Paul Thomas Anderson (June 26, 1970) is an American filmmaker. Born in Los Angeles, he developed an interest in filmmaking from a young age. His films are often characterized by their depiction of flawed and desperate characters, explorations of themes such as dysfunctional families, alienation and loneliness, a bold visual style that utilizes moving camera and long takes, as well as memorable use of music. An alumni of the Sundance Institute, he made his feature film debut with Hard Eight (1996), with Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly Gwyneth Paltrow, and Samuel L. Jackson.
He received his first Academy Award nomination (Best Original Screenplay) for Boogie Nights (1997), with Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nicole Ari Parker, Heather Graham, Luis Guzmán, Hall, Thomas Jane, Robert Ridgley, Robert Downey Sr., Melora Walters, Alfred Molina, and Ricky Jay; along with his next feature Magnolia (1999), with Jeremy Blackman, Tom Cruise, Melinda Dillon, Hall, Hoffman, Jay, Macy, Molina, Moore, Reilly, Jason Robards, and Walters. This was followed by Punch-Drunk Love (2002), with Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Hoffman, Guzmán, and Mary Lynn Rajskub.
He received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay for There Will Be Blood (2007), with Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor, Ciarán Hinds, Russell Harvard, and Paul F. Tompkins. He followed this up with The Master (2012), with Joaquin Phoenix, Hoffman, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Ambyr Childers, Rami Malek, and Jesse Plemons.
He received another Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Inherent Vice (2014), with Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Eric Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio del Toro, Jena Malone, Maya Rudolph (whom he’s been with since the 2000), Martin Short, and Joanna Newsom; followed by Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Picture for Phantom Thread (2017), with Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps, Brian Gleeson, Harriet Sansom Harris, Gina McKee.
He received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay for Licorice Pizza (2021), with Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay for One Battle After Another (2025), with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. He’s among a handful of people to win those 3 major Academy Awards in the same year, alongside Billy Wilder, Francis Ford Coppola, James L. Brooks, Peter Jackson, Joel & Ethan Coen, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Bong Joon-ho, Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, and Sean Baker.
His films have consistently garnered critical acclaim. He’s been nominated for eight Academy Awards, one Golden Globe Award and five BAFTA Awards, and has won a Best Director Award at Cannes, a Silver Bear at Berlin and a Silver Lion at Venice.
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(*seen originally in theaters)
(**seen rereleased in theaters)
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