Timothy Walter Burton was born on August 25, 1958, inBurbank, California, the son of Jean Burton (née Erickson), who in the 1980s was the owner of a cat-themed gift shop, and William "Bill" Burton, a former minor league baseball player, who worked for many years for the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department. The baseball field at Olive Recreation Center in Burbank, California is named for Bill Burton.[5][6]
As a preteen, Burton made short films in his backyard at 2101 North Evergreen Street, using crudestop motion animation techniques or shooting on8 mm film without sound (one of his oldest known juvenile films isThe Island of Doctor Agor, adapted from theH. G. Wells novelThe Island of Doctor Moreau, which he made when he was 13 years old).[7] Burton attended Providencia Elementary School, Luther Burbank Middle School, andBurbank High School,[8] but was not a particularly good student. He played on thewater polo team at Burbank High. Burton was an introspective person and found pleasure in artwork, painting, drawing, and watching movies. His future work would be heavily influenced by the books of such childhood heroes asDr. Seuss andRoald Dahl,[9]and of the visual aesthetics of silent gothic horror films,Universal Monsters movies such asFrankenstein which he would continuously tribute throughout his career,Hammer Horror films starringChristopher Lee and the horror films ofVincent Price, both of whom would star in his films, and with the latter being paid tribute in his 1982 short filmVincent.[10][11][12] In aHollywood Reporter article, Burton states: "I grew up watching the Universal horror movies, Japanese monster movies, and pretty much any kind of monster movie. That was my genre." Burton also said that his love ofRay Harryhausen's work got him interested in stop-motion animation at a young age.[13]
While at Disney in 1982, Burton made his first short,Vincent, a six-minute black-and-whitestop motion film based on a poem written by Burton, which depicts a young boy who fantasizes that he is his heroVincent Price, with Price himself providing narration. The film was produced byRick Heinrichs, whom Burton had befriended while working in the concept art department at Disney. The film was shown at theChicago Film Festival and released, alongside the teen dramaTex, for two weeks in one Los Angeles cinema. This was followed by Burton's first live-action production,Hansel and Gretel, a Japanese-themed adaptation of theBrothers Grimmfairy tale for theDisney Channel, which climaxes in akung fu fight between Hansel and Gretel and the witch. Having aired once in 1983 at 10:30 P.M. on Halloween and promptly shelved, prints of the film are extremely difficult to locate, fueling rumors that the project did not exist. The short would finally go on public display in 2009 at theMuseum of Modern Art, and again in 2011 as part of the Tim Burton art exhibit atLACMA.[17][18] It was again shown at theSeoul Museum of Art in 2012.[19]
Burton's next live-action short film,Frankenweenie, was released in 1984. It tells the story of a young boy who tries to revive his dog after it is run over by a car. Filmed in black-and-white, it starsBarret Oliver,Shelley Duvall (with whom he would work again in 1986, directing an episode of her television seriesFaerie Tale Theatre), andDaniel Stern. AfterFrankenweenie was completed, Disney fired Burton, under the pretext of him spending the company's resources on a film that would be too dark and scary for children to see.[20]
ActorPaul Reubens sawFrankenweenie and chose Burton to direct the cinematic spin-off of his popular characterPee-wee Herman, stating on the audio commentary of 2000 DVD release ofPee-wee's Big Adventure that as soon as the short began, he was sold on Burton's style. Pee-wee Herman gained mainstream popularity with a successful stage show atThe Groundlings andthe Roxy which was later turned into anHBO special. The film,Pee-wee's Big Adventure, was made on a budget of $8 million and grossed more than $40 million at the North American box office. Burton, a fan of the eccentric musical groupOingo Boingo, asked songwriterDanny Elfman to provide the music for the film. Since then, Elfman has scored every film that Tim Burton has directed, except forEd Wood,[21]Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, andMiss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
Burton's next major film wasBeetlejuice (1988), a supernaturalcomedy horror about a young couple forced to cope with life after death and the family of pretentious yuppies who invade their treasured New England home. Their teenage daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder), has an obsession with death which allows her to see the deceased couple. StarringAlec Baldwin andGeena Davis, and featuringMichael Keaton as the title character, the film grossed $80 million on a relatively low budget and won anAcademy Award forBest Makeup. It was later adapted into ananimated TV series of the same name, with Burton playing a role as executive producer, that ran onABC and later theFox network.
