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 Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was born in Newark, New Jersey in an Italian-American family. Originally entering university as a physics student, De Palma became attracted to films after seeing such classics as Citizen Kane (1941). Enrolling in Sarah Lawrence College, he found lasting influences from such varied teachers as Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol.At first, his films comprised of such black-and-white films as To Bridge This Gap (1969). He then discovered a young actor whose fame would influence Hollywood forever. In 1968, De Palma made the comedic film Greetings (1968) starring Robert De Niro in his first ever credited film role. The two followed up immediately with the films The Wedding Party (1969) and Hi, Mom! (1970).After making such small-budget thrillers such as Sisters (1972) and Obsession (1976), De Palma was offered the chance to direct a film based on Stephen King's classic novel "Carrie". The story deals with a tormented teenage girl who finds she has the power of telekinesis. The film starred Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and John Travolta, and was for De Palma, a chance to try out the split screen technique for which he would later become famous.Carrie (1976) was a massive success, and earned the two lead females (Laurie and Spacek) Oscar nominations. The film was praised by most critics, and De Palma's reputation was now permanently secured. He followed up this success with the horror film The Fury (1978), the comedic film Home Movies (1979) (both these films featured Kirk Douglas), the crime thriller Dressed to Kill (1980) starring Michael Caine and Angie Dickinson, and another crime thriller entitled Blow Out (1981) starring John Travolta.His next major success was the controversial, ultra-violent film Scarface (1983). Written by Oliver Stone and starring Al Pacino, the film concerned Cuban immigrant Tony Montana's rise to power in the United States through the drug trade. While being a critical failure, the film was a major success commercially.Moving on from Scarface (1983), De Palma made two more movies before landing another one of his now-classics: The Untouchables (1987), starring old friend Robert De Niro in the role of Chicago gangster Al Capone. Also starring in the film were Kevin Costner as the man who commits himself to bring Capone down, and Sean Connery, an old policeman who helps Costner's character to form a group known as the Untouchables. The film was one of De Palma's most successful films, earning Connery an Oscar, and gave Ennio Morricone a nomination for Best Score.After The Untouchables (1987), De Palma made the Vietnam film Casualties of War (1989) starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. The film focuses on a new soldier who is helpless to stop his dominating sergeant from kidnapping a Vietnamese girl with the help of the coerced members of the platoon. The film did reasonably well at the box office, but it was his next film that truly displayed the way he could make a hit and a disaster within a short time. The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) starred a number of well-known actors such as Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, however it was still a commercial flop and earned him two Razzie nominations.But the roller coaster success that De Palma had gotten so far did not let him down. He made the horror film Raising Cain (1992), and the criminal drama Carlito's Way (1993) starring Al Pacino and Sean Penn. The latter film is about a former criminal just released from prison that is trying to avoid his past and move on. It was in the year 1996 that brought one of his most well-known movies. This was the suspense-filled Mission: Impossible (1996) starring Tom Cruise and Jon Voight.Following up this film was the interesting but unsuccessful film Snake Eyes (1998) starring Nicolas Cage as a detective who finds himself in the middle of a murder scene at a boxing ring. De Palma continued on with the visually astounding but equally unsuccessful film Mission to Mars (2000) which earned him another Razzie nomination. He met failure again with the crime thriller Femme Fatale (2002), the murder conspiracy The Black Dahlia (2006), and the controversial film Redacted (2007) which deals with individual stories from the war in Iraq.Brian De Palma may be down for the moment, but if his box office history has taught us anything, it is that he always returns with a major success that is remembered for years and years afterwards.
