Paul Thomas Anderson | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Anderson at the 2022Santa Barbara International Film Festival | |
| Born | (1970-06-26)June 26, 1970 (age 55) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Partner | Maya Rudolph |
| Children | 4 |
| Father | Ernie Anderson |
| Awards | Full list |
Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initialsPTA, is an American filmmaker. He is often described as one of the preeminent filmmakers of his generation.[a]Anderson's accolades include aBAFTA Award and nominations for elevenAcademy Awards, threeGolden Globes, and aGrammy. He is the only person to have wonBest Director at theCannes Film Festival, theSilver Lion at theVenice Film Festival, and theSilver andGolden Bear at theBerlin Film Festival.
Many ofAnderson's films arepsychological 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 andlong takes. After his directorial debut,Hard Eight (1996), Anderson had critical and commercial success withBoogie Nights (1997), and received further accolades withMagnolia (1999) andPunch-Drunk Love (2002).
There Will Be Blood (2007), Anderson's fifth film, is regarded as one of thegreatest films of the 21st century and of all time. It was followed byThe Master (2012) andInherent Vice (2014), an adaptation ofthe 2009 novel byThomas Pynchon. Anderson's next two films,Phantom Thread (2017) andLicorice Pizza (2021), were both nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture. His tenth film,One Battle After Another, was released in 2025.[7] It became Anderson's highest-grossing film.
Anderson is noted for his collaborations with the cinematographerRobert Elswit, the costume designerMark Bridges, the composersJon Brion andJonny Greenwood, and actors includingPhilip Seymour Hoffman,Daniel Day-Lewis,John C. Reilly, andJoaquin Phoenix. He has directed music videos for artists includingFiona Apple,Haim,Aimee Mann,Joanna Newsom,Michael Penn,Radiohead, andthe Smile. He also directed a2015 documentary about Greenwood's albumJunun, and the short music filmAnima (2019) for the Radiohead singerThom Yorke.
Paul Thomas Anderson was born inStudio City, Los Angeles, on June 26, 1970,[8][9] to Edwina (née Gough) and actorErnie Anderson.[10][11] His father was the voice ofABC and played aCleveland late-nighthorror host known asGhoulardi, after whom Anderson later named his production company.[10][11] Anderson has three siblings and five half-siblings from his father's first marriage.[12][13][14] He grew up in theSan Fernando Valley[15] and was raised as aRoman Catholic.[16] He had a troubled relationship with his mother, but was close with his father, who encouraged him to become a writer or director.[17] He attendedprivate schools includingthe Buckley School,John Thomas Dye School,Campbell Hall School,Cushing Academy, andMontclair College Preparatory School.[14]
Anderson was involved in filmmaking from an early age,[18][19] and never had an alternative plan to directing films.[20] He made his first film when he was eight years old,[13] and started making films on aBetamax videocamera his father bought in 1982.[19] He later started using8 mm film, but realized that video was easier.[18] As a teenager, he began writing and experimenting with aBolex16 mm camera.[18][21] 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.[19][22] The film was a 30-minutemockumentary about a porn star,The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), with a story inspired byJohn Holmes, who also inspiredBoogie Nights (1997), the feature-length adaptation ofThe Dirk Diggler Story.[14][17][18][21]
Anderson attendedSanta Monica College[23] before spending two semesters as an English major atEmerson College, where he was taught byDavid Foster Wallace. Anderson attendedNew York University for two days before he began his career as aproduction assistant on television, films, music videos, and game shows in Los Angeles and New York City.[14][24][25] Feeling that film school turned the material into "homework or a chore",[26] Anderson decided to make a 20-minute film as his "college".[24]
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),[24] Anderson madeCigarettes & Coffee (1993), a short film connecting multiple storylines with a $20 bill.[14][21][27] It screened at the 1993Sundance Festival Shorts Program.[21] He planned to expand it to feature-length, and was invited to the 1994Sundance Feature Film Program.[14][21][27]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.[19]
While at Sundance, Anderson had a deal withRysher Entertainment to direct his first full-length feature film,Sydney, which was retitledHard Eight.[17][19] After he finished the film, Rysher reedited it.[19] He had theworkprint of the original cut and submitted the film to the1996 Cannes Film Festival,[21] where it was shown at theUn Certain Regard section.[28][29] 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, andGwyneth Paltrow contributed to the final funding.[19][21] The version that was released was Anderson's and the acclaim it received launched his career.[21][14] The film follows the life of a senior gambler and a homeless man. In his review,Chicago Sun-Times criticRoger Ebert wrote, "Movies likeHard Eight remind me of what original, compelling characters the movies can sometimes give us."[30]
Anderson worked on the script for his second film while working on the first one,[19] and completed it in 1995.[21] The result was his breakout filmBoogie Nights (1997),[31][32][33] which is based on his short filmThe Dirk Diggler Story and is set in theGolden Age of Porn. The film follows anightclub dishwasher who becomes a pornographic actor.[14][21][34] The script was noticed byNew Line Cinema presidentMichael De Luca, who felt "totally gaga" reading it.[19] It was released on October 10, 1997, and was a critical and commercial success.[17] It revived the career ofBurt Reynolds,[35][36] and providedbreakout roles forMark Wahlberg andJulianne Moore.[37][38][39] At the70th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for three awards, includingBest Supporting Actor (Reynolds),Best Supporting Actress (Moore), andBest Original Screenplay.[40]
After the success ofBoogie Nights, New Line told Anderson he could do whatever he wanted for his next film and granted him creative control.[17] Anderson initially wanted to make a film that was "intimate and small-scale", but the script "kept blossoming". The result was the ensemble pieceMagnolia (1999), which tells the story of the peculiar interaction of several people in San Fernando Valley.[41][42] It was inspired by the music of the singer-songwriterAimee Mann,[43] who wrote songs forits soundtrack.[44] At the72nd Academy Awards,Magnolia was nominated for three awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Tom Cruise),Best Original Song ("Save Me"), and Best Original Screenplay.[45] After its release, Anderson said, "Magnolia is, for better or worse, the best movie I'll ever make".[46]
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After the success ofMagnolia, Anderson said he would make his next film around 90 minutes and would work withAdam Sandler.[32][41]Punch-Drunk Love (2002)[47] follows a beleaguered entrepreneur in love with his sister's co-worker. A subplot was inspired by civil engineerDavid Phillips.[47] Sandler received critical praise for his first dramatic role in the film.[48][49] At the2002 Cannes Film Festival, Anderson won theBest Director Award and was nominated for thePalme d'Or.[50]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".[51]
There Will Be Blood (2007), Anderson's fifth film, is loosely based onUpton Sinclair's 1927 novelOil![52] It follows a ruthlessoil prospector exploiting theSouthern California oil boom in the early 20th century.[53] Against a $25 million budget, the film earned $76.1 million worldwide.[54] At the80th Academy Awards, it was nominated for eight awards, tying withNo Country for Old Men.[55] Anderson was nominated forBest Picture,Best Director andBest Adapted Screenplay, losing all three tothe Coen Brothers forNo Country for Old Men.[56]Daniel Day-Lewis wonBest Actor andRobert Elswit wonBest Cinematography.[56]Paul Dano received a nomination for theBAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.[57] Anderson was nominated for theDirectors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film.[58]
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 accomplishedAmerican films of the modern era.David Denby ofThe New Yorker wrote, "Anderson has now done work that bears comparison to the greatest achievements ofGriffith andFord", whileRichard Schickel proclaimed it "one of the most wholly original American movies ever made."[59] In 2017,New York Times film criticsA. O. Scott andManohla Dargis named it the "Best Film of the 21st Century So Far".[60]
