Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity, unique visual and narrative styles,[1] and frequent use of ensemble casts. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Some critics cite Anderson as an auteur. Three of his films[a] have appeared in BBC Culture's 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000.[2]
Wes Anderson
Anderson gained acclaim for his early films Bottle Rocket (1996) and Rushmore (1998). He often collaborated with brothers Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson during that time and founded his production company American Empirical Pictures.[3] He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). His next films included The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), and his first stop-motion film, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), for which he received a Best Animated Feature nomination, and then Moonrise Kingdom (2012), earning his second Best Original Screenplay nomination.
For his film The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), he received his first Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Picture, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay.[4] Later works include his second stop-motion film, Isle of Dogs (2018), earning him the Silver Bear for Best Director and another Best Animated Feature nomination,[5] followed by The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023). Anderson won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023).
Early life and education[edit]
Wesley Wales Anderson was born on May 1, 1969, in Houston, Texas, to Ann Anderson (née Burroughs), a realtor and archaeologist,[6] and Melver Leonard Anderson, who worked in advertising and public relations.[7][8][9][10] He is the second of three boys; his parents divorced when he was eight.[10] His older brother, Mel, is a physician, and his younger brother, Eric Chase Anderson, is a writer and artist whose paintings and designs have appeared in several of Anderson's films, including The Royal Tenenbaums.[11] Anderson is of English, Swedish, and Norwegian ancestry.[12]
He graduated from St. John's School in Houston in 1987, which he later used as a prominent location in Rushmore.[13] As a child, Anderson made silent films on his father's Super 8 camera, which starred his brothers and friends, although his first ambition was to be a writer.[10][11] Anderson worked part-time as a cinema projectionist at Hogg Memorial Auditorium while attending the University of Texas at Austin, where he met his roommate[14] and future collaborator Owen Wilson in 1989.[10][15] In 1991, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in philosophy.[16][11] He describes being intrigued by The Meaning of Meaning by C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards.
Film career[edit]
1990s[edit]
Anderson's first film was Bottle Rocket (1996), based on a short film of the same name that he made with Luke and Owen Wilson. It is a crime caper about a group of young Texans aspiring to achieve major heists. It was well reviewed but performed poorly at the box office.[17][18][19]
His next film was Rushmore (1998), a quirky comedy about a high school student's crush on an elementary school teacher starring Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Olivia Williams. It was a critical and financial success.[20] The film launched Murray's second act as a respected actor in independent cinema. Murray has appeared in many of Anderson's subsequent films. At the 1999 Independent Spirit Awards, Anderson won the Best Director award and Murray won Best Supporting Male. Murray also earned a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. In 2000, filmmaker Martin Scorsese praised Bottle Rocket and Rushmore.[21] Since its release, Rushmore has gained cult status, and in 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.[22]
Style and directing techniques[edit]
Cinematic influences[edit]
Anderson's cinematic influences include Woody Allen,[51] Pedro Almodóvar,[52] Satyajit Ray,[25] Hal Ashby,[53] and Roman Polanski.[54] In an interview with Hoda Kotb on Today, Bryan Cranston gave insight into Anderson's process (on the same day as one of his Asteroid City co-stars, Jason Schwartzman, who built a darkroom in his house because he thought Anderson would approve of his character development). Schwartzman was on Today 3rd Hour. Cranston said:
Personal life[edit]
Anderson is in a romantic relationship with Lebanese writer, costume designer, and voice actress Juman Malouf,[85][86] the daughter of novelist Hanan al-Shaykh.[87] Malouf gave birth to the couple's daughter in 2016.[88]
Anderson has maintained an apartment in Paris since 2005, after spending most of his adult life in New York City.[89][90][91] He is the brother of author, illustrator and actor Eric Chase Anderson.[92]
Anderson's distinctive filmmaking style has led to numerous homages and parodies. Notable examples include: