Biography
Gus Van Sant is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, photographer, painter and musician. Born on 24 July 1952 in Louisville, Kentucky, he studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and began his career with short films before directing features from the mid-1980s.
He is known for independent films including Mala Noche (1985), Drugstore Cowboy (1989) and My Own Private Idaho (1991), as well as mainstream works such as To Die For (1995), Good Will Hunting (1997), Finding Forrester (2000), Elephant (2003) and Milk (2008). Van Sant received Academy Award nominations for directing the latter two films and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for Elephant. His more recent credits include Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018) and Dead Man's Wire (2026).
