BIOGRAPHY

RICHARD LINKLATER

Richard Linklater   Director | Producer | Writer

Date of Birth 30 July 1960, Houston, Texas, USA
Birth Name Richard Stuart Linklater
Height 5' 9" (1.75 m)


Self-taught writer-director Richard Stuart Linklater was born in Houston, Texas, to Diane Margaret (Krieger), who taught at a university, and Charles W. Linklater III. Richard was among the first and most successful talents to emerge during the American independent film renaissance of the 1990s. Typically setting each of his movies during one 24-hour period, Linklater's work explored what he dubbed "the youth rebellion continuum," focusing in fine detail on generational rites and mores with rare compassion and understanding while definitively capturing the 20-something culture of his era through a series of nuanced, illuminating ensemble pieces which introduced any number of talented young actors into the Hollywood firmament. Born in Houston, Texas, Linklater suspended his educational career at Sam Houston State University in 1982, to work on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. He subsequently relocated to the state's capital of Austin, where he founded a film society and began work on his debut film, 1987's It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988). Three years later he released the sprawling Slacker (1991), an insightful, virtually plotless look at 1990s youth culture that became a favorite on the festival circuit prior to earning vast acclaim at Sundance in 1991. Upon its commercial release, the movie, made for less than $23,000, became the subject of considerable mainstream media attention, with the term "slacker" becoming a much-overused catch-all tag employed to affix a name and identity to America's disaffected youth culture.


Spouse (1)

Christina Harrison (? - present) (3 children)

His films often take place within a single day
His movies often take place in Texas
His movies often reference Little League baseball
Frequently casts Ethan Hawke
Frequently writes and/or directs movies starring children or teens, e.g., Dazed and Confused (1993), School of Rock (2003), Bad News Bears (2005), _Boyhood (2014)_, and Everybody Wants Some!! (2016).


Cut his directorial teeth on a $3,000 Super-8 feature.
Father of Lorelei Linklater.
7 October 2004: Three former friends of Linklater-Bobby Wooderson, Andy Slater, and Richard "Pink" Floyd-sued him for the unauthorized use of their names and images in the film Dazed and Confused (1993) and for their representation as stoners, which they say has damaged their reputation.
Has been a vegetarian since his early 20s.
Inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame on March 9, 2007 in Austin, Texas.
Kevin Smith said that it was Linklater's Slacker (1991) that made him want to be a director.
Was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999.
Profiled in "Conversations with Directors: An Anthology of Interviews from Literature/Film Quarterly", E.M. Walker, D.T. Johnson, eds. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2008.
First became passionate about film while working on an oil rig during college and realized he wanted to be a Director.
Founded the Austin Film Society.
Raging Bull (1980) was the catalyst for his approach towards cinema.
His top 10 films are Andrei Rublev (1966), Au hasard Balthazar (1966), The Flowers of St. Francis (1950), Day of Wrath (1943), Tokyo Story (1953), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Unfaithfully Yours (1948), Fanny and Alexander (1982) -the television version-, Pickpocket (1959), I Know Where I'm Going! (1945).
Sent a letter to Monte Hellman with a tape of his first film, It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988).
Although the preference of dialogue over action in many of his movies, particularly the Before Trilogy, may lead some to believe that his movies are improvised by the actors, Linklater has often said that this is far from the truth: he rehearses his scenes constantly before filming, and does not allow any changes from the script while filming. He has said that he usually does not have the budget or the patience to allow for improvisation.
Was influenced by Robert Bresson, Yasujiro Ozu, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Josef Von Sternberg, and Carl Theodor Dreyer.
Many of his movies feature characters having philosophical talks.
Directed 2 actors in Oscar nominated performances: Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. Arquette won for her role in Boyhood (2014).
He is of German, Scottish, English, Irish, and Scots-Irish ancestry. His surname, "Linklater", is Scottish.
He directed Ethan Hawke in eight films: Before Sunrise (1995), The Newton Boys (1998), Waking Life (2001), Tape (2001), Before Sunset (2004), Fast Food Nation (2006), Before Midnight (2013) and Boyhood (2014).
Received Variety's Creative Impact in Cinema Award for his film Boyhood during the Texas Film Awards gala held on March 12, 2015 in Austin, Texas.