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Paul Thomas Anderson
 Biography:
Paul Thomas Anderson was born in Studio City, California on January 1st, 1970. He grew up in there in the San Fernando Valley where he struggled through school. When he was only seventeen, he made his very first short film, “The Dirk Diggler Story”, a mocumentary about an adult film star. After graduating high school he enrolled at Emerson College, but dropped out after only two semesters. Determined to pursue his interest in filmmaking, he applied for and was accepted to the New York University Film School, but only attended two days worth of classes. He then worked as a production assistant on a handful of television programs and independent films.
In 1993 he borrowed a camera and shot another short film he had written titled “Cigarettes and Coffee”. The film was accepted into the Sundance Film Festival Shorts Program and was very well received. It earned him a place in the Sundance Institute’s Filmmaker Workshop, where he was able to further develop the story. After a difficult and lengthy production he had Hard Eight, which also played at Sundance and was praised by attendees and critics. Dubbed as one of the most promising new filmmakers, his next project was Boogie Nights, which is a feature film version of his earlier short “The Dirk Diggler Story”. The amazing success and acclaim of Boogie Nights gave P.T. Anderson a powerful name in film circles and his projects display more and more talent with every new film he produces. He is also the filmmaker responsible for such incredible films as Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love.
Films:
Sydney (Hard Eight) (1996)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Magnolia (1999)
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Upcoming Projects:
none
Other Film Credits:
none
Short Films:
The Dirk Diggler Story (1988) (writer and director)
Cigarettes and Coffee (1993) (writer and director)
Flagpole Special (1998) (writer and director)
Blossoms & Blood (2003) (writer and director)
“Couch” (2003) (director)
Music Video Projects:
“Try” by Michael Penn (1997)
“Across the Universe” by Fiona Apple (1998)
“Fast As You Can” by Fiona Apple (1999)
“Save Me” by Aimee Mann (1999)
“Limp” by Fiona Apple (2000)
“Paper Bag” by Fiona Apple (2000)
Television Projects:
Sworn to Vengeance (1993) (production assistant)
Saturday Night Live (series 1975-today) (wrote and directed the “FANatic” spoof for episode 25.13 first aired on 2/19/00)
“The Showbiz Show with David Spade” (series 2005-current)
(directed the segment “Demo Jail” for episode 205 first aired on 4/20/06)
Non Film Projects:
none
Production and Other Companies:
Ghoulardi Pictures
Film Award Ratios (wins/nominations):
Academy Awards – 0/6 (0.0%)
Golden Globes – 2/5 (40.0%)
Sundance Film Festival – 0/0 (0.0%)
Cannes Film Festival – 1/2 (50.0%)
Writers Guild of America – 0/2 (0.0%)
Directors Guild of America –0/0 (0.0%)
AFI Top One Hundred Films of All Time – 0
Quote:
“Sometimes I can take being a fan to excess. Maybe part of the reason this movie is so long is that I love staring at the actors with the camera. I can let things go on for a long time just because I'm getting off on it. My selfish love for them can get in the way of telling the story. It happens because I believe in working with actors who are my friends. I treat their characters with the same respect and dignity I have for real people. My relationship with the actor is right there on-screen. I think it gives me an advantage.” Playboy 20 Questions, February 1998
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