Bio:
Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was born in Newark, New Jersey in an Italian-American family. Originally entering university as a physics student, De Palma became attracted to films after seeing such classics as Citizen Kane (1941). Enrolling in Sarah Lawrence College, he found lasting influences from such varied teachers as Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol.At first, his films comprised of such black-and-white films as To Bridge This Gap (1969). He then discovered a young actor whose fame would influence Hollywood forever. In 1968, De Palma made the comedic film Greetings (1968) starring Robert De Niro in his first ever credited film role. The two followed up immediately with the films The Wedding Party (1969) and Hi, Mom! (1970).After making such small-budget thrillers such as Sisters (1972) and Obsession (1976), De Palma was offered the chance to direct a film based on Stephen King's classic novel "Carrie". The story deals with a tormented teenage girl who finds she has the power of telekinesis. The film starred Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and John Travolta, and was for De Palma, a chance to try out the split screen technique for which he would later become famous.Carrie (1976) was a massive success, and earned the two lead females (Laurie and Spacek) Oscar nominations. The film was praised by most critics, and De Palma's reputation was now permanently secured. He followed up this success with the horror film The Fury (1978), the comedic film Home Movies (1979) (both these films featured Kirk Douglas), the crime thriller Dressed to Kill (1980) starring Michael Caine and Angie Dickinson, and another crime thriller entitled Blow Out (1981) starring John Travolta.His next major success was the controversial, ultra-violent film Scarface (1983). Written by Oliver Stone and starring Al Pacino, the film concerned Cuban immigrant Tony Montana's rise to power in the United States through the drug trade. While being a critical failure, the film was a major success commercially.Moving on from Scarface (1983), De Palma made two more movies before landing another one of his now-classics: The Untouchables (1987), starring old friend Robert De Niro in the role of Chicago gangster Al Capone. Also starring in the film were Kevin Costner as the man who commits himself to bring Capone down, and Sean Connery, an old policeman who helps Costner's character to form a group known as the Untouchables. The film was one of De Palma's most successful films, earning Connery an Oscar, and gave Ennio Morricone a nomination for Best Score.After The Untouchables (1987), De Palma made the Vietnam film Casualties of War (1989) starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. The film focuses on a new soldier who is helpless to stop his dominating sergeant from kidnapping a Vietnamese girl with the help of the coerced members of the platoon. The film did reasonably well at the box office, but it was his next film that truly displayed the way he could make a hit and a disaster within a short time. The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) starred a number of well-known actors such as Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, however it was still a commercial flop and earned him two Razzie nominations.But the roller coaster success that De Palma had gotten so far did not let him down. He made the horror film Raising Cain (1992), and the criminal drama Carlito's Way (1993) starring Al Pacino and Sean Penn. The latter film is about a former criminal just released from prison that is trying to avoid his past and move on. It was in the year 1996 that brought one of his most well-known movies. This was the suspense-filled Mission: Impossible (1996) starring Tom Cruise and Jon Voight.Following up this film was the interesting but unsuccessful film Snake Eyes (1998) starring Nicolas Cage as a detective who finds himself in the middle of a murder scene at a boxing ring. De Palma continued on with the visually astounding but equally unsuccessful film Mission to Mars (2000) which earned him another Razzie nomination. He met failure again with the crime thriller Femme Fatale (2002), the murder conspiracy The Black Dahlia (2006), and the controversial film Redacted (2007) which deals with individual stories from the war in Iraq.Brian De Palma may be down for the moment, but if his box office history has taught us anything, it is that he always returns with a major success that is remembered for years and years afterwards.
Tivia:
Received a special thanks credit in Mean Streets (1973) for introducing Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro to one another.De Palma bases his most famous cinematic predilection, voyeurism, on a specific childhood incident. When he was a child, his parents split up, his mother accusing his father of infidelity. The young De Palma spent several days stalking his dad with recording equipment, hoping to find evidence to confirm his mother's suspicions.Has said that Scarface (1983) and Body Double (1984) are the two films of his that have been attacked the most. Dressed to Kill (1980) also received a lot of negative attention as well.He is the godfather of Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving's son Max.He was one of film critic Pauline Kael's favorite directors, and she wrote