Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born on March 27, 1963, in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, to Tony Tarantino, an actor and Connie McHugh, a nurse. He is of Italian-Irish-Cherokee ancestry. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, Curt Zastoupil.

He studied at Fleming Junior High School, where he took up drama classes and also studied at Narbonne High School, before he dropped out at the age of fifteen.

After he quit school, he attended James Best Theater Company but left it after 2 years.

He began working as an employee in the video rental store, ‘Video Archives’. He began to discuss movies at length with his colleagues and other customers who would come to rent films. It is believed that during this time, he was exposed to Blaxploitation films and also paid close attention to the type of movies that customers preferred to rent/purchase.

Quentin Tarantino met Lawrence Bender at a party. The latter encouraged him to write his first screenplay, which he did and called it My Best Friend’s Birthday. However, the reel of the film was destroyed in a fire and the screenplay would go on to form the basis for True Romance.

He debuted as a director with the film, Reservoir Dogs, which released in 1992. The film became an instant hit and was screened at the Sundance Film Festival the same year.

In 1993, he write the screenplay for the American romantic-crime movie, True Romance starring Van Kilmer, Christian Slater and Gary Oldman. The following year, he wrote the screenplay for Natural Born Killers.

He had become so popular in Hollywood by now that many scriptwriters approached him for films like Speed and Men in Black. But he refused the scripts, withdrew to Amsterdam and began working on his next big project, Pulp Fiction.

In 1994, Pulp Fiction was released and received numerous awards for its ingenious direction and non-linear story line. It became so popular that he was nominated for the category of Best Director for the Academy Awards.

In 1996, he starred in and wrote the script for the Robert Rodriguez film, ‘From Dusk till Dawn’. He then directed a Blaxploitation film, ‘Jackie Brown’, which was an adaptation of the novel, ‘Rum Punch’.

In the new millennium, he directed the hit feature, ‘Kill Bill: Vol.1’ starring Uma Thurman, in 2003. The movie was so successful that it spawned a hit sequel, ‘Kill Bill: Vol.2’, the next year.

In 2004, he was made the President of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. The next year, he collaborated with Robert Rodriguez once again for the neo-noir film, ‘Sin City’. He also co-produced the slasher film, ‘Hostel’.

He once again collaborated with Robert Rodriguez for the 2007 flick, ‘Grindhouse’, which was not very successful with the audiences. The same year, he produced the second installment of the ‘Hostel’ series, ‘Hostel: Part II’.

In 2009, he directed and wrote the blockbuster war film, ‘Inglourious Basterds’, which is considered one of his highest-grossing films. Two years later, the production for ‘Django Unchained’, a spaghetti western, began.

In 2012, his highest-grosser film till date, ‘Django Unchained’ was released.

‘Inglourious Basterds’, the war film directed by Quentin Tarantino in 2009, is one of the biggest American blockbusters till date and earned a whopping $321 million in theaters worldwide. The movie went on to receive a number of important awards, including eight Academy Award nominations. The film is till date, the second highest commercially successful film in the United States and was showcased at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.

‘Django Unchained’, released in 2012 is a spaghetti western film directed by Tarantino and earned over $424 million worldwide, which is Tarantino’s highest grossing film till date. The movie earned a number of awards and accolades including the Academy Awards and the BAFTA have and made history by becoming the only Tarantino film to be approved for official distribution in China, owing to their strict policies regarding film distribution.

He won the Independent Spirit Award for the category of ‘Best Director’ for ‘Pulp Fiction’, in 1994.

He won an Academy Award for ‘Best Writing (Original Screenplay’ for ‘Pulp Fiction’, in 1995.

He won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for ‘Critics Choice for Best Original Screenplay’ for ‘Inglourious Basterds’, in 2010.

He won an Academy Award for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for ‘Django Unchained’, in 2013.

He won a BAFTA Award for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for ‘Django Unchained’, in 2013.

In 2013, he also won the Golden Globe Award for ‘Best Screenplay’ for ‘Django Unchained’.

He has been romantically linked with a number of women including Mira Sorvino, Sofia Coppola, Allison Anders, Kathy Griffin, Uma Thurman, Margaret Cho and Didem Erol. In 2018, he married Daniella Pick and they welcomed a son in 2020. On February 9, 2022, they announced that they were expecting their second child together. They welcomed their child in July 2022.

He is best-friends with collaborator, Robert Rodriguez. He is also close to Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith and Harvey Keitel.

Quentin Tarantino often makes cameo appearances in his own films, showcasing his love for being in front of the camera as well as behind it.

Tarantino is known for his unique writing style, often blending different genres and storytelling techniques to create his own distinct cinematic voice.

He is a passionate collector of board games, vintage movie posters, and movie memorabilia, showcasing his love for all things related to film.

Tarantino has a reputation for his extensive knowledge of film history, often referencing and paying homage to classic movies in his own work.

Despite his intense and sometimes controversial films, Tarantino is known for his friendly and approachable demeanor on set, fostering strong relationships with his cast and crew.