In December 2009, Anderson worked on a new film about a "charismatic intellectual" starting a new religion in the 1950s.[61] An associate of Anderson's stated that the idea for the film had been in his mind for twelve years.[62]The Master was released on September 14, 2012, in North America,[63] and received critical acclaim.[64][65] The film follows an alcoholicWorld 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 onScientology."[66] At the85th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for three awards, including forBest Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Best Supporting Actor (Hoffman) andBest Supporting Actress (Amy Adams).[67]
Production of thefilm adaptation forThomas Pynchon's novelInherent Vice began in May and ended in August 2013.[68] The film marked the first time that Pynchon allowed his work to be adapted for the screen,[69][70] and had Anderson work with Phoenix for a second time.[71][72] The supporting cast includesOwen Wilson,Reese Witherspoon,Jena Malone,Martin Short,Benicio Del Toro,Katherine Waterston andJosh Brolin. Following its release in December 2014, the film was nominated for two awards at the87th Academy Awards, including forBest Adapted Screenplay and Best Costume Design.[73]
Anderson directedJunun, a 2015 documentary about the making ofthe album by the composer and Radiohead guitaristJonny Greenwood, the Radiohead producerNigel Godrich, the Israeli composerShye Ben Tzur, and a group of Indian musicians.[74] Most of the performances were recorded at the 15th-centuryMehrangarh Fort inRajasthan.[75]Junun premiered at the2015 New York Film Festival to a generally favorable reception.[76][77][78]
Anderson's eighth film,Phantom Thread, set in the London fashion industry, was released in December 2017.[79] Day-Lewis starred, after his previous filmLincoln.[80] The cast includesLesley Manville andVicky Krieps.[79]Focus Features distributed the film in the United States, withUniversal Pictures handling international distribution.[81] Principal photography began in January 2017. Elswit was absent during production,[82] and despite claims of Anderson acting as a cinematographer on the film, no official credit was given.[83] On February 16, 2019, Elswit said he would not work with Anderson on his next films.[84]Phantom Thread was nominated for six awards at the90th Academy Awards, winning one forBest Costume Design,[85] and TheNational Board of Review chose it as one of thetop ten films of 2017.[86] It has since been considered to be one of the best films of the 2010s.[87][88]
In 2019, Anderson directed the short music filmAnima, starring the Radiohead singer,Thom Yorke, and featuring music from Yorke's albumAnima.[89] It was screened in selectIMAX theatres on June 26 and released onNetflix on June 27.[89] It was nominated forBest Music Film at the2020 Grammy Awards.[90]
Anderson's ninth film,Licorice Pizza, was released in December 2021.[91][92] It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the94th Academy Awards. It follows a teenage actor (Cooper Hoffman) in love with a photography assistant (Alana Haim).[93] In 2022, Anderson rewrote portions ofRidley Scott's 2023 filmNapoleon after its lead actor, Joaquin Phoenix, who had worked with Anderson, threatened to leave the project.[94][95]
On January 10, 2024, it was announced thatLeonardo DiCaprio,Regina Hall andSean Penn were cast in Anderson's upcoming projectOne Battle After Another, based atWarner 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."[96] Anderson first expressed a desire to adapt the novel around the release ofInherent Vice.[97][98][99] Production began in California that month with a reported $100 million budget.[100] In the following February,Licorice Pizza actress Alana Haim and singerTeyana Taylor had joined the cast.[101]One Battle After Another was released on September 26, 2025, to critical acclaim.[102] It grossed $22 million at the box office in its opening weekend,[103] and became Anderson's highest-grossing film.[104]
In 2000, Anderson wrote and directed a segment forSaturday Night Live withBen Affleck, "SNL FANatic", based on theMTV seriesFANatic.[105] He was a standby director during the 2005 filming ofRobert Altman'sA Prairie Home Companion for insurance purposes, as Altman was 80 years old at the time.[106] In 2008, Anderson co-wrote and directed a 70-minute play at theLargo Theatre, comprising a series of vignettes starringMaya Rudolph andFred Armisen, with a live score byJon Brion.[107]