Burton's ability to produce hit films with low budgets impressed studio executives, and he received his first big-budget film,Batman. The production was plagued with problems. Burton repeatedly clashed with the film's producers,Jon Peters andPeter Guber, but the most notable debacle involved casting. For the title role, Burton chose to cast Michael Keaton asBatman following their previous collaboration inBeetlejuice, despite Keaton's average physique, inexperience with action films, and reputation as a comic actor. Although Burton won in the end, the furor over the casting provoked enormous fan animosity, to the extent that Warner Brothers' share price slumped.[citation needed] Burton had considered it ridiculous to cast a "bulked-up" ultra-masculine man as Batman, insisting that Batman should be an ordinary man who dressed up in an elaborate bat costume to frighten criminals. Burton originally consideredBrad Dourif forThe Joker, but eventually castJack Nicholson, in a move that helped assuage fans' fears, as well as attracting older audiences not as interested in asuperhero film. When the film opened in June 1989, it was backed by the biggest marketing and merchandising campaign in film history at the time, and became one of the biggest box office hits of all time, grossing over $250 million in the U.S. and $400 million worldwide (numbers not adjusted for inflation) and earning critical acclaim for the performances of both Keaton and Nicholson, as well as the film's production aspects, which won the Academy Award forBest Art Direction. The success of the film helped establish Burton as a profitable director, and it proved to be a huge influence on future superhero films, which eschewed the bright, all-American heroism ofRichard Donner'sSuperman for a gritier, more realistic look and characters with more psychological depth. It also served as a major inspiration for the acclaimed TV seriesBatman: The Animated Series.
Burton claimed that the graphic novelBatman: The Killing Joke was a major influence on his film adaptation ofBatman:
I was never a giant comic book fan, but I've always loved the image of Batman and the Joker. The reason I've never been a comic book fan – and I think it started when I was a child – is because I could never tell which box I was supposed to read. I don't know if it wasdyslexia or whatever, but that's why I lovedThe Killing Joke, because, for the first time, I could tell which one to read. It's my favorite. It's the first comic I've ever loved. And the success of those graphic novels made our ideas more acceptable.[22]: 71
In 1990, Burton created a unique drawing which gave screenwriterCaroline Thompson inspiration to write the script forEdward Scissorhands which Burton directed, re-uniting with Winona Ryder fromBeetlejuice. His friendJohnny Depp, a teen idol at the end of the 1980s due primarily to his work on the hit TV series21 Jump Street, was cast in the title role of Edward, who was the creation of an eccentric and old-fashioned inventor (played byVincent Price in one of his last screen appearances). Edward looked human, but was left with scissors in the place of hands due to the untimely death of his creator. Set in suburbia (and shot inLand o' Lakes, Florida), the film is largely seen as Burton's autobiography of his childhood in Burbank. Burton's idea[23] for the character of Edward Scissorhands came from a drawing he created in high school. Depp wrote a similar comment in the foreword to Mark Salisbury's book,Burton on Burton, regarding his first meeting with Burton over the casting of the film.Edward Scissorhands is considered one of Burton's best movies by some critics.[24] Burton has stated that this is his most personal and meaningful film because it is a representation of him not being able to communicate effectively with others as a teenager.
After the success ofBatman, Burton agreed to direct the sequel for Warner Bros. on the condition that he would be granted total control. The result wasBatman Returns, which featured Michael Keaton returning as Batman, and a new triad of villains:Danny DeVito (asthe Penguin),Michelle Pfeiffer (asCatwoman) andChristopher Walken (asMax Shreck, an evil corporate tycoon and original character created for the film). Somewhat darker and considerably more personal than its predecessor, concerns were raised that the film might be too scary for children. Audiences were more uncomfortable at the film's overt sexuality, personified by the sleek, fetish-inspired styling of Catwoman's costume. Burton made many changes to the Penguin which would subsequently be applied to the character in both comics and television. In the comics, the penguin was an ordinary man; Burton transformed him into a freak of nature resembling a penguin with webbed, flipper-like fingers, a hooked, beak-like nose and a short, rotund body. Released in 1992,Batman Returns grossed $282.8 million worldwide, making it a financial success, though not to the extent of its predecessor.
Due to schedule constraints onBatman Returns, Burton produced, but did not direct,The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) for Disney, originally meant to be a children's book in rhyme. The film was directed byHenry Selick and written byCaroline Thompson, based on Burton's original story, world, and characters. The film received positive reviews for the stop motion animation, musical score, and original storyline. It was a modest box office success, grossing $50 million. Because of the nature of the film, it was not produced under Disney's name, but rather Disney-owned Touchstone Pictures. Disney wanted the protagonist to have eyes,[25] but the final iteration did not. Over 100 people worked on this motion picture just to create the characters, and it took three years of work to produce the film.[25] Burton collaborated with Selick again forJames and the Giant Peach (1996), which Burton co-produced.