rave reviews for some of his films.In the 1970s, De Palma helped a close friend on a film project. He helped audition and interview actors. When the film was shot, DePalma did some uncredited writing on an opening "scrawl," a device the friend thought of at the last minute to help explain events in the film, so the audience would not be confused. The friend was George Lucas and the film was Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).His three favorite films are Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Red Shoes (1948) and Vertigo (1958).Is a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and directed him in the music video "Dancing in the Dark".Has directed 3 actors to Oscar nominations: Sissy Spacek (Best Actress, Carrie (1976)), Piper Laurie (Best Supporting Actress, Carrie (1976)), and Sean Connery (Best Supporting Actor, The Untouchables (1987)). Connery won an Oscar for his performance.He was originally going to direct Taxi Driver (1976). In fact, it was he who introduced Martin Scorsese to screenwriter Paul Schrader.Revealed in an interview with French TV that a dream project since he started making movies has been an adaptation of the Alfred Bester novel "The Demolished Man". He said it's still a dream project because of its incalculable cost to produce.He was asked to direct Fatal Attraction (1987), but turned it down, feeling it was too similar to Play Misty for Me (1971). He also felt that Michael Douglas was not a good leading man, but has since admitted he was wrong about that.Holds the dubious distinction of being the director with the most nominations for Worst Director at the Razzie Awards. He was nominated for Dressed to Kill (1980), Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) and Mission to Mars (2000), but failed to win for any of these films.Though it's already known he assisted George Lucas several times while Lucas was making Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), he was a little skeptic and critical about the final product, after seeing for the first time, quoting "What is this crap about the force?". Source: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003).Tom Cruise asked him to return as director for Mission: Impossible II (2000), but he declined.He really wanted to direct Cruising (1980) but his producers could not obtain the rights to the material, so he made Dressed to Kill (1980) instead.Is good friends with Quentin Tarantino; who has named him as a giant influence.He was going to direct The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) in the early 1990s with Kevin Costner in the lead role. However when The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) proved to be a box office disaster the studio withdrew their offer to De Palma and Costner went on to do The Bodyguard (1992).Brian has said that he has a friendly rivalry with director Martin Scorsese.He was considered to direct The Truman Show (1998).Wrote the role of the call girl in Dressed to Kill (1980) specifically with his then wife Nancy Allen in mind.Two of his films, Sisters (1972) and Blow Out (1981), are in the Criterion Collection.Good friends with Steven Spielberg, Francis ford Coppola, George Lucas, and martin Scorsese.Won top prize in regional Science Fair in high school. Project was "An Analog Computer to Solve Differential Equations." Cf. computer nerd in Dressed to Kill (1980).He was considered to direct Thelma & Louise (1991).He refuses to give DVD/ BLU RAY audio commentaries for his films & like a lot of other major filmmakers; prefers to let his work speak for itself.De Palma graduated from Friends' Central School, a small quaker school outside of PhiladelphiaTwo of his films are based on television shows: The Untouchables (1987) and Mission: Impossible (1996).He was asked to direct Flashdance (1983), but turned it down in favour of Scarface (1983).Italian-American.Member of the 'Platform' jury at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2016.First child with Gale Anne Hurd, Lolita, born September 19, 1991.Second daughter, Piper De Palma, born October 21 1996 in Palo Alto, California.Went to see Vertigo (1958) at Radio City Music Hall when it was originally released in 1958.Uncle of actor Cameron De Palma.He was originally assigned to direct The Accused (1988).De Palma hasn't shot a film in America since Mission to Mars (2000). His last 5 features were shot in France, Bulgaria, Jordan, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands.Is a democrat.Brian was very competitive with his oldest brother Bruce when they were growing up.Ex-stepfather of The O.C. (2003) actress Willa Holland and Brianna Holland.Younger brother of photographer Bart De Palma.He was nominated for the 2021 New Jersey Hall of Fame In the performing arts category.He did two films based on stories involving Al Capone: Scarface (1983), an updated remake of Scarface (1932), a film adaptation of a novel based on Capone that moved the action from 1920s Chicago to then-present-day Miami; and The Untouchables (1987), an adaptation of the memoir by Eliot Ness about the group of special agents who, under Ness, led to the fall of Capone.Retrospective at the Cin��math��que fran?aise in Paris in 2018 (31st May - 4th July).Retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2002 (6th Feb. - 4th March).Retrospective at the 35th Turin International Film Festival in 2017 (24th Nov. - 2nd Dec.).He was nominated for the 2022 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Performing Arts and Entertainment category.He has directed one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Carrie (1976).He was nominated for the 2023 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Performing Arts and Entertainment category.Brian De Palma originally wanted to use the title Just Desserts for his book titled Are Snakes Necessary?, which he co-wrote with Susan Lehman. |
