PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON Biography - Writers

 
 

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PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON

Name: Paul Thomas Anderson                                                           
Born: June 26, 1970                                                                   
                                                                                       
Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated     
American filmmaker.                                                                   
                                                                                       
Anderson was born in Studio City, California, the son of Edwina  and                 
Ernie Anderson, who was an actor, the voice of the American Broadcasting Company,     
and a Cleveland television late-night horror movie host known as "Ghoulardi".         
Anderson grew up in the San Fernando Valley and attended New York University,         
but dropped out after the first semester.                                             
                                                                                       
The Valley may have been immortalized in the 1980s for its mall-hopping Valley       
Girls, but for Anderson it was a seedy part of suburban America populated by         
would-bes and burnouts. Anderson's experiences growing up in the Valley shaped       
his artistic self; three of his five theatrical features are set in the Valley.       
                                                                                       
Anderson was involved in filmmaking at a young age. As a high school student, he     
made the 30-minute mockumentary The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), about a well-endowed   
male porn star (inspired by "Big" John Holmes, who also served a major               
inspiration for Boogie Nights).