In 1994, Burton and frequent co-producerDenise Di Novi produced the 1994 fantasy-comedyCabin Boy, starring comedianChris Elliott and directed/written byAdam Resnick. Burton was originally supposed to direct the film after seeing Elliott perform onGet a Life, but he handed the directing responsibility to Resnick once he was offeredEd Wood. Burton's next film,Ed Wood (1994), was of a much smaller scale, depicting the life of the infamous directorEd Wood. Starring Johnny Depp in the title role, the film is an homage to the low-budget science fiction and horror films of Burton's childhood and handles its comical protagonist and his motley band of collaborators with surprising fondness and sensitivity. Owing to creative squabbles during the making ofThe Nightmare Before Christmas, Danny Elfman declined to scoreEd Wood, and the assignment went toHoward Shore. While a commercial failure at the time of its release,Ed Wood became a cult classic and was well received by critics.Martin Landau received theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal ofBela Lugosi, and the film received theAcademy Award for Best Makeup.
Warner Bros. was not interested in Tim Burton's return as director for a third Batman installment after consideringBatman Returns too dark and unsafe for children.[26] Burton noted he was unsure about returning to direct, writing: "I don't think Warner Bros. wanted me to direct a thirdBatman. I even said that to them."[27] Burton and Warner Bros. mutually agreed to part ways. To attract the young audience, it was decided thatJoel Schumacher, would directthe third film, whilst Burton would only produce it in conjunction withPeter MacGregor-Scott, in which Burton was given top-billing producer credit, without being able to contribute ideas; only approving director and screenplayers.[28] Following this change and the changes made by the new director, Michael Keaton resigned from the lead role and was replaced byVal Kilmer. Filming forBatman Forever began in late 1994 with new actors:Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face,Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian,Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson/Robin andJim Carrey as Edward Nygma/The Riddler; the only two actors who returned afterBatman Returns werePat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon andMichael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth. The film, a combination of the darkness that characterized the saga and colors and neon signs proposed by Schumacher, was a huge box office success, earning $336 million. Warner Bros. demanded that Schumacher delete some scenes so the film did not have the same tone as its predecessor,Batman Returns (later they were added as deleted scenes on the 2005 DVD release).
Sleepy Hollow, released in late 1999, had a supernatural setting and starred Johnny Depp asIchabod Crane, a detective with an interest in forensic science rather than the schoolteacher ofWashington Irving'soriginal tale. WithSleepy Hollow, Burton paid homage to the horror films of the English companyHammer Films.Christopher Lee, one of Hammer's stars, was given a cameo role. A host of Burton regulars appeared in supporting roles (Michael Gough,Jeffrey Jones, andChristopher Walken, among others), andChristina Ricci was cast as Katrina van Tassel. A well-regarded supporting cast was headed byMiranda Richardson,Michael Gambon,Richard Griffiths andIan McDiarmid. Mostly well received by critics, and with a special mention to Elfman's gothic score, the film has grossed $207 million worldwide and won an Academy Award forBest Art Direction, as well as twoBAFTAs forBest Costume Design andBest Production Design. A box office success,Sleepy Hollow was also a turning point for Burton. Along with the change in his personal life (separation from actressLisa Marie), Burton changed radically in style for his next project, leaving the haunted forests and colorful outcasts behind to go on to directingPlanet of the Apes which, as Burton had repeatedly noted, was "not a remake" of the earlier film.
Planet of the Apes was a commercial success, grossing $68 million in its opening weekend and eventually it earned $180 million in North America and $362 million worldwide. The film however has received mixed reviews and is widely considered inferior tothe first adaptation ofthe novel. In 2003, Burton directedBig Fish, based on the novelBig Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions byDaniel Wallace. The film is about a father telling the story of his life to his son using exaggeration and color. StarringEwan McGregor as young Edward Bloom andAlbert Finney as an older Edward Bloom, the film also starsJessica Lange,Billy Crudup,Danny DeVito,Alison Lohman andMarion Cotillard.Big Fish received fourGolden Globe nominations as well as an Academy Award nomination for Elfman's score. The film was also the second collaboration between Burton andHelena Bonham Carter, who played the characters of Jenny and the Witch, and Burton andDanny DeVito, who played Amos Calloway the circus ringleader.
