Paul Thomas Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has directed nine feature-length films, five short films, twenty three music videos, one documentary, one television episode as a guest segment director, and one theatrical play. He made his directorial debut with the mockumentary short film The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), at the age of 18, about a pornographic actor in the 1970s. [1] Anderson followed it five years later with another short film, Cigarettes & Coffee (1993). Anderson wrote and directed the crime film Hard Eight (1996), starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson. The film was well received. [2] [3] Using the basis of The Dirk Diggler Story, Anderson wrote and directed an expansion of the film, Boogie Nights (1997). [4] It stars Mark Wahlberg as an actor in the Golden Age of Porn from the 1970s to the 1980s. The film received acclaim from critics and was a commercial success; [1] at the 70th Academy Awards ceremony, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Supporting Actor (Burt Reynolds), Best Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore) and Best Original Screenplay. [5]
His 1999 ensemble film Magnolia followed four intertwined and peculiar stories in the San Fernando Valley. [6] The film was another critical success for Anderson and at the 72nd Academy Awards, it was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tom Cruise), Best Original Song for "Save Me" by Aimee Mann and Best Original Screenplay. [7] Anderson directed the romantic comedy-drama Punch-Drunk Love (2002), starring Adam Sandler as a lonely man with anger issues. [8] He went on to write and direct There Will Be Blood (2007), based loosely on Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! The film was critically acclaimed, winning numerous awards. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture, with Daniel Day-Lewis winning Best Actor. [9] After a five-year hiatus, he directed the 2012 film The Master starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film's fictional movement "The Cause" was widely compared to the real-life religion of Scientology in the media, despite not directly referencing it. [10] [11]
Anderson adapted Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel Inherent Vice into a film of the same name in 2014. Joaquin Phoenix played a stoner hippie and private investigator investigating a case involving the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend and her wealthy boyfriend. [12] In 2015, he directed the documentary Junun about the making of album of the same name in Mehrangarh Fort, Rajasthan, India by the Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, English composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Indian ensemble the Rajasthan Express, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. [13] Phantom Thread (2017), starred Day-Lewis as a renowned dressmaker in the 1950s. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards. Anderson's ninth film, Licorice Pizza , was released to great acclaim in 2021, earning three Academy Award nominations.
He has directed music videos for such artists as Fiona Apple, Haim, Aimee Mann, Joanna Newsom and Radiohead. [14]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | DoP | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | Hard Eight | Yes | Yes | No | No | Original title: Sydney | [15] |
1997 | Boogie Nights | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | [15] | |
1999 | Magnolia | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | [15] | |
2002 | Punch-Drunk Love | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | [15] | |
2007 | There Will Be Blood | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Based on Oil! by Upton Sinclair | [16] |
2012 | The Master | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | [17] | |
2014 | Inherent Vice | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon | [18] |
2017 | Phantom Thread | Yes | Yes | Yes | Uncredited | [19] | |
2021 | Licorice Pizza | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-cinematographer with Michael Bauman | |
2025 | The Battle of Baktan Cross | Yes | Yes | Yes | TBA | Post-production | [20] |
Documentary
Year | Title | Credit | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Junun | Director and camera operator | [21] |
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | The Dirk Diggler Story | Yes | Yes | No | Also cinematographer | [22] |
1992 | Production Assistant | Yes | Yes | Yes | Released in 2012 | [23] |
1993 | Cigarettes & Coffee | Yes | Yes | No | [22] | |
1998 | Flagpole Special | Yes | Yes | Yes | [24] | |
2002 | Couch | Yes | Yes | Yes | [22] | |
2003 | Blossoms and Blood | Yes | Yes | Yes | Compilation of deleted scenes from Punch-Drunk Love | [25] |
12 Scopitones | Yes | Yes | Yes | Compilation of unused artwork from Punch-Drunk Love | [26] | |
Mattress Man Commercial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Deleted scene from Punch-Drunk Love | [27] | |
2013 | Back Beyond | Yes | Yes | Yes | Compilation of deleted scenes from The Master | [28] |
2015 | Everything in This Dream | Yes | Yes | Yes | Compilation of deleted scenes from Inherent Vice | [29] |
2017 | Valentine | Yes | No | No | [30] | |
2018 | For the Hungry Boy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Compilation of deleted scenes from Phantom Thread | [31] |
2019 | Anima | Yes | No | Yes | [32] |
Year | Title | Credit | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Corky Romano | Uncredited rewrite | [33] |
2006 | A Prairie Home Companion | Stand-by director | [34] |
2018 | Waterlily Jaguar | Executive producer | [35] |
2023 | Napoleon | Uncredited rewrite | [36] [37] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes | Himself | [38] | |
Magnolia | Man confiscating sign | Uncredited | [39] | |
2000 | That Moment: Magnolia Diary | Himself | [40] | |
2002 | Minority Report | Passenger on Train | Uncredited | [41] |
2010 | In Search of Ted Demme | Himself | [42] | |
2014 | Altman | [43] |
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Actor | Thanks | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | The Jon Brion Show | Yes | No | No | No | Variety show Unaired TV pilot | [44] |
Saturday Night Live | Yes | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Ben Affleck/Fiona Apple" Segment: "SNL FANatic" | [45] | |
2016 | Documentary Now! | No | No | Yes | No | Voice role: Harrison Renzi Episode: "Final Transmission" | [46] |
2018 | Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh | No | No | No | Yes | Stand-up special Filmed segments | [47] |
Year | Title | Performer | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | "Try" | Michael Penn | [14] | |
1998 | "Across the Universe" | Fiona Apple | [14] | |
"Fast as You Can" | [14] | |||
1999 | "Save Me" | Aimee Mann | [14] | |
2000 | "Limp" | Fiona Apple | [14] | |
"Paper Bag" | [14] | |||
2002 | "Here We Go" | Jon Brion | [14] | |
2013 | "Hot Knife" | Fiona Apple | [14] | |
2015 | "Sapokanikan" | Joanna Newsom | [14] | |
"Divers" | [14] | |||
2016 | "Daydreaming" | Radiohead | [14] | |
"Present Tense" | Live video | [48] | ||
"The Numbers" | [49] | |||
2017 | "Right Now" | Haim | [50] | |
"Valentine" | [51] | |||
"Little of Your Love" | [52] | |||
2018 | "Night So Long" | Live video | [53] | |
2019 | "Summer Girl" | [54] | ||
"Now I'm in It" | [55] | |||
"Hallelujah" | [56] | |||
2020 | "The Steps" | Co-directed by Danielle Haim | [57] | |
"Man From the Magazine" | [58] | |||
2022 | "Lost Track" | [59] | ||
2023 | "Wall Of Eyes" | The Smile | [60] | |
2024 | "Friend of a Friend" | [61] |
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Theatre | Principal Cast | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Untitled original theatrical play | Yes | Yes | Largo Theatre | Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen | [62] |
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. They comprise Thom Yorke ; brothers Jonny Greenwood and Colin Greenwood (bass); Ed O'Brien ; and Philip Selway. They have worked with the producer Nigel Godrich and the cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. Radiohead's experimental approach is credited with advancing the sound of alternative rock.
