 years."<ref name=ew>Template:Cite web</ref> Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that "The Master, the sixth film from the 42-year-old writer-director, affirms his position as the foremost filmmaking talent of his generation. Anderson is a rock star, the artist who knows no limits."<ref name="Travers">Template:Cite web</ref>
Other directors have also praised him. In an interview with Jan Aghed, Ingmar Bergman referenced Magnolia as an example of the strength of American cinema.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sam Mendes referred to Anderson as "a true auteur – and there are very few of those who I would classify as geniuses".<ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref> In his 2013 acceptance speech for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, Ben Affleck compared Anderson to Orson Welles.<ref>Best Director - Motion Picture: Ben Affleck - Golden Globe Awards Template:Webarchive. YouTube (January 13, 2013). Retrieved on May 22, 2014.</ref> Anderson is the only person to win all three director prizes from the three major international film festivals (Cannes, Berlin and Venice).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Year | Title | Academy Awards | BAFTA Awards | Golden Globe Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1997 | Boogie Nights | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 1999 | Magnolia | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 2002 | Punch-Drunk Love | 1 | |||||
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | 8 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2012 | The Master | 3 | 4 | 3 | |||
| 2014 | Inherent Vice | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 2017 | Phantom Thread | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Licorice Pizza | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Total | 28 | 3 | 24 | 4 | 17 | 3 | |
Directed Academy Award performances
Under Anderson's direction, these actors have received Academy Award nominations and wins for their performances in their respective roles.
| Year | Performer | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award for Best Actor | |||
| 2007 | Daniel Day-Lewis | There Will Be Blood | Template:Won |
| 2012 | Joaquin Phoenix | The Master | Template:Nom |
| 2017 | Daniel Day-Lewis | Phantom Thread | Template:Nom |
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |||
| 1997 | Burt Reynolds | Boogie Nights | Template:Nom |
| 1999 | Tom Cruise | Magnolia | Template:Nom |
| 2012 | Philip Seymour Hoffman | The Master | Template:Nom |
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| 1997 | Julianne Moore | Boogie Nights | Template:Nom |
| 2012 | Amy Adams | The Master | Template:Nom |
| 2017 | Lesley Manville | Phantom Thread | Template:Nom |
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
- Template:IMDb name
- Cigarettes & Red Vines – The Definitive Paul Thomas Anderson Resource
- Esquire magazine profile
Template:Navbox Template:Navboxes Template:Authority control Template:Good article
- Pages with broken file links
- 1970 births
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American screenwriters
- 21st-century American male writers
- 21st-century American screenwriters
- American male screenwriters
- American music video directors
- Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award winners
- Campbell Hall School alumni
- Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners
- Directors of Golden Bear winners
- Emerson College alumni
- Film directors from Los Angeles
- Film producers from California
- Living people
- Montclair College Preparatory School alumni
- New York University alumni
- People from Studio City, Los Angeles
- Postmodernist filmmakers
- Santa Monica College alumni
- Screenwriters from California
- Silver Bear for Best Director winners
- Venice Best Director Silver Lion winners
- Rudolph family