Gus Van Sant
Directing • Born 1952-07-24
Biography
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.
Filmography
53 credits
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Movie • 2001
Gus Van Sant
Made in the USA
Movie • 1993
Self
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
Movie • 2010
Self
Guns on the Clackamas
Movie • 1995
The Canyons
Movie • 2013
Dr. Campbell
The Advocate for Fagdom
Movie • 2011
Self
Strange Parallel
Movie • 1998
Self
The Trainer
Movie • 2024
Gus Van Sant
Here’s Looking at You, Boy
Movie • 2007
Self
In the Mood for Doyle
Movie • 2007
Self
Finding Forrester
Movie • 2000
Library Assistant (uncredited)
On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time
Movie • 2004
Himself
Nicole Kidman: Eyes Wide Open
Movie • 2023
Self (interview)
Zeroville
Movie • 2019
Film Archive Curator
Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible
Movie • 2016
Self
About Elephant
Movie • 2003
Self
At the Video Store
Movie • 2019
Self
About Cinema
Movie • 2015
Self
I Don't Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman
Movie • 2015
Self
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
Movie • 2006
Self
Saltlake Van Sant
Movie • 2003
Self
Psycho Path
Movie • 2000
Self - Director
The Making of ‘My Own Private Idaho’
Movie • 2005
Self
A Special Day
Movie • 2012
Self
Thank You for Supporting the Arts
Movie • 2018
Junior
Movie • 1988
Himself
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
Movie • 2018
Willamette Week Editor
Mala Noche
Movie • 1987
Guy at Hotel (uncredited)
My Own Private Idaho
Movie • 1991
Man Behind Hotel Counter (uncredited)
Paranoid Park
Movie • 2007
Guy Reading Newspaper (uncredited)
Psycho
Movie • 1998
Man Talking to Man in Cowboy Hat (uncredited)
Last Days
Movie • 2005
Phone Voice (voice)
The Making of Last Days
Movie • 2004
Himself
Five Ways to Kill Yourself
Movie • 1987
Critic
Movie • 2008
Self
The Making of Drugstore Cowboy
Movie • 1999
Making Paranoid Park
Movie • 2008
Drugstore Cowboy
Movie • 1989
Himself (uncredited)
Illegal Civilization 3
Movie • 2018
Self
Rescued from the Closet
Movie • 2001
Self
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Funky Monks
Movie • 1991
Self
Reflecting On A Journey: Good Will Hunting 15 Years Later
Movie • 2012
Self
The Director's Vision: Hollywood's Best Discuss Their Craft
Movie • 1998
himself
Andy by Gus
Movie • 2023
Nightmare Typhoon
Movie
Gus
Two Films, One Legacy
Movie • 2011
Ain't It Funny
Movie • 2017
Dad
The Greatest Event in Television History
TV • 2012
Self
The Story of Film: An Odyssey
TV • 2011
Self
Portlandia
TV • 2011
Gus Van Sant
Leçon de Cinéma
TV • 2004
Self
Hi Octane
TV • 1994
Self
Entourage
TV • 2004
Gus Van Sant