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IMDbPro

David Cronenberg(I)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000994
David Cronenberg
From 'The Fly' to 'Dead Ringers,' here's a look at some of our favorite moments from the films of David Cronenberg. Which film is your favorite?
Play clip1:49
David Cronenberg | Director Supercut
7 Videos
99+ Photos
David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of Blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father, Milton Cronenberg, was a journalist and editor, and his mother, Esther (Sumberg), was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early age (he wrote and published eerie short stories, thus following his father's path) and for music (playing classical guitar until he was 12), Cronenberg graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Literature after switching from the science department. He reached the cult status of horror-meister with the gore-filled, modern-vampire variations of Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977), following an experimental apprenticeship in independent film-making and in Canadian television programs.

Cronenberg gained popularity with the head-exploding, telepathy-based Scanners (1981) after the release of the much underrated, controversial, and autobiographical The Brood (1979). Cronenberg become a sort of a mass media guru with Videodrome (1983), a shocking investigation of the hazards of reality-morphing television and a prophetic critique of contemporary aesthetics. The issues of tech-induced mutation of the human body and topics of the prominent dichotomy between body and mind were back again in The Dead Zone (1983) and The Fly (1986), both bright examples of a personal film-making identity, even if both films are based on mass-entertainment materials: the first being a rendition of a Stephen King best-seller, the latter a remake of a famous American horror movie.

With Dead Ringers (1988) and Naked Lunch (1991), the Canadian director, no more a mere genre movie-maker but a fully realized auteur, got the acclaim of international critics. Such profound statements on modern humanity and ever-changing society are prominent in the provocative Crash (1996) and in the virtual reality essay of eXistenZ (1999), both of which well fared at the Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals. In the last two film projects Spider (2002) and A History of Violence (2005), Cronenberg avoids expressing his teratologic and oniric expressionism in favor of a more psychological exploration of human contradictions and idiosyncrasies.
BornMarch 15, 1943
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornMarch 15, 1943
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000994
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
    • 76 wins & 90 nominations total

Photos107

David Cronenberg in Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
David Cronenberg and Rachael Crawford in Family Ties (2021)
David Cronenberg and Craig Sheffer in Nightbreed (1990)
David Cronenberg, Peter Weller, and William S. Burroughs in Naked Lunch (1991)
David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen in A Dangerous Method (2011)
David Cronenberg in A Dangerous Method (2011)
David Cronenberg and Paul Guilfoyle in Extreme Measures (1996)
David Cronenberg in Nightbreed (1990)
David Cronenberg directing Peter Weller and Joseph Scorsiani¹ in Naked Lunch(1991).
David Cronenberg in A History of Violence (2005)
Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, and David Cronenberg in The Fly (1986)
John Cusack, David Cronenberg, and Olivia Williams in Maps to the Stars (2014)

Known for

The Fly (1986)
The Fly
7.6
  • Gynecologist
  • 1986
Dead Ringers (1988)
Dead Ringers
7.2
  • Obstetrician(uncredited)
  • 1988
Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
eXistenZ
6.8
  • Director
  • 1999
Crash (1996)
Crash
6.4
  • Auto Wreck Salesman(voice, uncredited)
  • 1996

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Sonequa Martin-Green in Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
    Star Trek: Discovery
    • Kovich
    • TV Series
    • 2020–2022
  • The Death of David Cronenberg (2021)
    The Death of David Cronenberg
    • David Cronenberg
    • Video
    • 2021
  • Slasher (2016)
    Slasher
    • Spencer
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Lance Henriksen and Viggo Mortensen in Falling (2020)
    Falling
    • Dr. Klausner
    • 2020
  • Tuppence Middleton in Disappearance at Clifton Hill (2019)
    Disappearance at Clifton Hill
    • Walter
    • 2019
  • Sarah Gadon in Alias Grace (2017)
    Alias Grace
    • Reverend Verringer
    • Reverend
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2017
  • Pig Goat Banana Cricket (2015)
    Pig Goat Banana Cricket
    • Dr. Cronenbird (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2017
  • Ape Sodom (2016)
    Ape Sodom
    • Narrator (voice)
    • Short
    • 2016
  • Karine Vanasse in Tomorrow's Shadows (2016)
    Tomorrow's Shadows
    • G.O.D. (voice)
    • Short
    • 2016
  • Consumed (2014)
    Consumed
    • Interviewer (voice)
    • Video
    • 2014
  • The Nest (2013)
    The Nest
    • Dr. Molnar (voice)
    • Short
    • 2013
  • Rewind (2013)
    Rewind
    • Rourke
    • TV Movie
    • 2013
  • Happy Town (2010)
    Happy Town
    • Dr. Leichman
    • TV Series
    • 2010
  • Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Paul Giamatti, Rachelle Lefevre, and Rosamund Pike in Barney's Version (2010)
    Barney's Version
    • O'Malley Director #2
    • 2010
  • To Each His Own Cinema (2007)
    To Each His Own Cinema
    • The Suicidal Man (segment "At the suicide of the last Jew in the world in the last cinema in the world")
    • 2007

