Gus Van Sant

July 24, 1952

Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Directing for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, and won the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for his film Elephant. He lives in Portland, Oregon. His early career was devoted to directing television commercials in the Pacific Northwest. In his films, he has dealt with themes concerning homosexuality and other marginalized subcultures. His filmography as writer and director includes an adaptation of Tom Robbins' novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which features a diverse cast (Keanu Reeves, Roseanne Barr, Uma Thurman, and k.d. lang, with cameos by William S. Burroughs and Heather Graham, among others); and My Own Private Idaho, also starring Reeves as well as River Phoenix. He wrote the screenplays for most of his early movies, and wrote one novel, Pink. A book of his photography has also been published, called 108 Portraits.

Cast

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

(Gus Van Sant)

Made in the USA

(Self)

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

(Self)

Guns on the Clackamas

The Canyons

(Dr. Campbell)

The Advocate for Fagdom

(Self)

Strange Parallel

(Self)

The Trainer

Here’s Looking at You, Boy

(Self)

In the Mood for Doyle

(Self)

Finding Forrester

(Library Assistant (uncredited))

On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time

(Himself)

Nicole Kidman: Eyes Wide Open

(Self (interview))

Zeroville

(Film Archive Curator)

Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible

(Self)

About Elephant

(Self)

At the Video Store

(Self)

About Cinema

(Self)

who is Gus Van Sant?

(Himself)

I Don't Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman

(Self)

Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema

(Self)

Saltlake Van Sant

(Self)

Psycho Path

(Self - Director)

The Making of ‘My Own Private Idaho’

(Self)

A Special Day

(Self)

Thank You for Supporting the Arts

Junior

(Himself)

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

(Willamette Week Editor)

Last Days

(Phone Voice (voice))

Psycho

(Man Talking to Man in Cowboy Hat (uncredited))

Mala Noche

(Guy at Hotel (uncredited))

My Own Private Idaho

(Man Behind Hotel Counter (uncredited))

Paranoid Park

(Guy Reading Newspaper (uncredited))

The Making of Last Days

(Himself)

Five Ways to Kill Yourself

Crítico

(Self)

The Making of Drugstore Cowboy

Making Paranoid Park

Drugstore Cowboy

(Himself (uncredited))

Illegal Civilization 3

(Self)

Rescued from the Closet

(Self)

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Funky Monks

(Himself)

The Greatest Event in Television History

(Self)

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

(Self)

Portlandia

(Gus Van Sant)

Leçon de Cinéma

(Self)

Hi Octane

(Self)

Crew

Mala Noche

(Producer)

Mala Noche

(Director)

Mala Noche

(Editor)

Mala Noche

(Screenplay)

Drugstore Cowboy

(Screenplay)

Good Will Hunting

(Director)

My Own Private Idaho

(Director)

Drugstore Cowboy

(Director)

My Own Private Idaho

(Screenplay)

Tarnation

(Executive Producer)

To Die For

(Director)

Last Days

(Director)

Last Days

(Screenplay)

Last Days

(Editor)

Finding Forrester

(Director)

Gerry

(Editor)

Gerry

(Director)

Paranoid Park

(Director)

Paranoid Park

(Screenplay)

Paranoid Park

(Editor)

Milk

(Director)

Paris Je T'aime

(Director)

Psycho

(Producer)

Psycho

(Director)

Kids

(Executive Producer)

Joe Gives Up and Moves to Montana

(Producer)

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

(Director)

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

(Writer)

To Each His Own Cinema

(Director)

Speedway Junky

(Executive Producer)

Restless

(Director)

Promised Land

(Director)

The Discipline of D.E.

(Director)

Psycho Shampoo

(Director)

Thanksgiving Prayer

(Director)

Best of Chris Isaak

(Director)

Le Marais

(Writer)

The Sea of Trees

(Director)

Virginia

(Executive Producer)

Howl

(Executive Producer)

Mansion on the Hill

(Director)

On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time

(Executive Producer)

Cinema16: American Short Films

(Director)

My New Friend

(Director)

Good Will Hunting

(Sound Re-Recording Mixer)

Thanksgiving Prayer

(Producer)

David Bowie: Best of Bowie

(Director)

Property

(Sound)

Gerry

(Writer)

I'm Still Here

(Thanks)

(Editor)

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

(Director)

Promised Land

(Executive Producer)

Restless

(Producer)

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

(Editor)

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

(Executive Producer)

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

(Editor)

Good Will Hunting

(Script Supervisor)

Strutter

(Thanks)

Shit Year

(Thanks)

De Witt Clinton Choir

(Director)

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

(Screenplay)

Laurence Anyways

(Executive Producer)

Elephant

(Screenplay)

Elephant

(Editor)

Junior

(Director)

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

(Story)

Wild Tigers I Have Known

(Executive Producer)

Flea Sings

(Director)

Four Boys in a Volvo

(Director)

Five Ways to Kill Yourself

(Director)

The Happy Organ

(Director)

Switzerland

(Director)

Little Johnny

(Director)

1/2 of a Telephone Conversation

(Director)

Ken Death Gets Out of Jail

(Director)

Milk

(Sound Re-Recording Mixer)

My Own Private River

(Director)

Killing Gawker

(Director)

I Am Michael

(Executive Producer)

The Prince of Fashion

(Director)

The Prince of Fashion

(Screenplay)

Paris Je T'aime

(Writer)

Five Ways to Kill Yourself

(Writer)

Easter

(Director)

Le Marais

(Director)

Elephant

(Director)

Age Out

(Executive Producer)

Ballad of the Skeletons

(Writer)

Ballad of the Skeletons

(Director)

Psycho Path

(Executive Producer)

Accidents Happen

(Thanks)

Dead Man's Wire

(Director)

When We Rise

(Director)

When We Rise

(Executive Producer)

FEUD

(Executive Producer)

FEUD

(Director)

Ouverture Of Something That Never Ended

(Creator)