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IMDbPro

Todd Haynes(I)

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0004170
Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes discussed his films and his creative process.
Play trailer2:50
Great Directors (2009)
6 Videos
93 Photos
Todd Haynes was always interested in art, and made amateur movies and painted while he was still a child. He attended Brown university and majored in art and semiotics. After he graduated he moved to New York City and made the controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987). The movie uses dolls instead of actors to tell the the story of the late Karen Carpenter. The movie was a success at several film festivals, and because of a lawsuit by Richard Carpenter (over musical rights) is very hard to see but it is a true classic for bootleg video buyers. His first feature, Poison (1991) was even more controversial. The film was attacked by conservatives and Christians who said it was pornographic, but it won the Grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It is now considered a seminal work of the new queer cinema. His short film Dottie Gets Spanked (1993) was aired on PBS. His next feature film Safe (1995) told the story of a woman played by his good friend, Julianne Moore, suffering from a breakdown caused by a mysterious illness. Many thought the film was a metaphor of the Aids virus. The movie was considered to be an outstanding work and one of the best films of the year. In Velvet Goldmine (1998), starring Christian Bale and Ewan McGregor, he combines the visual style of 60s/70s art films and his love for glam rock music to tell the story of a fictional rock star's rise and fall. Far from Heaven (2002), set in the 1950s and starring Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid, is about a Connecticut housewife who discovers that her husband is gay, and has an affair with her black gardener, played by Dennis Haysbert. The film was a critical and box office success, garnering four Academy Awards. It was hailed as a breakthrough for independent film, and brought Haynes mainstream recognition. With I'm Not There (2007), Haynes returned to the theme of musical legend bio, portraying Bob Dylan via seven fictive characters played by six different actors. The film brought him critical claim, with special attention to the casting of Cate Blanchett as arguably the most convincing of the Dylan characters, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. In 2011, Haynes directed Mildred Pierce, a five-hour miniseries for HBO starring Kate Winslet in the title role. His new feature film Carol (2015) with Cate Blanchett premiered at the Cannes International Festival 2015 to rave reviews and won Best Actress for Rooney Mara.
BornJanuary 2, 1961
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJanuary 2, 1961
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0004170
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 59 wins & 107 nominations total

On the Scene at Cannes 2023

On the Scene at Cannes 2023

See some of our favorite photos from this year's Cannes Film Festival.
See the full gallery
Production art
Photos

Photos93

Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes and Rooney Mara in Carol (2015)
Todd Haynes in Carol (2015)
Cate Blanchett and Todd Haynes in Carol (2015)
Kate Winslet and Todd Haynes in Mildred Pierce (2011)
Todd Haynes and Angela Ismailos in Great Directors (2009)
Todd Haynes in Wonderstruck (2017)
Todd Haynes and Mark Friedberg
Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes in Wonderstruck (2017)
Todd Haynes, Millicent Simmonds, and Lynnette Taylor in Wonderstruck (2017)
Todd Haynes in Wonderstruck (2017)
Todd Haynes and Christine Vachon in Wonderstruck (2017)

Known for

Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Dennis Haysbert in Far from Heaven (2002)
Far from Heaven
7.3
  • Director
  • 2002
I'm Not There (2007)
I'm Not There
6.8
  • Director
  • 2007
Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Velvet Goldmine
6.9
  • Director
  • 1998
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Carol (2015)
Carol
7.2
  • Director
  • 2015

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Director

  • Fever
    • Director
    • In Development
  • Untitled Todd Haynes/Joaquin Phoenix Film
    • Director
    • In Development
  • Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman in May December (2023)
    May December
    • Director
    • 2023
  • The Velvet Underground (2021)
    The Velvet Underground
    • Director
    • 2021
  • Mark Ruffalo in Dark Waters (2019)
    Dark Waters
    • Director
    • 2019
  • Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Oakes Fegley, and Millicent Simmonds in Wonderstruck (2017)
    Wonderstruck
    • Director
    • 2017
  • Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Carol (2015)
    Carol
    • Director
    • 2015
  • Six by Sondheim (2013)
    Six by Sondheim
    • Director (segment 'I'm Still Here')
    • TV Movie
    • 2013
  • Enlightened (2011)
    Enlightened
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2013
  • Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce (2011)
    Mildred Pierce
    • Director
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2011
  • I'm Not There (2007)
    I'm Not There
    • Director
    • 2007
  • Sonic Youth in Sonic Youth: Disappearer Director's Cut (2004)
    Sonic Youth: Disappearer Director's Cut
    • Director
    • Music Video
    • 2004
  • Corporate Ghost (2004)
    Corporate Ghost
    • Director (video Disappearer" "Disappearer Director's Cut)
    • Video
    • 2004
  • Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Dennis Haysbert in Far from Heaven (2002)
    Far from Heaven
    • Director
    • 2002
  • Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Velvet Goldmine (1998)
    Velvet Goldmine
    • Director
    • 1998
  • Safe (1995)
    Safe
    • Director
    • 1995
  • Dottie Gets Spanked (1993)
    Dottie Gets Spanked
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1993

