---
name: "Dan O'Bannon"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/dan-obannon"
fi1m_id: "dan-obannon"
imdb_id: "nm0639321"
tmdb_id: 5045
wikidata_id: "Q498430"
roles: ["Writer","Director"]
born: "30 September 1946"
died: "17 December 2009"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 13
average_fi1m_score: 72
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 11
updated: "2026-10-07T04:24:11.444313+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Dan O'Bannon

## Identity

Dan O'Bannon

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/dan-obannon
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** dan-obannon
- **IMDb ID:** nm0639321
- **TMDB ID:** 5045
- **Wikidata ID:** Q498430
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_O%27Bannon, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q498430, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0639321/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5045

Writer and director. Born 30 September 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Died 17 December 2009.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer, Director
- **Born:** 30 September 1946, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- **Died:** 17 December 2009
- **Active:** 1974–2025
- **Also known as:** Daniel Thomas O'Bannon, Daniel O'Bannon
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 13: 1 acting, 1 directing, 11 writing
- **Frequently works with:** [Don Jakoby](https://film.one/person/don-jakoby.md), [Gordon Carroll](https://film.one/person/gordon-carroll.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 72, as writer, over 11 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 80 (2), 1980s 76 (4), 1990s 69 (3), 2010s 58 (2), 2020s 73 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 72 to 68 across 11 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 7 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Science Fiction 9, Horror 7, Action 6, Drama 2, Mystery 2, Thriller 2
- **Screen time:** 19 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,920m across 10 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_O%27Bannon, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q498430, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0639321/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5045

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Alien*](https://film.one/film/alien.md) (92), [*Blue Thunder*](https://film.one/film/blue-thunder.md) (71)
- **Hulu:** [*Total Recall*](https://film.one/film/total-recall.md) (84)
- **AMC+:** [*The Return of the Living Dead*](https://film.one/film/the-return-of-the-living-dead.md) (79)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Dark Star*](https://film.one/film/dark-star.md) (68)
- **Apple TV:** [*Lifeforce*](https://film.one/film/lifeforce.md) (65)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Dan O'Bannon was an American screenwriter, director and visual effects supervisor, primarily associated with science fiction and horror films. He studied film at the University of Southern California, where he collaborated with John Carpenter on the 1974 feature *Dark Star*, for which he also contributed effects and acted.

O'Bannon worked on computer animation for *Star Wars* (1977) and co-created the story for *Alien* (1979) with Ronald Shusett, writing the screenplay himself. He later wrote and directed *The Return of the Living Dead* (1985) and co-wrote *Total Recall* (1990). He died in Los Angeles on 17 December 2009.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (13)

### Performed in (1)

- *Dark Star* (1974), Fi1m 68, as Sgt. Pinback alias Bill Fruge — [page](https://film.one/film/dark-star.md)

### Directed (1)

- *The Return of the Living Dead* (1985), Fi1m 79, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-return-of-the-living-dead.md)

### Wrote (11) — the average rests on these

- *Alien: Earth* (2025), Fi1m 76, Other — [page](https://film.one/tv/alien-earth.md)
- *Alien: Romulus* (2024), Fi1m 70, Characters — [page](https://film.one/film/alien-romulus.md)
- *Alien: Covenant* (2017), Fi1m 57, Characters — [page](https://film.one/film/alien-covenant.md)
- *Prometheus* (2012), Fi1m 60, Characters — [page](https://film.one/film/prometheus.md)
- *Alien Resurrection* (1997), Fi1m 60, Characters — [page](https://film.one/film/alien-resurrection.md)
- *Alien³* (1992), Fi1m 62, Characters — [page](https://film.one/film/alien3.md)
- *Total Recall* (1990), Fi1m 84, Screenplay, Screenstory — [page](https://film.one/film/total-recall.md)
- *Aliens* (1986), Fi1m 91, Characters — [page](https://film.one/film/aliens.md)
- *Lifeforce* (1985), Fi1m 65, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/lifeforce.md)
- *Blue Thunder* (1983), Fi1m 71, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/blue-thunder.md)
- *Alien* (1979), Fi1m 92, Story, Screenplay, Other — [page](https://film.one/film/alien.md)

## Complete filmography (39)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Alien: Earth* (2025), series, as Other — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/alien-earth.md)
- *Alien: Romulus* (2024), Characters — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/alien-romulus.md)
- *The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault* (2020), as (archive footage)
- *Alien: Specimen* (2019), Characters
- *Alien: Ore* (2019), Characters
- *Alien: Containment* (2019), Characters
- *Alien: Harvest* (2019), Characters
- *Alien: Alone* (2019), Characters
- *Alien: Night Shift* (2019), Characters
- *Alien: Isolation - The Digital Series* (2019), series, Characters
- *Alien: Covenant* (2017), Characters — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/alien-covenant.md)
- *Shock Value: The Movie — How Dan O’Bannon and Some USC Outsiders Helped Invent Modern Horror* (2014), Writer
- *Total Recall* (2012), Screenstory
- *Prometheus* (2012), Characters — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/prometheus.md)
- *Aliens vs Predator: Requiem* (2007), Characters
- *AVP: Alien vs. Predator* (2004), Screenstory, Characters
- *Dan O'Bannon: Crafting Fear* (2003), Actor
- *Alien Resurrection* (1997), Characters — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/alien-resurrection.md)
- *Bleeders* (1997), Writer
- *Area 51: The Alien Interview* (1997), as Alien Interviewer
- *Screamers* (1995), Screenplay
- *Alien³* (1992), Characters — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/alien3.md)
- *The Resurrected* (1991), Director
- *Total Recall* (1990), Screenplay, Screenstory — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/total-recall.md)
- *Aliens* (1986), Characters — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/aliens.md)
- *Invaders from Mars* (1986), Screenplay
- *Lifeforce* (1985), Screenplay — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/lifeforce.md)
- *The Return of the Living Dead* (1985), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/the-return-of-the-living-dead.md)
- *Blue Thunder* (1984), series, Writer, Story
- *Blue Thunder* (1983), Screenplay — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/film/blue-thunder.md)
- *Heavy Metal* (1981), Original Story, Story
- *Dead & Buried* (1981), Screenplay
- *Alien* (1979), Story, Screenplay, Other — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/alien.md)
- *Dark Star* (1974), as Sgt. Pinback alias Bill Fruge · Special Effects, Editor, Screenplay, Production Design, Original Story — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/dark-star.md)
- *Judson's Release* (1971), as Breather
- *Blood Bath* (1969), Director, Writer
- *Good Morning, Dan* (1968), Director, Writer, Editor
- *The AckerMonster Chronicles!*, Actor
- *Untitled Alien: Romulus Sequel*, Characters

## Gallery

- ![Dan O'Bannon](https://film.one/media/person/59554/gallery-465cf6f562d4.jpg) Dan O'Bannon — JaSunni at PicasaWeb, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Dan_O%27Bannon.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Dan O'Bannon](https://film.one/media/person/59554/gallery-96a6c8f53b3d.jpg) Dan O'Bannon — Image via TMDB
- ![Dan O'Bannon](https://film.one/media/person/59554/gallery-f0db52500b53.jpg) Dan O'Bannon — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Other awards — 3 won

- Hugo Awards 1987: Best Dramatic Presentation (won), for *Aliens*
- Inkpot Award 1985: Inkpot Award (won)
- Hugo Awards 1980: Best Dramatic Presentation (won), for *Alien*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/dan-obannon