Released in 2005,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an adaptation of thebook of the same name by Roald Dahl. Starring Johnny Depp asWilly Wonka,Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket, andDeep Roy as theOompa-Loompas, the film generally took a more faithful approach to the source material than the 1971 adaptation,Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, although some liberties were taken, such as adding Wonka's issue with his father (played by Christopher Lee).Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was later nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Costume Design. The film made over $207 million domestically. Filming proved difficult as Burton, Depp, and Danny Elfman had to work on this and Burton'sCorpse Bride (2005) at the same time, which was Burton's first full-length stop motion film as a director, featuring the voices of Johnny Depp as Victor and Helena Bonham Carter as Emily.
Burton directed his first music video, "Bones", in 2006. "Bones" is the sixth overall single by American indie rock bandThe Killers and the second released from their second studio album,Sam's Town. Starring in this video were actorsMichael Steger andDevon Aoki. Burton went on to direct a second music video forThe Killers, "Here with Me", starring Winona Ryder, released in 2012.[29]
Burton directed the 2014 biographical drama filmBig Eyes about American artistMargaret Keane (Amy Adams), whose work was fraudulently claimed in the 1950s and 1960s by her then-husband,Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), and their heated divorce trial after Margaret accused Walter of stealing credit for her paintings. The script was written by the screenwriters behind Burton'sEd Wood,Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Filming began inVancouver, British Columbia, in mid-2013. The film was distributed by The Weinstein Company and released in U.S. theaters on December 25, 2014. It received generally positive reviews from critics.[46][47]
In February 2021, it was announced that Burton would be directing and producingWednesday, a series forNetflix based on thetitular character fromThe Addams Family starringJenna Ortega andChristina Ricci.[51][52] This marked Burton's first foray into directing television since the 1980s. He helmed four episodes in the first season, which began production in September 2021 for a November 2022 release. The show was released to critical acclaim.
In October 2022, Burton announced that he would probably never work with The Walt Disney Company again afterDumbo, due to his distinctive style and working approach not matching with what Disney is currently looking for, with its focus onPixar,Marvel andLucasfilm. He stated that "It's gotten to be very homogenized, very consolidated. There's less room for different types of things".[53][54]
In July 2012, It was announced that Burton was working withSeth Grahame-Smith onBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, a project he had been considering making since 1990.[22]: 145 [55] ActorMichael Keaton also expressed interest in reprising his role as the title character along withWinona Ryder as Lydia Deetz.[56][57] In October 2017,Deadline Hollywood reported that Mike Vukadinovich was hired to write a script in time for the film's 30th anniversary.[58] In April 2019, Warner Bros. stated the sequel had been shelved.[59] In February 2022, however, the sequel was announced again, this time produced byBrad Pitt's studioPlan B Entertainment, alongside Warner Bros.[60] Though Burton initially said that he was not involved, he later backtracked,[54] and the sequel officially started shooting in London on May 10, 2023, with a release date of September 6, 2024, with Burton as director, Keaton and Ryder reprising their roles, and Ortega andJustin Theroux joining the cast.[61]
AfterKevin Smith had been hired to writea newSuperman film, he suggested Burton to direct.[62] Burton came on and Warner Bros. set a theatrical release date for the summer of 1998, the 60th anniversary of the character's debut inAction Comics.[63]Nicolas Cage was signed on to play Superman, Burton hiredWesley Strick to rewrite Smith's script, and the film entered pre-production in June 1997. For budgetary reasons, Warner Bros. ordered another rewrite fromDan Gilroy, delayed the film, and ultimately put it on hold in April 1998. Burton then left to directSleepy Hollow.[63] Burton has depicted the experience as a difficult one, citing differences with producerJon Peters and the studio, stating, "I basically wasted a year. A year is a long time to be working with somebody that you don't really want to be working with."[64]
In 2002,The Walt Disney Company began to consider producing a sequel toThe Nightmare Before Christmas, but rather than usingstop motion, Disney wanted to usecomputer animation.[65] Burton convinced Disney to drop the idea. "I was always very protective of ['Nightmare'], not to do sequels or things of that kind," Burton explained. "You know, 'Jack visitsThanksgiving world' or other kinds of things, just because I felt the movie had a purity to it and the people that like it... Because it's a mass-market kind of thing, it was important to kind of keep that purity of it."[66] Regardless, in 2009,Henry Selick stated that he could make a sequel toNightmare if he and Burton could create a good story for it.[67]
