Date of Birth
25 August 1958,
Burbank, California, USA
Timothy
William Burton
Height
5' 11½" (1.82 m)
Mini Biography
His early film career was fueled by almost unbelievable good luck, but it's his talent and originality that have kept him at the top of the Hollywood tree. Tim Burton began drawing at an early age, going on to attend the California Institute of the Arts, studying animation after being awarded a fellowship from Disney, for whom he went on to work. Although he found that the mainstream Disney films he worked on (The Fox and the Hound (1981)) were far removed from his own sensibility, Disney let him have the freedom to work on his own personal projects, the six-minute animated black-and-white Gothic Vincent Price tribute Vincent (1982), and the 27-minute live-action Frankenweenie (1984), which was judged unsuitable for children and never released. However, Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) saw it and decided that Burton, still only in his mid-twenties, would be the ideal person to direct his feature debut, Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985). An enormous (and surprise) box-office hit, it led to the supernatural comedy Beetle Juice (1988), which in turn led to Burton being entrusted with the reins on the hugely expensive Batman (1989). Although his least personal film, it was one of the most successful films of all time, and gave him unprecedented power in Hollywood considering the originality and adventurousness of his work thus far. Edward Scissorhands (1990), another hit, saw him at the peak of his creative powers and established a fruitful working relationship with actor Johnny Depp. Batman Returns (1992) was a far darker and quirkier film than the original, a reflection of how much creative freedom Burton had won (though Warner Bros were reputedly unhappy with the final result). And although Ed Wood (1994), his loving tribute to the life and work of the legendary Worst Director of All time, Edward D. Wood Jr., was a box-office disaster, it garnered some of the best reviews of Burton's career, and suggests that he'll continue dazzling audiences for many years to come.
s.
Burton made a few other
short films, including his first live-action film,
Frankenweenie (1984). A half-hour
long twist on the tale of
Frankenstein, it was deemed inappropriate for children and wasn't released. But
actor Paul Reubens (
aka Pee-Wee
Herman) saw
Frankenweenie (1984), and believed that
Burton would be the right
man to direct him in his first full-length feature film,
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985). The film was a
surprise success, and
Burton instantly became
popular. However, many of the scripts that were offered to him after this were essentially
just spin-offs of the film, and Burton wanted to do something new. For three years, he
made no more films, until he was presented with
the script for
Beetle Juice (1988).
the script was wild and wasn't really about anything, but was filled with such artistic and quirky opportunities,
Burton couldn't
say no.
Beetle Juice (1988) was another
Big hit, and
Burton's Name in
Hollywood was solidified. It was also his first film with
actor Michael Keaton.
Warner Bros. then entrusted him with
Batman (1989), a film based on the immensely
popular comic book series of the same
Name. Starring
Michael Keaton and
Jack Nicholson, the film was the most financially successful film of the year and
Burton's biggest box-
office hit to
Date.
Due to the fantastic
success of his first three films, he was given the
green light to make his
next film, any kind of film he wanted. That film was
Edward Scissorhands (1990),
one of his most emotional, esteemed and artistic films to
Date.
Edward Scissorhands (1990) was also
Burton's first film with
actor Johnny Depp.
Burton's next film was
Batman Returns (1992), and was darker and quirkier than the first
one, and, while by no means a financial flop, many
people felt somewhat disappointed by it. While working on
Batman Returns (1992), he also produced the
popular The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), directed by former fellow
Disney Animator
Henry Selick.
Burton reunited with
Johnny Depp on the film
Ed Wood (1994), a film showered with critical
acclaim,
Martin Landau won an
academy award for his
performance in it, and it is very
popular now, but flopped during its initial release.
Burton's subsequent film,
Mars Attacks! (1996), had much more vibrant
colors than his other films. Despite being directed by
Burton and featuring all-star actors including
Jack Nicholson,
Glenn Close,
Pierce Brosnan and
Michael J. Fox, it received mediocre reviews and wasn't immensely
popular at
the box office, either.
Burton returned to his darker and more artistic form with the film
Sleepy Hollow (1999), starring
Johnny Depp,
Christina Ricci and
Casper Van Dien. The film was praised for its art direction and was financially successful, redeeming
Burton of the disappointment many had
felt by
Mars Attacks! (1996). His
next film was
Planet of the Apes (2001), a remake of
the classic of the same
Name. The film was panned by many critics but was still financially successful. While on the
set of
Planet of the Apes (2001),
Burton met
Helena Bonham Carter, to whom he is now currently engaged and has a son with. Afterwards,
Burton directed the film
Big Fish (2003) - a much more conventional film than most of his others, it received a good
deal of critical praise, although it disappointed some of his
long-
time fans who
preferred the quirkiness of his other, earlier films. Despite the fluctuations in his career,
Burton proved himself to be
one of the most
popular directors of the late 20th
century. And as of this writing, he is currently signed on to direct
Johnny Depp once again, this
time in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), a film that
promises to be
just as quirky as anything he's
ever done.
Spouse
| Lena Gieseke |
(24 February 1989 - 31 December 1991) (divorced) |
Often does the beginning credits sequence with the camera going through something (Batman (1989), Beetle Juice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), or following something (Batman Returns (1992), Mars Attacks! (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999)).
His films often have a Gothic feel to them, often including Christmas and/or Halloween scenes.
Plot often focuses around a misunderstood outcast.
Frequently uses composer Danny Elfman.
Frequently casts Jeffrey Jones, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, Michael Keaton, Lisa Marie, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gough, Deep Roy and Christopher Lee.
Frequently features dead or dismembered dogs.
He often likes to open his films with a quiet night time snowfall.
Many of his films feature townspeople who misunderstand and/ordistrust the lead character.
Obsession with horror actors: he makes movies about them (Vincent (1982), Ed Wood (1994)), or he actually casts them in his films (e.g. Vincent Price, Michael Gough, Christopher Lee, Christopher Walken).
Often shows scarecrows in his movies.
His movies always opens with a personal version of the studio's logo.
Usually includes fantasy elements in his films.
Often looks into the main character's past through a series of flashbacks (i.e. Edward Scissorhands (1990), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)).
Trivia
At the end of Beetle Juice (1988), Beetlejuice metamorphoses into a bizarre creature with a merry-go-round on his head. On the top of this merry-go-round is a smiling skull which became Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). The latter movie had been a pet project of Burton's since his days as an animator at Disney.
He has an interest in clowns, and his films will often include them or make reference to them.
Credits his former fianc
