Alex Proyas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alex Proyas
Alex Proyas in 2011
Born	Alexander Proyas (1963-09-23) 23 September 1963 (age 61) Alexandria, United Arab Republic
Occupation	Film director producer screenwriter
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Catherine Linsley

Alexander Proyas (born 23 September 1963) is an Australian film director. He is famous for directing movies like The Crow (1994), Dark City (1998), I, Robot (2004), and Knowing (2009).

Alex Proyas: His Early Life

Alex Proyas was born in Alexandria, which is now in Egypt. His parents were of Greek background. His father's family had lived in Egypt for many years. His mother's family came from Cyprus.

When he was three years old, Alex moved to Sydney, Australia. At 17, he went to the Australian Film Television and Radio School. Soon after, he started directing music videos. He later moved to Los Angeles in the United States. There, he worked on music videos for MTV and also made TV commercials.

Alex Proyas's Film Career

Proyas's first full-length movie was an independent science fiction thriller called Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds. This film was nominated for two awards in Australia in 1988. It also won a special prize at a film festival in Japan in 1990.

Directing The Crow

Next, Proyas directed the 1994 superhero fantasy thriller The Crow. The movie starred Brandon Lee. Sadly, during the filming, Brandon Lee passed away in an accident. This happened just eight days before the movie was finished.

After Lee's death, Proyas and his team decided to complete the film. They changed parts of the script. They also used a stunt double and special effects to film the last scenes. The Crow was released in May 1994. It was very popular and successful with both audiences and critics.

Later Films and Projects

Proyas then wrote, directed, and produced the 1998 science fiction thriller Dark City. This movie received good reviews. It also won several awards. However, it did not make much money at the box office.

In 2004, he directed I, Robot. This science fiction movie starred Will Smith. It was inspired by the short stories of Isaac Asimov. I, Robot was a big success at the box office.

Proyas's next movie was the thriller Knowing. It starred Nicolas Cage. Filming began in Melbourne, Australia, in March 2008. The movie was released in North America in March 2009.

In 2016, Proyas directed Gods of Egypt. This movie starred Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. It was co-written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. When it was released, critics did not like the film. It also did not do well at the box office.

In 2019, Proyas started a new company in Sydney called The Heretic Foundation. In 2021, he announced a new video platform. It is called VidiVerse. This platform is for independent filmmakers. It offers an alternative to YouTube. In 2024, Proyas began filming R.U.R.. This is a musical movie based on a play by Karel Čapek.

Projects That Didn't Happen

Alex Proyas has worked on many film ideas that were never made. For example, he was going to direct a Casper the Friendly Ghost movie. But he left that project to finish The Crow. He was also considered for a Jurassic Park 4 movie. Another project was a film called Dracula Untold, which he was set to direct. However, he left that project too. He was also offered to direct a sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street but turned it down.

Alex Proyas's Personal Life

Alex Proyas is married to artist Catherine "Cathy" Linsley. Cathy worked in the art department for his first movie, Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds. She has also helped with many of his short films and animations. Alex thanked her in the credits of his film Knowing.

Filmography

Feature film

Short film

Music video

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Alex Proyas para niños