Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino was born on March 27, 1963, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the only child of Connie McHugh, who is part Cherokee and part Irish, and actor Tony Tarantino, who left the family before Quentin was born.
Moving to California at the age of 4, Tarantino developed his love for movies at an early age. One of his earliest memories is of his grandmother taking him to see a John Wayne movie. Tarantino also loved storytelling, but he showed his creativity in unusual ways. "He wrote me sad Mother's Day stories. He'd always kill me and tell me how bad he felt about it," Connie once told Entertainment Weekly. "It was enough to bring a tear to a mother's eye."
Tarantino loathed school, choosing to spend his time watching movies or reading comics rather than studying. The only subject that appealed to him was history. "History was cool and I did well there, because it was kind of like the movies,". After dropping out of high school, Tarantino worked as an usher at an adult film theater for a time. He also took acting classes. Tarantino eventually landed a job at Video Archives in Manhattan Beach, California. There he worked with Roger Avary, who shared his passion for film. The two even worked on some script ideas together.
Early Films: 'True Romance,' 'Natural Born Killers,' 'Reservoir Dogs'
During his time at Video Archives, Tarantino worked on several screenplays, including True Romance and Natural Born Killers. He also landed a guest spot on the popular sitcom The Golden Girls, playing an Elvis Presley impersonator. In 1990, Tarantino left Video Archives to work for Cinetel, a production company. Through one of the producers there, he was able to get his script for True Romance in the hands of director Tony Scott. Scott liked Tarantino's script, and bought the rights to it.
Working with producer Lawrence Bender, Tarantino was able to secure funding for his directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992), for which he had also written the screenplay. Actor Harvey Keitel was impressed when he read the script, saying "I haven't seen characters like these in years." He signed on as an actor and a producer for the project. Other cast members included Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi and Tarantino himself.
In 1992, audiences at the Sundance Film Festival were entranced by Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino's ultraviolent crime caper gone wrong. He drew inspiration for the project from such classic heist films as Rififi and City on Fire.
Oscar Win for 'Pulp Fiction'
With Pulp Fiction (1994), Tarantino created an unpredictable thrill ride filled with violence and pop culture references. In one story in the film, John Travolta played Vincent Vega, a hit man assigned to look after his boss's girlfriend (Uma Thurman). Another part examined Vega's partnership with fellow hit man Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson). And yet another storyline involved Bruce Willis as a boxer. Tarantino managed to successfully interweave all these different stories to make a fascinating film.
Pulp Fiction was both a commercial and critical success. In the United States, it earned over $108 million at the box office, becoming the first independent film to do so. Pulp Fiction won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 and received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. For his work on the film, Tarantino took home the award for Best Original Screenplay, an honor he had to share with former collaborator Roger Avary.
'Natural Born Killers,' 'From Dusk Till Dawn,' 'Jackie Brown'
Known for his temper, Tarantino got into a public disagreement with director Oliver Stone. Stone directed Natural Born Killers (1994) and rewrote parts of Tarantino's script. Enraged by the rewrites, Tarantino fought to have his name taken off the film. Stone told the press that the changes were an improvement over the original, which had poor character development. In a related incident, Tarantino slapped one of the producers of Natural Born Killers.
In 1995, Tarantino wrote and directed one of the four stories featured in Four Rooms. The other three were handled by other rising independent filmmakers Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell and Robert Rodriguez. After the release of Four Rooms, Tarantino and Rodriguez collaborated on From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Tarantino wrote the screenplay for the film and starred opposite George Clooney, the two playing criminals who end up battle vampires. Rodriguez directed the film, which received negative reviews from critics.
Tarantino soon tackled Jackie Brown (1997), a crime thriller starring Pam Grier as a stewardess who gets caught smuggling money for an arms dealer (played by Jackson). The film was well received, with many calling it a more mature work for Tarantino. Critic Leonard Matlin commented that there were "dynamite performances all around" for a cast that also included Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, and Robert Forster.
Broadway's 'Wait Until Dark'
After Jackie Brown, Tarantino took a break from filmmaking. He starred on Broadway in 1998 in a revival of Wait Until Dark with Marisa Tomei. It was a bold move for him, as he had never done professional stage work before. Tarantino played a thug who terrorizes a blind woman (played by Tomei), and the critics were less than impressed. The reviews for the production were brutally harsh, and Tarantino was devastated.
'Kill Bill'
The idea for Kill Bill was formed by Tarantino and Thurman in a bar during the filming of Pulp Fiction. In 2000, Thurman ran into Tarantino at an Oscar party and asked whether he had made any progress with the idea. He promised her that he would write the script as a birthday present for her, initially saying he would finish in two weeks, though it ended up taking a year. Tarantino had to learn on the fly how to make a kung fu film, working and reworking the sequences as he went along.
