---
name: "Paul Thomas Anderson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/paul-thomas-anderson"
fi1m_id: "paul-thomas-anderson"
imdb_id: "nm0000759"
tmdb_id: 4762
wikidata_id: "Q25132"
roles: ["Director","Writer","Producer"]
born: "26 June 1970"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 12
average_fi1m_score: 83
average_as: "director"
average_over: 10
updated: "2026-10-03T21:15:46.562099+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."
---

# Paul Thomas Anderson

## Identity

Paul Thomas Anderson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/paul-thomas-anderson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** paul-thomas-anderson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000759
- **TMDB ID:** 4762
- **Wikidata ID:** Q25132
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Thomas_Anderson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25132, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000759/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4762

Director and writer. Born 26 June 1970 in Studio City, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer, Producer
- **Born:** 26 June 1970, Studio City, California, USA
- **Active:** 1997–present
- **Also known as:** Paul Anderson, P.T. Anderson, 폴 토머스 앤더슨, P.T.A, پل توماس اندرسون, PTA, P. T. Anderson, پل توماس اندرسن
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 12: 10 directing, 1 writing, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [JoAnne Sellar](https://film.one/person/joanne-sellar.md), [Daniel Lupi](https://film.one/person/daniel-lupi.md), [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://film.one/person/philip-seymour-hoffman.md), [Sara Murphy](https://film.one/person/sara-murphy.md), [Adam Somner](https://film.one/person/adam-somner.md), [Alana Haim](https://film.one/person/alana-haim.md), [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://film.one/person/daniel-day-lewis.md), [Erica Frauman](https://film.one/person/erica-frauman.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscars (2 won · 12 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 83, as director, over 10 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 85 (2), 2000s 86 (2), 2010s 81 (4), 2020s 70 (4)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 83 to 81 across 10 titles
- **Score spread:** 8 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Comedy 5, Romance 3, Crime 1, Music 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 22 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $527m across 9 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Thomas_Anderson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25132, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000759/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4762

## Coming up

- *Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall* (2026-11-20), Director

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Master*](https://film.one/film/the-master.md) (84), [*Punch-Drunk Love*](https://film.one/film/punch-drunk-love.md) (84), [*Licorice Pizza*](https://film.one/film/licorice-pizza.md) (80)
- **HBO Max:** [*One Battle After Another*](https://film.one/film/one-battle-after-another.md) (87), [*Magnolia*](https://film.one/film/magnolia.md) (84)
- **Netflix:** [*Phantom Thread*](https://film.one/film/phantom-thread.md) (87), [*Anima*](https://film.one/film/anima.md) (76)
- **Hulu:** [*There Will Be Blood*](https://film.one/film/there-will-be-blood.md) (88)

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

## Fi1m on Paul Thomas Anderson

> Paul Thomas Anderson gives ambitious, foolish people enough time to make us care about them, and usually earns the long evening. We rate his crowded dramas and his turn towards the chase film highly; he is less convincing when people become cartoons.

In *Boogie Nights* (1997), Burt Reynolds's Jack Horner wants people to take his pornography seriously as filmmaking. Anderson gives that ambition room without pretending it is free of absurdity. We laughed at Jack's professional pride, then warmed to him, because Reynolds makes his wish to do worthwhile work convincing. This is Anderson at his most generous: interested in what people think they deserve, and willing to spend time finding out why.

After the low-key neo-noir of his debut, *Hard Eight* (1996), *Boogie Nights* made the scale of his ambitions clear. His long takes and fluid camera movements help us follow crowded scenes, with cinematographer Robert Elswit among his recurring collaborators. Mark Wahlberg gives Eddie Adams an openness that makes his ambition touching; Julianne Moore gives Amber Waves emotional weight without pleading for sympathy. The familiar rise-and-fall story makes some of its 156 minutes feel unnecessary. Still, Anderson rarely asks us to enjoy being cleverer than his characters.

The sprawling ensemble was never his only way of working. *There Will Be Blood* (2007) concentrated on oil prospecting and isolation, while *Phantom Thread* (2017) took him into 1950s London fashion. His patience is less helpful when a story starts to wander. *Inherent Vice* (2014), his earlier Thomas Pynchon adaptation, was baggy and too pleased with itself.