Writer

  • Untitled Todd Haynes/Joaquin Phoenix Film
    • Writer
    • In Development
  • The Velvet Underground (2021)
    The Velvet Underground
    • Writer
    • 2021
  • Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce (2011)
    Mildred Pierce
    • teleplay
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2011
  • I'm Not There (2007)
    I'm Not There
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 2007
  • Sonic Youth in Sonic Youth: Disappearer Director's Cut (2004)
    Sonic Youth: Disappearer Director's Cut
    • Writer (uncredited)
    • Music Video
    • 2004
  • Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Dennis Haysbert in Far from Heaven (2002)
    Far from Heaven
    • written by
    • 2002
  • Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Velvet Goldmine (1998)
    Velvet Goldmine
    • story
    • written by
    • 1998
  • Molly Ringwald, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Carol Kane in Office Killer (1997)
    Office Killer
    • additional dialogue
    • 1997
  • Safe (1995)
    Safe
    • written by
    • 1995
  • Dottie Gets Spanked (1993)
    Dottie Gets Spanked
    • Writer
    • TV Movie
    • 1993
  • Poison (1991)
    Poison
    • written by
    • 1991
  • Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)
    Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1987
  • Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud (1985)
    Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud
    • screenplay
    • Short
    • 1985
  • The Suicide (1978)
    The Suicide
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 1978

Producer

  • Earthlings (2023)
    Earthlings
    • executive producer
    • 2023
  • The Velvet Underground (2021)
    The Velvet Underground
    • producer
    • 2021
  • Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, and Lily Gladstone in Certain Women (2016)
    Certain Women
    • executive producer
    • 2016
  • Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard in Night Moves (2013)
    Night Moves
    • executive producer
    • 2013
  • Buoy (2012)
    Buoy
    • executive producer
    • 2012
  • Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce (2011)
    Mildred Pierce
    • executive producer
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2011
  • Michelle Williams in Meek's Cutoff (2010)
    Meek's Cutoff
    • executive producer
    • 2010
  • Michelle Williams and Lucy in Wendy and Lucy (2008)
    Wendy and Lucy
    • executive producer
    • 2008
  • Quinceañera (2006)
    Quinceañera
    • executive producer
    • 2006
  • Old Joy (2006)
    Old Joy
    • executive producer
    • 2006
  • He Was Once (1989)
    He Was Once
    • producer
    • Short
    • 1989
  • La Divina
    • co-producer
    • 1989
  • Cause and Effect
    • producer
    • Short
    • 1988
  • Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)
    Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
    • producer
    • Short
    • 1987
  • The Suicide (1978)
    The Suicide
    • producer
    • Short
    • 1978
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos6

'Carol' scene featuring Cate Blanchett , Kyle Chandler and Rooney Mara
Clip 1:03
'Carol' scene featuring Cate Blanchett , Kyle Chandler and Rooney Mara
Great Directors
Clip 2:47
Great Directors
Cast of 'Carol' Talks Romance
Interview 2:11
Cast of 'Carol' Talks Romance
Great Directors: Todd Haynes Footage
Trailer 2:50
Great Directors: Todd Haynes Footage
Great Directors
Trailer 2:46
Great Directors
'Wonderstruck' Cast on the Characters and Their Journey to Self-Discovery
Video 2:00
'Wonderstruck' Cast on the Characters and Their Journey to Self-Discovery

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
  • Born
    • January 2, 1961
    • Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Relatives
      Wendy Haynes(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Directed the music video "Disappearer" by Sonic Youth.
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Interviews
    • 4 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He wrote the role of Cathy Whitaker in Far from Heaven (2002) specifically for Julianne Moore. She went on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance in the film.
  • Quotes
    I mean, making a film is so scary and there's such a kind of void that you're working from initially. I mean, you can have all the ideas and be as prepared as possible, but you're also still bringing people together and saying, "Trust me", even when you don't necessarily trust every element. You're making something out of nothing and it requires so many people's collaborative efforts and participation that it seems like at any moment it could just fall through the cracks and be gone forever.

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