Tarantino originally wanted Warren Beatty for the titular "Bill," but he moved on to David Carradine from the television series Kung Fu. The plot focused on revenge, as a female assassin known as the Bride (Thurman) seeks to kill those involved in the savage attack on her and her wedding party. Running over budget and over schedule, Tarantino persevered with the project, shooting so much that he eventually had to create two films. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 was released in late 2003, with Kill Bill: Vol. 2 following a few months later.
'Grindhouse,' 'Inglorious Basterds'
After Kill Bill, Tarantino dabbled in television. He wrote and directed an episode of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2005, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. Tarantino then worked with Robert Rodriguez again. The two filmmakers each made their own gory and graphic ode to the B-movies, which were shown together as a double-feature known as Grindhouse (2007). Critics and movie-goers alike, and it flopped at the box office.
In 2009, Tarantino released Inglourious Basterds, which focused on a group of Jewish-American soldiers out to destroy as many Nazis as possible. He had wooed Brad Pitt to play the leader of the "Basterds." Some of the reviews were mixed, but Tarantino seemed unfazed by any negative comments. The film was nominated for eight Oscar Academy Awards, including two for Tarantino (for best director and best original screenplay).
Second Oscar Win for 'Django Unchained'
Tarantino went on to meet with both commercial and critical success with his action Western Django Unchained, released in late 2012. In the film, Jamie Foxx starred as Django, a freed slave who teams up with a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to search for his wife, played by Kerry Washington. Django then has to face off against his wife's plantation owner, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Other cast members include Jackson and Jonah Hill. At the 85th Academy Awards in 2013, Tarantino won an Academy Award for best original screenplay for Django Unchained. The film received several other Oscar nominations, including for best picture, cinematography and sound editing.
'The Hateful Eight,' 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood'
In 2015, the director revisited the Western theme for The Hateful Eight. Featuring such frequent Tarantino collaborators as Jackson, Roth and Madsen, the film snagged Golden Globe nominations in several categories.
Four years later, Tarantino delivered his follow-up effort, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. Co-starring DiCaprio and Pitt, the film focuses on the former's struggles to remain relevant as an actor in 1969, presenting an twist on the real-life events that led to the infamous Charles Manson family murders. The feature reportedly drew a seven-minute standing ovation following its May 2019 premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and went on to earn Golden Globe wins for Best Screenplay and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
Source: https://www.biography.com/filmmaker/quentin-tarantino
Moving to California at the age of 4, Tarantino developed his love for movies at an early age. One of his earliest memories is of his grandmother taking him to see a John Wayne movie. Tarantino also loved storytelling, but he showed his creativity in unusual ways. "He wrote me sad Mother's Day stories. He'd always kill me and tell me how bad he felt about it," Connie once told Entertainment Weekly. "It was enough to bring a tear to a mother's eye."
Tarantino loathed school, choosing to spend his time watching movies or reading comics rather than studying. The only subject that appealed to him was history. "History was cool and I did well there, because it was kind of like the movies,". After dropping out of high school, Tarantino worked as an usher at an adult film theater for a time. He also took acting classes. Tarantino eventually landed a job at Video Archives in Manhattan Beach, California. There he worked with Roger Avary, who shared his passion for film. The two even worked on some script ideas together.
Early Films: 'True Romance,' 'Natural Born Killers,' 'Reservoir Dogs'
During his time at Video Archives, Tarantino worked on several screenplays, including True Romance and Natural Born Killers. He also landed a guest spot on the popular sitcom The Golden Girls, playing an Elvis Presley impersonator. In 1990, Tarantino left Video Archives to work for Cinetel, a production company. Through one of the producers there, he was able to get his script for True Romance in the hands of director Tony Scott. Scott liked Tarantino's script, and bought the rights to it.
Working with producer Lawrence Bender, Tarantino was able to secure funding for his directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992), for which he had also written the screenplay. Actor Harvey Keitel was impressed when he read the script, saying "I haven't seen characters like these in years." He signed on as an actor and a producer for the project. Other cast members included Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi and Tarantino himself.
In 1992, audiences at the Sundance Film Festival were entranced by Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino's ultraviolent crime caper gone wrong. He drew inspiration for the project from such classic heist films as Rififi and City on Fire.
Oscar Win for 'Pulp Fiction'
With Pulp Fiction (1994), Tarantino created an unpredictable thrill ride filled with violence and pop culture references. In one story in the film, John Travolta played Vincent Vega, a hit man assigned to look after his boss's girlfriend (Uma Thurman). Another part examined Vega's partnership with fellow hit man Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson). And yet another storyline involved Bruce Willis as a boxer. Tarantino managed to successfully interweave all these different stories to make a fascinating film.