*One Battle After Another* (2025) makes a welcome change of pace, turning Pynchon's *Vineland* into a chase film. The opening raid gives Teyana Taylor's Perfidia the initiative and leaves Leonardo DiCaprio's explosives man Bob trying to keep up. Anderson makes the action funny without slowing its momentum. This is the fastest film he has directed, and his funniest since *Boogie Nights*. At 162 minutes it still needs pruning, but the forward motion is a useful corrective to *Inherent Vice*.

The weakness is the people doing the pursuing. Sean Penn's Colonel Lockjaw is an effective comic turn whom Anderson also needs to be frightening, and the caricature gets in the way. The director who gives Jack Horner such patient attention is less persuasive when he has decided a character deserves none. Start with *Boogie Nights* for that patience, or *One Battle After Another* for the speed; allow both more time than their stories strictly require.

## Biography

Paul Thomas Anderson is an American filmmaker. He was born on 26 June 1970 in Studio City, California.

Anderson wrote and directed *Hard Eight* (1996), *Boogie Nights* (1997), *Magnolia* (1999), *Punch-Drunk Love* (2002), *There Will Be Blood* (2007), *The Master* (2012), *Inherent Vice* (2014), *Phantom Thread* (2017), *Licorice Pizza* (2021) and *One Battle After Another* (2025). He also produced the last of these.

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

## On Fi1m (12)

### Directed (10) — the average rests on these

- *One Battle After Another* (2025), Fi1m 87, Writer, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/one-battle-after-another.md)
- *Licorice Pizza* (2021), Fi1m 80, Cinematography, Director, Producer, Director of Photography, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/licorice-pizza.md)
- *Anima* (2019), Fi1m 76, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/anima.md)
- *Phantom Thread* (2017), Fi1m 87, Writer, Director of Photography, Cinematography, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/phantom-thread.md)
- *Inherent Vice* (2014), Fi1m 78, Director, Writer, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/inherent-vice.md)
- *The Master* (2012), Fi1m 84, Writer, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-master.md)
- *There Will Be Blood* (2007), Fi1m 88, Director, Writer, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/there-will-be-blood.md)
- *Punch-Drunk Love* (2002), Fi1m 84, Producer, Writer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/punch-drunk-love.md)
- *Magnolia* (1999), Fi1m 84, Producer, Writer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/magnolia.md)
- *Boogie Nights* (1997), Fi1m 86, Producer, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/boogie-nights.md)

### Wrote (1)

- *Napoleon* (2023), Fi1m 63, Script Consultant — [page](https://film.one/film/napoleon.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Digger* (2026), Fi1m 52, Thanks — [page](https://film.one/film/digger.md)

## Complete filmography (34)

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

- *Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall* (2026), Director, Director of Photography
- *Learning, Studying… Always Perfecting: The Making of One Battle After Another* (2026), Additional Photography
- *One Battle After Another* (2025), Director, Writer, Producer — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/one-battle-after-another.md)
- *Escape Room* (2025), Executive Producer
- *Napoleon* (2023), Script Consultant — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/napoleon.md)
- *Beau Is Afraid* (2023), Thanks — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/beau-is-afraid.md)
- *Licorice Pizza* (2021), Director of Photography, Writer, Director, Producer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/licorice-pizza.md)
- *Anima* (2019), Director, Producer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/anima.md)
- *The Dead Don't Die* (2019), Thanks
- *Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh* (2018), Additional Second Assistant Director
- *Waterlily Jaguar* (2018), Executive Producer
- *Phantom Thread* (2017), Director, Writer, Producer, Director of Photography — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/phantom-thread.md)
- *HAIM / Valentine* (2017), Director
- *Daydreaming* (2016), Director
- *Junun* (2015), Director, Camera Operator
- *Inherent Vice* (2014), Director, Producer, Writer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/inherent-vice.md)
- *The Master: Unguided Message* (2013), Actor
- *The Master* (2012), Writer, Director, Producer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-master.md)
- *There Will Be Blood* (2007), Producer, Director, Writer — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/there-will-be-blood.md)
- *Mattress Man Commercial* (2003), Director
- *12 Scopitones* (2003), Director, Writer
- *Couch* (2003), Director, Writer
- *Ballchewer* (2002), Director
- *The Truth About Charlie* (2002), Thanks
- *Punch-Drunk Love* (2002), Producer, Director, Writer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/punch-drunk-love.md)
- *Minority Report* (2002), as Bus Passenger (uncredited) — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/minority-report.md)
- *Corky Romano* (2001), Script Editor
- *Magnolia* (1999), as Man Confiscating Sign (uncredited) · Director, Producer, Writer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/magnolia.md)
- *Flagpole Special* (1998), Director, Writer
- *Boogie Nights* (1997), Director, Producer, Writer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/boogie-nights.md)
- *Hard Eight* (1997), Director, Writer
- *Cigarettes & Coffee* (1993), Director, Writer
- *Production Assistant* (1992), Director
- *The Dirk Diggler Story* (1988), Director, Director of Photography, Writer

