Paul Thomas Anderson

21 films directed 12 Awards 5 Nominations

Biography

Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the preeminent filmmakers of his generation, he is the recipient of three Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four BAFTAs, three Critics Choice Awards, and nominations for a Grammy. He is the only person to have won the Academy Award for Best Director, as well as the Best Director Awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival. In addition to those accolades, he won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Many of Anderson's films are psychological dramas characterized by depictions of desperate characters and explorations of dysfunctional families, alienation, loneliness, and redemption, alongside a bold visual style that uses constantly moving cameras and long takes. After his directorial debut, Hard Eight (1996), Anderson had critical and commercial success with Boogie Nights (1997), and received further accolades with Magnolia (1999) and Punch-Drunk Love (2002).

There Will Be Blood (2007), Anderson's fifth film, is regarded as one of the greatest films of the 21st century. It was followed by The Master (2012) and Inherent Vice (2014), an adaptation of the 2009 novel by Thomas Pynchon. Anderson's next three films, Phantom Thread (2017), Licorice Pizza (2021) and One Battle After Another (2025) were all nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, while the last earned him wins for both and Best Adapted Screenplay and became his highest-grossing film.

Most directed genres

Recurring actors

Awards and nominations

2026 Academy Award for Best Director
2026 Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
2026 Golden Globe Award for Best Director
2026 BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
2026 BAFTA Award for Best Direction
2026 Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
2026 Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Director
2026 Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film
2026 Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
2008 Silver Bear for Best Director
2002 Cannes Best Director Award
2000 Golden Bear
1998 European Film Award for Best Non-European Film Nominated
1998 Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay Nominated
— Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated
— Academy Award for Best Director Nominated
— Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Nominated

The career in numbers

US$ 407 mi Total budget from 11 film(s) with data
US$ 527 mi Total box office from 10 film(s) with data
US$ 37 mi Average budget from 11 film(s) with data
US$ 53 mi Average box office from 10 film(s) with data
7.0 Average rating from 15 film(s) with data
1.3× Return on investment from 10 film(s) with data

Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.

Films directed

Film	Year	Budget	Box office	Rating
Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall	2026	—	—	—
One Battle After Another	2025	US$ 175 mi	US$ 209 mi	7.3
Licorice Pizza	2021	US$ 40 mi	US$ 33 mi	6.9
Anima	2019	—	—	7.3
Phantom Thread	2017	US$ 35 mi	US$ 48 mi	7.3
HAIM / Valentine	2017	—	—	7.2
Junun	2015	—	—	7.2
Inherent Vice	2014	US$ 20 mi	US$ 15 mi	6.5
The Master	2012	US$ 32 mi	US$ 28 mi	7.1
There Will Be Blood	2007	US$ 25 mi	US$ 77 mi	8.1
Mattress Man Commercial	2003	—	—	7.0
Couch	2003	—	—	4.5
12 Scopitones	2003	—	—	7.0
Punch-Drunk Love	2002	US$ 25 mi	US$ 25 mi	7.1
Ballchewer	2002	—	—	5.0
Magnolia	1999	US$ 37 mi	US$ 48 mi	7.7
Flagpole Special	1998	—	—	6.3
Boogie Nights	1997	US$ 15 mi	US$ 43 mi	7.6
Hard Eight	1997	US$ 3 mi	US$ 222,559	6.8
Cigarettes & Coffee	1993	US$ 20,000	—	6.6
The Dirk Diggler Story	1988	—	—	5.3

Directors