Gus Van Sant

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.

Most Known For

Entourage

as Gus Van Sant

Portlandia

as Gus Van Sant

Psycho

as Man Talking to Man in Cowboy Hat (uncredited)

Zeroville

as Film Archive Curator

Drugstore Cowboy

as Himself (uncredited)

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

as Self

Mala Noche

as Guy at Hotel (uncredited)

Leçon de Cinéma

as Self

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

as Gus Van Sant

The Greatest Event in Television History

as Self

My Own Private Idaho

as Man Behind Hotel Counter (uncredited)

Junior

as Himself

Finding Forrester

as Library Assistant (uncredited)

The Canyons

as Dr. Campbell

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

as Willamette Week Editor

Hi Octane

as Self

Paranoid Park

as Guy Reading Newspaper (uncredited)

The Trainer

as Gus Van Sant

Last Days

as Phone Voice (voice)

A Special Day

as Self