Gus Van Sant

Gus Van Sant Profile Photo

Biography

Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Directing for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, and won the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for his film Elephant. He lives in Portland, Oregon. His early career was devoted to directing television commercials in the Pacific Northwest. In his films, he has dealt with themes concerning homosexuality and other marginalized subcultures. His filmography as writer and director includes an adaptation of Tom Robbins' novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which features a diverse cast (Keanu Reeves, Roseanne Barr, Uma Thurman, and k.d. lang, with cameos by William S. Burroughs and Heather Graham, among others); and My Own Private Idaho, also starring Reeves as well as River Phoenix. He wrote the screenplays for most of his early movies, and wrote one novel, Pink. A book of his photography has also been published, called 108 Portraits.

Career Overview

Gus Van Sant has 150 screen credits in a career dating back to 1971. Their work spans 2 cinematic universes — most prominently Jay and Silent Bob with 1 titles. Signature works include Good Will Hunting, Dead Man's Wire, To Die For. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.

Personal Facts

Known For
Directing
Gender
male
Known Credits
150
Birth Date
1952-07-24 00:00:00
Birth Place
Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Known For

Associated Universes

Universe traveler — spans 2 universes

Frequent Collaborators

Credits

Content sources

Related entry on Wikidata (Q25186), public domain (CC0).