Magnolia is a 1999 American drama film written, directed and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars an ensemble cast, including Jeremy Blackman, Tom Cruise, Melinda Dillon, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Jason Robards and Melora Walters. The film is an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. The script was inspired by the music of Aimee Mann, who contributed several songs to its soundtrack.
Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band Radiohead, and has composed numerous film scores. He has been named one of the greatest guitarists by numerous publications, including Rolling Stone.
Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. Rolling Stone described Yorke as one of the greatest and most influential singers of his generation.
Paul Thomas Anderson, also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. His accolades include a BAFTA Award, and nominations for eleven Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. He has also won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and both the Silver and Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
"All I Need" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, produced by Nigel Godrich. It was released as a promotional single on 5 January 2009, from their seventh studio album, In Rainbows (2007). "All I Need" is a downbeat track with lyrics about obsession and unrequited love.
"Save Me" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, written for the 1999 film Magnolia. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It was released on the Magnolia soundtrack.
Junun is a 2015 documentary film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It documents the making of the album Junun in Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India, by Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, English composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Indian ensemble the Rajasthan Express, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.
Junun is a 2015 album by the Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, the English composer Jonny Greenwood and the Indian ensemble the Rajasthan Express. It was produced by Greenwood and engineered and mixed by Nigel Godrich, the longtime producer for Greenwood's band Radiohead.
"Spectre" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 25 December 2015. It was produced by Nigel Godrich.
"Daydreaming" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, produced by Nigel Godrich. The song is a piano ballad with strings arranged by the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. It was released as a download on 6 May 2016 as the second and final single from Radiohead's ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool, accompanied by a music video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
A Moon Shaped Pool is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released digitally on 8 May 2016, with a retail release on 17 June 2016 through XL Recordings. It was produced by Radiohead's longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich.
Something to Tell You is the second studio album by American pop rock band Haim. It was released on July 7, 2017, by Columbia Records. The album's lead single, "Want You Back", was released on May 3, 2017, followed by the release of the promotional single "Right Now". On May 10, the album cover was revealed, along with the preorder announcement. "Little of Your Love" was then announced as the second single on June 18, 2017, via Twitter. "Nothing's Wrong" was released as the third single on August 21, 2017.
"Little of Your Love" is a song by Haim and the second single off their second album, Something to Tell You. It was released as the follow-up to the single "Want You Back" on June 18, 2017. The music video for the song was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
"Man of War" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 22 June 2017 on the compilation OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017.
Alana Mychal Haim is an American musician and actress. She is a member of the pop rock band Haim, along with her two older sisters Este and Danielle, where she performs piano, guitar and vocals. In 2020, the band received a nomination for Grammy Award for Album of the Year for their third album, Women in Music Pt. III.
Phantom Thread (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the original soundtrack album to the 2017 film Phantom Thread, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The record consists of eighteen tracks from a film score written and composed by Jonny Greenwood. Greenwood's score was released digitally by Nonesuch Records on 12 January 2018, with a CD edition later released on 9 February 2018 and a vinyl edition on 21 April 2018. In preparation for the score, Greenwood researched the musical trends of the 1950s, referencing Glenn Gould's Bach recordings and the work of Nelson Riddle. The score was recorded in London with a 60-piece orchestra, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Contemporary Orchestra. It is Greenwood's fourth soundtrack for director Paul Thomas Anderson and appears across the majority of the film's 130-minute runtime. It was met with favourable reviews from critics, receiving nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music.
The Smile are an English rock band comprising Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner (drums). Critics likened them to Yorke and Greenwood's band Radiohead, with more jazz, krautrock and progressive rock influences and a looser, wilder sound.
Sara Murphy is an American film producer. Murphy has produced Morris from America (2016), Person to Person (2017), Gemini (2017), The Mountain (2018), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), and Licorice Pizza (2021).
Anderson, by the way, was wearing a mask at the TCM event, as he is deep in preparation for shooting his next film for Warner Bros. that starts in just 11 days, and he was taking no chance in exposing himself to any health issues before going on set for the film. It will star Leonardo DiCaprio. Unlike his last, brilliant, Licorice Pizza, which shot in L.A., this untitled film is going to be in production in several locations around the country. No release date has been announced, but it is likely for 2025.
Anderson is seen immediately after the start of the show "What Do Kids Know?" confiscating from a member of the audience an "Exodus 8:2" sign.