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Todd Haynes

Known For
Directing

Known Credits
21

Gender
Male

Birthday
January 2, 1961 (65 years old)

Place of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA

Todd Haynes

Biography

Todd Haynes (/heɪnz/; born January 2, 1961; Los Angeles) is an American filmmaker. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender roles.

Haynes first gained public attention with his controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987), which chronicles singer Karen Carpenter's life and death, using Barbie dolls as actors. Superstar became a cult classic. Haynes's feature directorial debut, Poison (1991), a provocative exploration of AIDS-era queer perceptions and subversions, established him as a figure of a new transgressive cinema. Poison won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize and is regarded as a seminal work of New Queer Cinema.

Haynes received further acclaim for his second feature film, Safe (1995), a symbolic portrait of a housewife who develops multiple chemical sensitivity. Safe was later voted the best film of the 1990s by The Village Voice Film Poll. His next feature, Velvet Goldmine (1998), is a tribute to the 1970s glam rock era. The film received the Special Jury Prize for Best Artistic Contribution at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

Haynes gained acclaim and a measure of mainstream success with Far from Heaven (2002) earning his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He continued to direct critically lauded films such as I'm Not There (2007), Carol (2015), Wonderstruck (2017) and Dark Waters (2019). He directed his first feature-length documentary, The Velvet Underground (2021). Haynes directed and co-wrote the HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce (2011) for which he was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

Known For

Production

2025Earthlings...Executive Producer
2021The Velvet Underground...Producer
2016Certain Women...Executive Producer
2014Night Moves...Executive Producer
2013Buoy...Executive Producer
2011Meek's Cutoff...Executive Producer
2011Mildred Pierce...Executive Producer
2008Wendy and Lucy...Executive Producer
2006Quinceañera...Executive Producer
2006Old Joy...Executive Producer
1990Anemone Me...Producer
1989La Divina...Co-Producer
1989He Was Once...Producer
1989He Was Once...Production Manager
1989Natural History...Producer
1988Muddy Hands...Producer
1988Cause and Effect...Producer
1988American Lunch...Producer
1987Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story...Producer
1985Tommy's...Producer
1984A Man in Your Room...Producer
1978The Suicide...Producer

Directing

2023May December...Director
2023Image Book...Director
2021The Velvet Underground...Director
2019Dark Waters...Director
2017Wonderstruck...Director
2015Carol...Director
2013Six by Sondheim...Director
2011Enlightened...Director
2011Mildred Pierce...Director
2007I'm Not There...Director
2004Sonic Youth: Corporate Ghost (The Videos: 1990-2002)...Director
2002Far from Heaven...Director
1998Velvet Goldmine...Director
1995Safe...Director
1993Dottie Gets Spanked...Director
1991Goo...Director
1991Poison...Director
1989La Divina...Assistant Director
1988Cause and Effect...Assistant Director
1987Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story...Director
1985Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud...Director
1978The Suicide...Director
De Noche...Director

Crew

2021Cal State Long Beach, CA, January 2020...Thanks
2019Earthquake Bird...Thanks
2014Still Alice...Thanks
2002Madame Satã...Thanks
1994Totally F***ed Up...Thanks

Writing

2021The Velvet Underground...Writer
2011Mildred Pierce...Teleplay
2007I'm Not There...Screenplay
2007I'm Not There...Story
2002Far from Heaven...Writer
1998Velvet Goldmine...Screenplay
1998Velvet Goldmine...Story
1997Office Killer...Co-Writer
1995Safe...Writer
1993Dottie Gets Spanked...Writer
1991Poison...Writer
1987Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story...Screenplay
1978The Suicide...Screenplay
De Noche...Writer

Editing

1991Poison...Editor
1987Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story...Editor

Acting

2026Barbara Foreveras Self (archive footage)
2023Off Script with The Hollywood Reporteras Self
2023Art-House America: Austin Film Societyas Self
2022Douglas Sirk – Hope as in Despairas Self
2019Dark Waters: The Cost of Being a Heroas Self
2019At the Video Storeas Self
2017Marciansas Self - Interviewee
2016Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossibleas Self
2009Great Directorsas Self
2007Notes on the Death of Kodachromeas Self
2006Infinite Pleasure: Todd Haynes on Max Ophuls' Le Plaisiras Interviewee
2006Maternal Overdriveas Self
2006Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinemaas Self
2006Eine Zärtlichkeit wie bei Sirk - Todd Haynes über Fassbinder und das Melodramas Self
1998SexTVas
1995At Sundanceas Self
1992Swoonas Phrenology Head
1989He Was Onceas Randy
1989Natural Historyas Child
1987Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Storyas Todd Donovan
1985Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaudas