Gus Van Sant facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gus Van Sant
Van Sant at the Berlin Film Festival in 2018.
Born	Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (1952-07-24) July 24, 1952 (age 73) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Education	Rhode Island School of Design
Occupation	Film director film producer screenwriter film editor photographer painter musician
Years active	1982–present

Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He is known for making independent films, which are movies made outside of the major Hollywood studio system. Many of his films tell stories about people who live on the edges of society.

He started his career directing TV commercials. His first feature film was Mala Noche (1985). He gained more fame with movies like the crime drama Drugstore Cowboy (1989) and the adventure film My Own Private Idaho (1991).

Van Sant received Academy Award nominations for directing two very popular films. The first was the drama Good Will Hunting (1997). The second was the biographical film Milk (2008). Both movies were also nominated for the Best Picture award.

In 2003, he directed the film Elephant, which was based on a tragic school event. For this film, he won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the famous Cannes Film Festival. He has also directed episodes for TV shows, written a novel, published a book of his photography, and released two music albums.

Early Life and Schooling

Gus Van Sant was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His father, Gus Sr., was a clothing manufacturer who became a successful marketing executive. Because of his father's job, Van Sant's family moved around a lot during his childhood.

His family on his father's side has some Dutch history. The name "Van Sant" comes from the Dutch name "Van Zandt." His ancestors came to the area that is now New York City in the 1600s.

Van Sant went to high school in both Darien, Connecticut, and Portland, Oregon. From a young age, he was very interested in art, especially painting and making movies with a Super-8 camera. In 1970, he went to the Rhode Island School of Design. He planned to study painting, but after learning about different kinds of filmmakers, he changed his major to cinema.

Career as a Filmmaker

Getting Started

After traveling in Europe, Van Sant moved to Los Angeles in 1976. He worked as a production assistant for filmmaker Ken Shapiro. In 1981, he made a film called Alice in Hollywood, but it was never released.

He became interested in the lives of people in the less wealthy parts of Hollywood. He decided to make films about people living on the fringes of society. His first feature film, Mala Noche, was about a difficult romance between a store clerk and an immigrant. The film was shot in black-and-white and received praise at film festivals.

The success of Mala Noche got Hollywood's attention. However, the big studios were not interested in his ideas for films like Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho. So, Van Sant moved back to Portland, Oregon, and made Drugstore Cowboy himself. The film was a big success and helped actor Matt Dillon's career.

Success with Independent Films

After the success of Drugstore Cowboy, Van Sant was able to make My Own Private Idaho (1991). The film is about two young drifters, played by River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. It explores themes of friendship, feeling alone, and the idea of family. The movie won awards and helped Reeves become known for more serious acting roles.

His next film, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), was not successful. But he bounced back with the 1995 film To Die For. It was a dark comedy starring Nicole Kidman as a TV weather reporter with big ambitions. The movie's success allowed him to work on more projects with major studios.

Mainstream Breakthrough

Van Sant with actor Joaquin Phoenix at a press conference for the film Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot in 2018.

In 1997, Van Sant directed Good Will Hunting. The movie was written by and starred Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. It tells the story of a young man from a working-class neighborhood who is a secret math genius. The film was a huge hit with both critics and audiences. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Director for Van Sant.

Next, Van Sant did something unusual. He directed a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film Psycho. Instead of changing the story, he decided to recreate the original movie shot-for-shot, but in color. The film, released in 1998, received mixed reactions.

In 2000, he directed Finding Forrester. The film is about an unlikely friendship between a high school student from the Bronx and a quiet, older author played by Sean Connery. It was a box office success.

Return to Art House Films

In 2002, Van Sant made the film Gerry, starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. It follows two friends who get lost while hiking in the desert. Much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors.

His next film was Elephant. For this movie, he worked with many untrained teenage actors from his hometown of Portland. The film won the highest prize, the Palme d'Or, at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, where Van Sant also won for Best Director.

In 2008, Van Sant directed Milk. It is a biographical film about Harvey Milk, a San Francisco politician who was assassinated in 1978. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Sean Penn, who played Harvey Milk, won the Oscar for Best Actor. Van Sant was nominated again for Best Director.

More recently, Van Sant directed Promised Land (2012), starring Matt Damon, and Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018), starring Joaquin Phoenix. In 2024, he directed several episodes of the TV series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.

Other Work

Besides making movies, Van Sant has been involved in other creative projects.

• He directed music videos for famous artists like David Bowie, Elton John, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• He released two music albums, Gus Van Sant and 18 Songs About Golf.
• He published a novel called Pink and a photography book called 108 Portraits.
• He has appeared as himself in the TV shows Entourage and Portlandia.

Personal Life

Van Sant is gay and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Film and TV Work

Feature Films as Director

Television Work

Major Awards

Van Sant has won many awards for his work. Here are some of the most important ones.

• Academy Awards: He was nominated twice for Best Director for Good Will Hunting and Milk.
• Cannes Film Festival: He won the Palme d'Or (the top prize) and the Best Director award for Elephant in 2003.
• Independent Spirit Awards: He won Best Screenplay for Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho.
• National Society of Film Critics: He won Best Director and Best Screenplay for Drugstore Cowboy.

See also

In Spanish: Gus Van Sant para niños