Pulp Fiction was both a commercial and critical success. In the United States, it earned over $108 million at the box office, becoming the first independent film to do so. Pulp Fiction won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 and received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. For his work on the film, Tarantino took home the award for Best Original Screenplay, an honor he had to share with former collaborator Roger Avary.
'Natural Born Killers,' 'From Dusk Till Dawn,' 'Jackie Brown'
Known for his temper, Tarantino got into a public disagreement with director Oliver Stone. Stone directed Natural Born Killers (1994) and rewrote parts of Tarantino's script. Enraged by the rewrites, Tarantino fought to have his name taken off the film. Stone told the press that the changes were an improvement over the original, which had poor character development. In a related incident, Tarantino slapped one of the producers of Natural Born Killers.
In 1995, Tarantino wrote and directed one of the four stories featured in Four Rooms. The other three were handled by other rising independent filmmakers Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell and Robert Rodriguez. After the release of Four Rooms, Tarantino and Rodriguez collaborated on From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Tarantino wrote the screenplay for the film and starred opposite George Clooney, the two playing criminals who end up battle vampires. Rodriguez directed the film, which received negative reviews from critics.
Tarantino soon tackled Jackie Brown (1997), a crime thriller starring Pam Grier as a stewardess who gets caught smuggling money for an arms dealer (played by Jackson). The film was well received, with many calling it a more mature work for Tarantino. Critic Leonard Matlin commented that there were "dynamite performances all around" for a cast that also included Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, and Robert Forster.
Broadway's 'Wait Until Dark'
After Jackie Brown, Tarantino took a break from filmmaking. He starred on Broadway in 1998 in a revival of Wait Until Dark with Marisa Tomei. It was a bold move for him, as he had never done professional stage work before. Tarantino played a thug who terrorizes a blind woman (played by Tomei), and the critics were less than impressed. The reviews for the production were brutally harsh, and Tarantino was devastated.
'Kill Bill'
The idea for Kill Bill was formed by Tarantino and Thurman in a bar during the filming of Pulp Fiction. In 2000, Thurman ran into Tarantino at an Oscar party and asked whether he had made any progress with the idea. He promised her that he would write the script as a birthday present for her, initially saying he would finish in two weeks, though it ended up taking a year. Tarantino had to learn on the fly how to make a kung fu film, working and reworking the sequences as he went along.
Tarantino originally wanted Warren Beatty for the titular "Bill," but he moved on to David Carradine from the television series Kung Fu. The plot focused on revenge, as a female assassin known as the Bride (Thurman) seeks to kill those involved in the savage attack on her and her wedding party. Running over budget and over schedule, Tarantino persevered with the project, shooting so much that he eventually had to create two films. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 was released in late 2003, with Kill Bill: Vol. 2 following a few months later.
'Grindhouse,' 'Inglorious Basterds'
After Kill Bill, Tarantino dabbled in television. He wrote and directed an episode of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2005, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. Tarantino then worked with Robert Rodriguez again. The two filmmakers each made their own gory and graphic ode to the B-movies, which were shown together as a double-feature known as Grindhouse (2007). Critics and movie-goers alike, and it flopped at the box office.
In 2009, Tarantino released Inglourious Basterds, which focused on a group of Jewish-American soldiers out to destroy as many Nazis as possible. He had wooed Brad Pitt to play the leader of the "Basterds." Some of the reviews were mixed, but Tarantino seemed unfazed by any negative comments. The film was nominated for eight Oscar Academy Awards, including two for Tarantino (for best director and best original screenplay).
Second Oscar Win for 'Django Unchained'
Tarantino went on to meet with both commercial and critical success with his action Western Django Unchained, released in late 2012. In the film, Jamie Foxx starred as Django, a freed slave who teams up with a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to search for his wife, played by Kerry Washington. Django then has to face off against his wife's plantation owner, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Other cast members include Jackson and Jonah Hill. At the 85th Academy Awards in 2013, Tarantino won an Academy Award for best original screenplay for Django Unchained. The film received several other Oscar nominations, including for best picture, cinematography and sound editing.
'The Hateful Eight,' 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood'
In 2015, the director revisited the Western theme for The Hateful Eight. Featuring such frequent Tarantino collaborators as Jackson, Roth and Madsen, the film snagged Golden Globe nominations in several categories.
Four years later, Tarantino delivered his follow-up effort, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. Co-starring DiCaprio and Pitt, the film focuses on the former's struggles to remain relevant as an actor in 1969, presenting an twist on the real-life events that led to the infamous Charles Manson family murders. The feature reportedly drew a seven-minute standing ovation following its May 2019 premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and went on to earn Golden Globe wins for Best Screenplay and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
Source: https://www.biography.com/filmmaker/quentin-tarantino