Anderson has directed music videos for acts includingFiona Apple, Radiohead,Haim,Joanna Newsom,Aimee Mann, Jon Brion andMichael Penn.[108][109][110] He directed a short film for Haim in 2017,Valentine, featuring three musical performances.[111] In 2023, Anderson collaborated with Yorke and Greenwood again on the videos for "Wall of Eyes" and "Friend of a Friend", by their bandthe Smile.[112]
Anderson attended film school for two days, preferring instead to learn by watching the films of directors he liked along with the accompanying director'saudio commentary.[15][20][21] He has citedRobert Altman,Martin Brest,Jonathan Demme,Robert Downey, Sr.,Alfred Hitchcock,John Huston,Alex Cox,[113]Stanley Kubrick,Akira Kurosawa,Mike Leigh,David Mamet,Anthony Mann,Vincente Minnelli,Max Ophüls,Martin Scorsese,Steven Spielberg,Frank Tashlin,François Truffaut,Orson Welles andBilly Wilder as influences.[18][33][114][115][116]
Anderson is known for films set in theSan Fernando Valley with realisticallyflawed and desperate characters.[20][117] Among the themes dealt with in the films are dysfunctional families,[33][115][118] alienation,[115] surrogate families,[119] regret,[115] loneliness,[33] destiny,[14] the power of forgiveness,[13] and ghosts of the past.[33] Anderson makes frequent use ofrepetition to build emphasis and thematic consistency. InBoogie Nights,Magnolia,Punch Drunk Love, andThe Master, the phrase "I didn't do anything" is used at least once, developing themes ofresponsibility anddenial.[120][121][122][123] Anderson's films are known for their bold visual style[117] which includes stylistic trademarks, such as constantly moving camera shots,[46][117]steadicam-basedlong takes,[31][33][124] memorable use of music,[31][46][117] and multilayered audiovisual imagery.[31][124] Anderson tends to reference theBook of Exodus, either explicitly or subtly, such as in recurring references to Exodus 8:2 inMagnolia,[125] which chronicles theplague of frogs, culminating with the literal raining of frogs in the film's climax, or the title and themes inThere Will Be Blood, a phrase in Exodus 7:19, which details theplague of blood.[126][127]
Within his first three films,Hard Eight,Boogie Nights, andMagnolia, Anderson explored themes of dysfunctional families, alienation, and loneliness.[33][115]Boogie Nights andMagnolia were noted for their largeensemble casts,[32][117] which Anderson returned to inInherent Vice.[128][129] InPunch-Drunk Love, Anderson explored similar themes, but expressed a different visual style, shedding the influences and references of his earlier films, being moresurreal and having a heightened sense of reality.[115][124] It was also short, compared to his previous two films, at 90 minutes.[32]
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.[117] The film was more overtly engaged with politics than his previous films had been,[32] examining capitalism and themes such as greed, savagery, optimism and obsession.[130]The Master dealt with "ideas about American personality, success, rootlessness, master-disciple dynamics, and father-son mutually assured destruction."[131] All of his films deal withAmerican themes, with business versus art inBoogie Nights, ambition inThere Will Be Blood, and self-reinvention inThe Master.[132]
Anderson frequently collaborates with many actors and crew, carrying them over on each film.[133] He has referred to regular actors as "my little rep company", includingJohn C. Reilly,Philip Baker Hall,Julianne Moore,William H. Macy,Melora Walters, andPhilip Seymour Hoffman.[134]Luis Guzmán is also considered an Anderson regular.[135] Hoffman acted in Anderson's first four films[20] as well asThe Master.[62] Except forPaul F. Tompkins, Kevin Breznahan, andJim Meskimen, who all had equally minor roles inMagnolia,[136]There Will Be Blood had an entirely new cast. Anderson is one of three directors – the others beingJim Sheridan andMartin Scorsese – with whom Daniel Day-Lewis has collaborated more than once.[137]Robert Elswit served as cinematographer for Anderson's films throughInherent Vice, except forThe Master which was shot byMihai Mălaimare Jr.[138]Jon Brion served as a composer forHard Eight,Magnolia andPunch-Drunk Love,[139] andJonny Greenwood ofRadiohead for every film since.[140]Dylan Tichenor editedBoogie Nights,Magnolia,There Will Be Blood, andPhantom Thread.[141][142] Anderson regularly works with producers,JoAnne Sellar,Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, andDaniel Lupi,[143] and casting director Cassandra Kulukundis.[62]