In 2012, Shane Acker confirmed that Burton would work withValve to create his next animated feature film,Deep. Like9, the film would take place in a post-apocalyptic world (although set in a different universe).Deep would be another darker animated film, as Shane Acker has expressed his interest in creating more PG-13 animated films.[68] Since then, there have been no further mentions ofDeep, with Acker focusing on another project announced in 2013 (Beasts of Burden).[69][70]
Burton was briefly attached to directMaleficent forWalt Disney Pictures in 2011, but chose to pursueDark Shadows andFrankenweenie instead.[71]
It was reported that Burton would direct a 3D stop motion animation adaptation ofThe Addams Family, which was confirmed by Christopher Meledandri,[72] but the project was scrapped on July 17, 2013.[73] On July 19, 2010, Burton was announced as the director of the upcoming film adaptation ofMonsterpocalypse.[74]
In 2011, it was reported that Burton was working on a live-action adaptation ofThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame starringJosh Brolin, who would also be co-producing. The project did not move forward.[75][76]
Burton was married to Lena Gieseke, a German-born artist. Their marriage ended in 1991 after four years.[77] He went on to live with model and actressLisa Marie; she acted in the films he made during their relationship from 1992 to 2001, most notably inSleepy Hollow,Ed Wood, andMars Attacks!. Burton developed a romantic relationship with English actressHelena Bonham Carter, whom he met while filmingPlanet of the Apes. Lisa Marie responded in 2005 by holding an auction of personal belongings that Burton had left behind, much to his dismay.[78]
Burton and Bonham Carter have two children: a son, born in 2003 and a daughter born in 2007.[79] Bonham Carter's representative said in December 2014 that she and Burton had broken up amicably earlier that year.[80] It is unclear whether or not they were married; Bonham Carter has used the word divorce when discussing the end of their relationship[81] while other news outlets state that theynever married.[80]The Independent reported in September 2023 that Burton and Bonham Carter had indeed been married for years before their separation.[82]
Burton's relationship with Italian actress and modelMonica Bellucci was reported in February 2023. They met in October 2022 at theLyon'sLumière Film Festival.[85] Bellucci first spoke publicly about their relationship in June 2023.[86]
From November 22, 2009, to April 26, 2010, Burton had a retrospective at theMoMA in New York with over 700 "drawings, paintings, photographs, storyboards, moving-image works, puppets,maquettes, costumes and cinematic ephemera", including many from the filmmaker's personal collection.[87] FromMoMA, the "Tim Burton" exhibition traveled directly toAustralian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne. Running from June 24 to October 10, 2010, the ACMI exhibition incorporated additional material from Burton'sAlice in Wonderland, which was released in March 2010.[88]
"The Art of Tim Burton" was exhibited at theLos Angeles County Museum of Art from May 29 to October 31, 2011, in the Museum's Resnick Pavilion.[89] LACMA also featured six films of Tim Burton's idol,Vincent Price.[90] "Tim Burton, the exhibition/Tim Burton, l'exposition" was exhibited at theCinémathèque Française from March 7 to August 5, 2012, in Paris, France.[91] All of Tim Burton's movies were shown during the exhibition.
"Tim Burton at Seoul Museum of Art" was exhibited as a promotion ofHyundai Card atSeoul Museum of Art from December 12, 2012, to April 15, 2013, in Seoul, South Korea.[92] This exhibition featured 862 of Burton's works including drawings, paintings, short films, sculptures, music, and costumes that have been used in the making of his feature-length movies. The exhibition was divided into three parts: the first part, "Surviving Burbank", covered his younger years, from 1958 to 1976. The second, "Beautifying Burbank", covers 1977 to 1984, including his time with CalArts and Walt Disney. The last segment, "Beyond Burbank", covers 1985 onward.[93]
"Tim Burton and His World" was exhibited at theStone Bell House from March 3 to August 8, 2014, in Prague, Czech Republic.[94] The exhibition later premiered at theMuseu da Imagem e do Som inSão Paulo, Brazil, on February 4, 2016, and lasted until June 5.[95] The exhibition was later held in Artis Tree inTaikoo Place, Hong Kong, from November 5, 2016, to January 23, 2017.[96] The exhibition returned to Brazil from May 28 to August 11, 2019, being held at theCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil inBrasília.[97]
Burton also wrote and illustrated the poetry bookThe Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, published in 1997 by British publishing houseFaber and Faber, and a compilation of his drawings, sketches, and other artwork, entitledThe Art of Tim Burton, was released in 2009. A follow-up to that book, entitledThe Napkin Art of Tim Burton: Things You Think About in a Bar, containing sketches made by Burton onnapkins at bars and restaurants he visited, was released in 2015.
^Tim Burton's middle name is cited asWalter by theMuseum of Modern Art on its web appearance for a 2009 exhibition on Burton's artwork[2] and a book[3] covering Burton's career as an artist and filmmaker, though it is cited asWilliam by other sources, such as the Tim Burton Collective.[4]
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