| Name: |
Brian De Palma |
Type: |
Director,Writer,Producer (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Director,Writer,Producer |
| Products for sale: |
Director,Writer,Producer |
| Model rank: |
77 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 02:58:51 |
| Height: |
5' 11' (1.80 m) |
| Biography: |
Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was bor |
| Trivia: |
Received a special thanks credit in Mean Streets (1973) for introducing Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro to one another.De Palma bases his most famous cinematic predilection, voyeurism, on a specific childhood incident. When he was a child, his parents split up, his mother accusing his father of infidelity. The young De Palma spent several days stalking his dad with recording equipment, hoping to find evidence to confirm his mother's suspicions.Has said that Scarface (1983) and Body Double (1984) are the two films of his that have been attacked the most. Dressed to Kill (1980) also received a lot of negative attention as well.He is the godfather of Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving's son Max.He was one of film critic Pauline Kael's favorite directors, and she wrote rave reviews for some of his films.In the 1970s, De Palma helped a close friend on a film project. He helped audition and interview actors. When the film was shot, DePalma did some uncredited writing on an opening "scrawl," a device the friend thought of at the last minute to help explain events in the film, so the audience would not be confused. The friend was George Lucas and the film was Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).His three favorite films are Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Red Shoes (1948) and Vertigo (1958).Is a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and directed him in the music video "Dancing in the Dark".Has directed 3 actors to Oscar nominations: Sissy Spacek (Best Actress, Carrie (1976)), Piper Laurie (Best Supporting Actress, Carrie (1976)), and Sean Connery (Best Supporting Actor, The Untouchables (1987)). Connery won an Oscar for his performance.He was originally going to direct Taxi Driver (1976). In fact, it was he who introduced Martin Scorsese to screenwriter Paul Schrader.Revealed in an interview with French TV that a dream project since he started making movies has been an adaptation of the Alfred Bester novel "The Demolished Man". He said it's still a dream project because of its incalculable cost to produce.He was asked to direct Fatal Attraction (1987), but turned it down, feeling it was too similar to Play Misty for Me (1971). He also felt that Michael Douglas was not a good leading man, but has since admitted he was wrong about that.Holds the dubious distinction of being the director with the most nominations for Worst Director at the Razzie Awards. He was nominated for Dressed to Kill (1980), Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) and Mission to Mars (2000), but failed to win for any of these films.Though it's already known he assisted George Lucas several times while Lucas was making Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), he was a little skeptic and critical about the final product, after seeing for the first time, quoting "What is this crap about the force?". Source: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003).Tom Cruise asked him to return as director for Mission: Impossible II (2000), but he declined.He really wanted to direct Cruising (1980) but his producers could not obtain the rights to the material, so he made Dressed to Kill (1980) instead.Is good friends with Quentin Tarantino; who has named him as a giant influence.He was going to direct The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) in the early 1990s with Kevin Costner in the lead role. However when The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) proved to be a box office disaster the studio withdrew their offer to De Palma and Costner went on to do The Bodyguard (1992).Brian has said that he has a friendly rivalry with director Martin Scorsese.He was considered to direct The Truman Show (1998).Wrote the role of the call girl in Dressed to Kill (1980) specifically with his then wife Nancy Allen in mind.Two of his films, Sisters (1972) and Blow Out (1981), are in the Criterion Collection.Good friends with Steven Spielberg, Francis ford Coppola, George Lucas, and martin Scorsese.Won top prize in regional Science Fair in high school. Project was "An Analog Computer to Solve Differential Equations." Cf. computer nerd in Dressed to Kill (1980).He was considered to direct Thelma & Louise (1991).He refuses to give DVD/ BLU RAY audio commentaries for his films & like a lot of other major filmmakers; prefers to let his work speak for itself.De Palma graduated from Friends' Central