| Collaborator | Role | Hard Eight | Boogie Nights | Magnolia | Punch-Drunk Love | There Will Be Blood | The Master | Inherent Vice | Phantom Thread | Licorice Pizza | One Battle After Another | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bauman | Cinematographer & Lighting Technician |  Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||||
| Jon Brion | Composer | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||||||
| Mark Bridges | Costume designer | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 9 | |
| Robert Elswit | Cinematographer | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6 | ||||
| Jonny Greenwood | Composer | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6 | ||||
| Luis Guzmán | Actor | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||||||
| Philip Baker Hall | Actor | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||||||
| Philip Seymour Hoffman | Actor | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||||
| Leslie Jones | Editor | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||||||
| Andy Jurgensen | Editor & Assistant Editor | Y | Y | Y | Y | 4 | ||||||
| Cassandra Kulukundis | Casting | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 9 | |
| Daniel Lupi | Producer | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 9 | |
| John C. Reilly | Actor | Y | Y | Y | Y | 4 | ||||||
| JoAnne Sellar | Producer | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 8 | ||
| Adam Somner | Producer & Assistant Director | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6 | ||||
| Dylan Tichenor | Editor | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||||
| Melora Walters | Actress | Y | Y | Y | Y | 4 | ||||||
| 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 (throughSony 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 |
He dated singer-songwriterFiona Apple from 1997 to 2002.[145][146] 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".[147]
Anderson is in a relationship with the actress and comedianMaya Rudolph with whom he shares 4 children.[148]
Anderson has been called "one of the most exciting talents to come along in years"[1] and "among the supreme talents of today."[2] After the release ofBoogie Nights andMagnolia, Anderson was praised as a "wunderkind".[3] In 2007, theAmerican Film Institute regarded him as "one of American film's modern masters."[130] 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."[4] 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."[6] Peter Travers ofRolling 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."[149]
Other directors have also praised him. In an interview with Jan Aghed,Ingmar Bergman referencedMagnolia as an example of the strength of American cinema.[150]Sam Mendes referred to Anderson as "a true auteur – and there are very few of those who I would classify as geniuses".[151] In his2013 acceptance speech for theGolden Globe Award for Best Director,Ben Affleck compared Anderson toOrson Welles.[152] Anderson is theonly person to win all three director prizes from the three major international film festivals (Cannes,Berlin andVenice).[153]
| 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 receivedAcademy 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 | Won |
| 2012 | Joaquin Phoenix | The Master | Nominated |
| 2017 | Daniel Day-Lewis | Phantom Thread | Nominated |
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |||
| 1997 | Burt Reynolds | Boogie Nights | Nominated |
| 1999 | Tom Cruise | Magnolia | Nominated |
| 2012 | Philip Seymour Hoffman | The Master | Nominated |
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| 1997 | Julianne Moore | Boogie Nights | Nominated |
| 2012 | Amy Adams | The Master | Nominated |
| 2017 | Lesley Manville | Phantom Thread | Nominated |
paul thomas anderson close encounters.
Contemporary North American Film Directors.
Vineland is really near the top for me.
I'd wanted to adaptVineland, but I never had the courage.
I am a gigantic Pynchon fan and I'd long had this dance in my mind where I'd be thinking about doingVineland orMason & Dixon. But those would have been impossible tasks.
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