Todd Haynes

Todd Haynes

Birthdate
January 2, 1961 (63 years old)
Place of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA
Known For
Directing

Details

Birthdate
January 2, 1961 (63 years old)
Place of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA
Known For
Directing

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.

Todd Haynes's LGBTQ+ Titles

Carol
Carol
Director
Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine
Director
Far from Heaven
Far from Heaven
Director
Poison
Poison
Director
Totally Fucked Up
Totally Fucked Up
Thanks
Swoon
Swoon
Phrenology Head

Acting (17)

2023
Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter as Self (1 episode)
2022
Douglas Sirk – Hope as in Despair as Self
2019
Dark Waters: The Cost of Being a Hero as Self
2019
At the Video Store as Self
2016
Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible as Self
2009
Great Directors as Self
2006
Infinite Pleasure: Todd Haynes on Max Ophuls' Le Plaisir as Interviewee
2006
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema as Self
2006
Notes on the Death of Kodachrome as Self
2006
Eine Zärtlichkeit wie bei Sirk - Todd Haynes über Fassbinder und das Melodram as Self
1998
SexTV (1 episode)
1995
At Sundance as Self
1992
Swoon as Phrenology Head
1989
He Was Once as Randy
1989
Natural History as Child
1987
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story as Todd Donovan
1985
Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud

Directing (22)

Untitled Todd Haynes Project • Director
• Director
2023
May December • Director
• Director
2023
Image Book • Director
• Director
2021
The Velvet Underground • Director
• Director
2019
Dark Waters • Director
• Director
2017
Wonderstruck • Director
• Director
2015
Carol • Director
• Director
2013
Six by Sondheim • Director
• Director
2011
Enlightened • Director (1 episode)
• Director (1 episode)
2011
Mildred Pierce • Director (5 episodes)
• Director (5 episodes)
2007
I'm Not There • Director
• Director
2002
Far from Heaven • Director
• Director
1998
Velvet Goldmine • Director
• Director
1995
Safe • Director
• Director
1993
Dottie Gets Spanked • Director
• Director
1991
Goo VHS • Director
• Director
1991
Goo • Director
• Director
1991
Poison • Director
• Director
1989
La Divina • Assistant Director
• Assistant Director
1987
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story • Director
• Director
1985
Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud • Director
• Director
1978
The Suicide • Director
• Director

Production (19)

2023
Earthlings • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
2021
The Velvet Underground • Producer
• Producer
2016
Certain Women • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
2014
Night Moves • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
2013
Buoy • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
2011
Meek's Cutoff • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
2011
Mildred Pierce • Executive Producer (5 episodes)
• Executive Producer (5 episodes)
2009
Wendy and Lucy • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
2006
Quinceañera • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
2006
Old Joy • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
1990
Anemone Me • Producer
• Producer
1989
La Divina • Co-Producer
• Co-Producer
1989
He Was Once
• Producer
• Production Manager
1988
Cause and Effect • Producer
• Producer
1987
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story • Producer
• Producer
1986
Days Are Numbered • Producer
• Producer
1985
Tommy's • Producer
• Producer
1978
The Suicide • Producer
• Producer

Editing (2)

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

Writing (15)

Untitled Todd Haynes Project
• Screenplay
• Story
2021
The Velvet Underground • Writer
• Writer
2011
Mildred Pierce
• Teleplay (5 episodes)
• Writer (5 episodes)
2007
I'm Not There • Screenplay
• Screenplay
2002
Far from Heaven • Screenplay
• Screenplay
• Screenplay
• Story
1997
Office Killer • Co-Writer
• Co-Writer
1995
Safe • Writer
• Writer
1993
Dottie Gets Spanked • Writer
• Writer
1991
Poison • Writer
• Writer
1987
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story • Screenplay
• Screenplay
1978
The Suicide • Screenplay
• Screenplay

Crew (5)

2021
Cal State Long Beach, CA, January 2020 • Thanks
• Thanks
2019
Earthquake Bird • Thanks
• Thanks
2014
Still Alice • Thanks
• Thanks
2002
Madame Satã • Thanks
• Thanks
1994
• Thanks