School, a small quaker school outside of PhiladelphiaTwo of his films are based on television shows: The Untouchables (1987) and Mission: Impossible (1996).He was asked to direct Flashdance (1983), but turned it down in favour of Scarface (1983).Italian-American.Member of the 'Platform' jury at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2016.First child with Gale Anne Hurd, Lolita, born September 19, 1991.Second daughter, Piper De Palma, born October 21 1996 in Palo Alto, California.Went to see Vertigo (1958) at Radio City Music Hall when it was originally released in 1958.Uncle of actor Cameron De Palma.He was originally assigned to direct The Accused (1988).De Palma hasn't shot a film in America since Mission to Mars (2000). His last 5 features were shot in France, Bulgaria, Jordan, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands.Is a democrat.Brian was very competitive with his oldest brother Bruce when they were growing up.Ex-stepfather of The O.C. (2003) actress Willa Holland and Brianna Holland.Younger brother of photographer Bart De Palma.He was nominated for the 2021 New Jersey Hall of Fame In the performing arts category.He did two films based on stories involving Al Capone: Scarface (1983), an updated remake of Scarface (1932), a film adaptation of a novel based on Capone that moved the action from 1920s Chicago to then-present-day Miami; and The Untouchables (1987), an adaptation of the memoir by Eliot Ness about the group of special agents who, under Ness, led to the fall of Capone.Retrospective at the Cin��math��que fran?aise in Paris in 2018 (31st May - 4th July).Retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2002 (6th Feb. - 4th March).Retrospective at the 35th Turin International Film Festival in 2017 (24th Nov. - 2nd Dec.).He was nominated for the 2022 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Performing Arts and Entertainment category.He has directed one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Carrie (1976).He was nominated for the 2023 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Performing Arts and Entertainment category.Brian De Palma originally wanted to use the title Just Desserts for his book titled Are Snakes Necessary?, which he co-wrote with Susan Lehman. |
| Trademarks: |
[Split screen] Often uses split screens (created optically or using a split diopter while shooting) to build suspense and/or convey story information. This allows the audience to choose what to look at and engages them further in the story (Phantom of the Paradise (1974), Carrie (1976), Dressed to Kill (1980), Blow Out (1981), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Mission: Impossible (1996), Snake Eyes (1998), Femme Fatale (2002) and The Black Dahlia (2006)).
[Alfred Hitchcock homage] Films frequently reference the work of Alfred Hitchcock, using similar locations, camera techniques/compositions, musical scores by Bernard Herrmann (a frequent Hitchcock collaborator), and blondes as leading ladies.
Frequently casts Robert De Niro, William Finley, John Lithgow, Kevin Dunn, Richard Belzer, Steven Bauer, Gregg Henry, Dennis Franz, Gary Sinise, Al Pacino, Sean Penn and ex-wife Nancy Allen.
The "LONG TAKE" which is usually complimented by a series of elaborate tracking shots or dolly movements
Doppelgangers (or evil twins), and femme fatales appear frequently in DePalma's films. |
| Quotes: |
The camera lies all the time; lies 24 times/second.
<br />
<hr>
[on why he would not add rap songs to the soundtrack of Scarface (1983)] They said it would help promotion, presenting the film in a different way, but Giorgio's [composer Giorgio Moroder] music was true to the period, I argued - and no one changes the scores on movies by Martin Scorsese, John Ford, David Lean. If this is the "masterpiece" you say, leave it alone. I fought them tooth and nail and was the odd man out, not an unusual place for me. I have final cut, so that stopped them dead.
<br />
<hr>
I'm astounded there aren't more American political films. I'm amazed, when you can make movies for nothing, there are not people out there making these incredibly angry anti-war movies. How come? [Sept.2006]
<br />
<hr>
I've never been accepted as that conventional artist. Whatever you say about David Lynch or Martin Scorsese, they are considered major film artists and nobody can argue with that. I've never had that. I've had people say it about me. And I've had people say that I'm a complete hack and, you know, derivative and all those catchphrases that people use for me. So I've always been controversial. People hate me or love me.
<br />
<hr>
My films deal with a stylized, expressionistic world that has a kind of grotesque beauty about it. |
| Job title: |
Director,Writer,Producer |
| Others works: |
(1984) Directed Bruce Springsteen's music video "Dancing in the Dark" (with Courteney Cox)
(2018) Debut novel Are Snakes Necessary?, written with Susan Lehman. |
| Spouse: |
Darnell Gregorio-De Palma (October 11, 1995 - April 18, 1997) (divorced, 1 child)Gale Anne Hurd (July 20, 1991 - 1993) (divorced, 1 child)Nancy Allen (January 12, 1979 - 1983) (divorced) |
| Children: |
Lolita De PalmaPiper De Palma |
| Parents: |
Vivienne DePalma
Anthony F. DePalma |
| Relatives: |
Cameron De Palma (Niece or Nephew)
Bart De Palma (Sibling) |
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