Director

  • The Shrouds
    • Director
    • Pre-production
  • Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, and Léa Seydoux in Crimes of the Future (2022)
    Crimes of the Future
    • Director (directed by)
    • 2022
  • The Death of David Cronenberg (2021)
    The Death of David Cronenberg
    • Director
    • Video
    • 2021
  • Consumed (2014)
    Consumed
    • Director
    • Video
    • 2014
  • John Cusack, Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson, and Mia Wasikowska in Maps to the Stars (2014)
    Maps to the Stars
    • Director (directed by)
    • 2014
  • The Nest (2013)
    The Nest
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2013
  • Robert Pattinson in Cosmopolis (2012)
    Cosmopolis
    • Director
    • 2012
  • Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley, and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    A Dangerous Method
    • Director
    • 2011
  • Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts in Eastern Promises (2007)
    Eastern Promises
    • Director
    • 2007
  • At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World (2007)
    At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2007
  • To Each His Own Cinema (2007)
    To Each His Own Cinema
    • Director (segment At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World)
    • 2007
  • A History of Violence: Deleted Scene - Scene 44 (2006)
    A History of Violence: Deleted Scene - Scene 44
    • Director
    • Video
    • 2006
  • Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello in A History of Violence (2005)
    A History of Violence
    • Director
    • 2005
  • Ralph Fiennes in Spider (2002)
    Spider
    • Director
    • 2002
  • Short6 (2001)
    Short6
    • Director (segment Camera)
    • 2001
  • Leslie Carlson in Camera (2000)
    Camera
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2000

Writer

  • The Shrouds
    • Writer
    • Pre-production
  • Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, and Léa Seydoux in Crimes of the Future (2022)
    Crimes of the Future
    • written by
    • 2022
  • The Death of David Cronenberg (2021)
    The Death of David Cronenberg
    • Writer
    • Video
    • 2021
  • Consumed (2014)
    Consumed
    • screenplay
    • story
    • Video
    • 2014
  • Robert Pattinson in Cosmopolis (2012)
    Cosmopolis
    • screenplay
    • 2012
  • At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World (2007)
    At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2007
  • Short6 (2001)
    Short6
    • Writer (segment Camera)
    • 2001
  • Leslie Carlson in Camera (2000)
    Camera
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2000
  • Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999)
    eXistenZ
    • written by
    • 1999
  • Crash (1996)
    Crash
    • written by
    • 1996
  • Scanner Cop II (1995)
    Scanner Cop II
    • characters
    • Video
    • 1995
  • Daniel Quinn in Scanner Cop (1994)
    Scanner Cop
    • characters
    • Video
    • 1994
  • Naked Lunch (1991)
    Naked Lunch
    • written by
    • 1991
  • Scanners III: The Takeover (1991)
    Scanners III: The Takeover
    • based on the original characters created by
    • 1991
  • Scanners II: The New Order (1991)
    Scanners II: The New Order
    • based on original characters created by
    • 1991
  • Dead Ringers (1988)
    Dead Ringers
    • written by
    • 1988
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos8

Is Cronenberg's 'Crimes of the Future' Actually About Filmmaking?
Clip 4:00
Is Cronenberg's 'Crimes of the Future' Actually About Filmmaking?
Upside Down the Rabbit Holes of "Stranger Things"
Clip 3:45
Upside Down the Rabbit Holes of "Stranger Things"
David Cronenberg | Director Supercut
Clip 1:49
David Cronenberg | Director Supercut
Trailer
Trailer 2:37
Trailer
Eastern Promises
Trailer 2:03
Eastern Promises
Crash
Trailer 1:58
Crash
Nightbreed
Trailer 2:31
Nightbreed
Jason X
Trailer 1:50
Jason X

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Facebook
  • Height
    • 5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
  • Born
    • March 15, 1943
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Spouses
      Carolyn Cronenberg1979 - June 19, 2017 (her death, 3 children)
  • Children
      Caitlin Cronenberg
  • Parents
      Milton Cronenberg
  • Relatives
      Denise Cronenberg(Sibling)
  • Other works
    TV commercial for Nike (1990)
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Biographical Movies
    • 4 Print Biographies
    • 55 Interviews
    • 24 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials
    • 3 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was offered the chance to direct Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) but he declined.
  • Quotes
    It's my conceit that perhaps some diseases perceived as diseases that destroy a well-functioning machine actually turn it into a new but still well-functioning machine with a different purpose. The AIDS virus: look at it from its point of view. Very vital, very excited, really having a good time. It's really a triumph if you're a virus. See the movies from the disease's point of view. You can see why they would resist all attempts to destroy them. These are all cerebral games, but they have emotional correlatives as well.
  • Trademarks
      Prioneered the "body Horror" genre that involves mutation, parasites, or particular medical conditions.

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