## Gallery

- ![Paul Thomas Anderson](https://film.one/media/person/7959/gallery-d4fbe4cdc04c.jpg) Paul Thomas Anderson — Lyn Fairly Media, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Paul_Thomas_Anderson_2022_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Director Paul Thomas Anderson in New York on december 10, 2007](https://film.one/media/person/7959/gallery-94bccbdf55a5.jpg) Director Paul Thomas Anderson in New York on december 10, 2007 — Jürgen Fauth (flickr user muckster), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Paul_Thomas_Anderson_2007.jpg/1280px-Paul_Thomas_Anderson_2007.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Paul Thomas Anderson](https://film.one/media/person/7959/gallery-b2a73e485714.jpg) Paul Thomas Anderson — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Thomas Anderson](https://film.one/media/person/7959/gallery-ddaf75fccddd.jpg) Paul Thomas Anderson — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Thomas Anderson](https://film.one/media/person/7959/gallery-777a43ac5538.jpg) Paul Thomas Anderson — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Thomas Anderson](https://film.one/media/person/7959/gallery-3fe09e4b933a.jpg) Paul Thomas Anderson — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Thomas Anderson](https://film.one/media/person/7959/gallery-073bc00f615b.jpg) Paul Thomas Anderson — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Thomas Anderson](https://film.one/media/person/7959/gallery-0fe123209b71.jpg) Paul Thomas Anderson — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 2 won, 12 nominated

- 2026: Best Director (won), for *One Battle After Another*
- 2026: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won), for *One Battle After Another*
- 2026: Best Picture (nominated), for *One Battle After Another*
- 2022: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Licorice Pizza*
- 2022: Best Director (nominated), for *Licorice Pizza*
- 2022: Best Picture (nominated), for *Licorice Pizza*
- 2018: Best Picture (nominated), for *Phantom Thread*
- 2018: Best Director (nominated), for *Phantom Thread*
- 2015: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Inherent Vice*
- 2008: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *There Will Be Blood*
- 2008: Best Picture (nominated), for *There Will Be Blood*
- 2008: Best Director (nominated), for *There Will Be Blood*
- 2000: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Magnolia*
- 1998: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Boogie Nights*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 2 won

- 2026: Best Direction (won), for *One Battle After Another*
- 2026: Best Adapted Screenplay (won), for *One Battle After Another*

### Golden Globes — 2 won

- 2026: Best Director (won), for *One Battle After Another*
- 2026: Best Screenplay (won), for *One Battle After Another*

### Cannes Film Festival — 1 won

- 2002: Cannes Best Director Award (won), for *Punch-Drunk Love*

### Berlin International Film Festival — 2 won

- 2008: Best Director (won), for *There Will Be Blood*
- 2000: Golden Bear (won), for *Magnolia*

### Other awards — 3 won, 1 nominated

- Critics' Choice Awards 2026: Best Director (won), for *One Battle After Another*
- Critics' Choice Awards 2026: Best Adapted Screenplay (won), for *One Battle After Another*
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film 2026: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film (won), for *One Battle After Another*
- European Film Award for Best Non-European Film 1998: European Film Award for Best Non-European Film (nominated), for *Boogie Nights*

*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/paul-thomas-anderson