David Cronenberg

Born:March 15, 1943

Place of Birth:Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Known For:Directing

Biography

David Cronenberg, born on March 15, 1943, in Canada, is a multifaceted artist known for his contributions to the body horror genre in cinema. Throughout his career, he has delved into themes of bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and the complex interplay between the psychological, physical, and technological realms. While he is recognized for his sci-fi horror classics like "Shivers," "Scanners," "Videodrome," and "The Fly," Cronenberg has also showcased his versatility by directing dramas, psychological thrillers, and gangster films.

Critics and audiences have had mixed reactions to Cronenberg's work, with some praising his audacious storytelling and challenging narratives, while others have been unsettled by his depictions of gore and violence. Referred to as "the most audacious and challenging narrative director in the English-speaking world" by The Village Voice, Cronenberg's films have not shied away from pushing boundaries and exploring the darker facets of human existence.

One of the highlights of Cronenberg's career was winning the Special Jury Prize for "Crash" at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. This unique award, granted for originality, daring, and audacity, solidified Cronenberg's reputation as a visionary filmmaker unafraid to tackle controversial subject matter. His films have continued to captivate audiences and critics alike, earning him a dedicated following in the realm of cult cinema.

In the 2000s and beyond, Cronenberg embarked on a fruitful collaboration with actor Viggo Mortensen, resulting in acclaimed projects such as "A History of Violence," "Eastern Promises," "A Dangerous Method," and "Crimes of the Future." This partnership showcased Cronenberg's ability to elicit powerful performances from his actors while delving into intricate narratives that blur the lines between genres and themes.

Throughout his illustrious career, Cronenberg's films have garnered significant recognition, with seven of his works being selected to compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His most recent entry, "The Shrouds," screened at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, further solidifying his status as a master of cinematic storytelling. With a penchant for exploring the depths of human experience through the lens of horror and science fiction, Cronenberg continues to leave an indelible mark on the world of cinema.

Images

Filmography

Acting

The Fly

Gynecologist

1986

When Seth Brundle makes a huge scientific and technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a common housefly manages to get inside the device and the two become one.

Crash

Auto Wreck Salesman (voice) (uncredited)

1996

After getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims, and he begins to use car accidents and the raw sexual energy they produce to try to rejuvenate his sex life with his wife.

Humane

D.O.C.S. Commercials Narrator

2024

In the wake of an environmental collapse that has forced humanity to shed 20% of its population, a family dinner erupts into chaos when a father's plan to enlist in the government's new euthanasia program goes horribly awry.

Jason X

Dr. Wimmer

2001

In the year 2455, Old Earth is now a contaminated planet abandoned for centuries -- a brown world of violent storms, toxic landmasses and poisonous seas. Yet humans have returned to the deadly place that they once fled, not to live, but to research the ancient, rusting artifacts of the long-gone civilizations. But it's not the harmful environment that could prove fatal to the intrepid, young explorers who have just landed on Old Earth. For them, it's Friday the 13th, and Jason lives!

To Die For

Man at Lake

1995

Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in cold determination and diabolical wiles. As she pursues her goal with relentless focus, she is forced to destroy anything and anyone that may stand in her way, regardless of the ultimate cost or means necessary.

Videodrome

Max Renn (Helmet Scenes) (uncredited)

1983

As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.

Nightbreed

Dr. Philip K. Decker

1990

A troubled young man is drawn to a mythical place called Midian where a variety of friendly monsters are hiding from humanity. Meanwhile, a sadistic serial killer is looking for a patsy.

Dead Ringers

Obstetrician (uncredited)

1988

Elliot, a successful gynecologist, works at the same practice as his identical twin, Beverly. Elliot is attracted to many of his patients and has affairs with them. When he inevitably loses interest, he will give the woman over to Beverly, the meeker of the two, without the woman knowing the difference. Beverly falls hard for one of the patients, Claire, but when she inadvertently deceives him, he slips into a state of madness.

Shivers

Infected Crowd Member (uncredited)

1975

When the residents of a luxury apartment complex outside Montreal are infiltrated by parasites and transformed into violent, sex-crazed maniacs, it's up to Dr. Roger St. Luc to contain the outbreak from spreading to the city.

Barney's Version

O'Malley Director #2

2010

The picaresque and touching story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky.

Into the Night

Group Supervisor

1985

Ed Okin used to have a boring life. He used to have trouble getting to sleep. Then one night, he met Diana. Now, Ed's having trouble staying alive.

Production

Pacific Rim

Thanks

2013

Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, earth's survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as earth's final hope against the mounting apocalypse.

The Fly

Screenplay

1986

Crash

Writer

1996

Shortbus

Thanks

2006

In post-9/11 New York City, an eclectic group of citizens find their lives entangled, personally, romantically, and sexually, at Shortbus, an underground Brooklyn salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.

Leo

Original Film Writer

2023

A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, but it brings forth consequences with connection to a dangerous world, one which will shake his carefully constructed life to its very core.

Escape from New York

Thanks

1981

In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam free. After the US president crash-lands inside, war hero Snake Plissken has 24 hours to bring him back.

A History of Violence

Director

2005

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.

Eastern Promises

Director

2007

A Russian teenager living in London dies during childbirth but leaves clues in her diary that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.

Videodrome

Writer

1983

The Dead Don't Die

Thanks

2019

In a small peaceful town, zombies suddenly rise to terrorize the town. Now three bespectacled police officers and a strange Scottish morgue expert must band together to defeat the undead.

eXistenZ

Producer

1999

A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.

Crimes of the Future

Writer

2022

With his partner, a celebrity performance artist publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. An investigator from the National Organ Registry obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed... Their mission — to use the artist's notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.

Scanners

Writer

1981

After a man with extraordinary, and frighteningly destructive, telepathic abilities is nabbed by agents from a mysterious rogue corporation, he discovers he is far from the only possessor of such strange powers. Some of the other “scanners” have their minds set on world domination, while others are trying to stop them.

A Dangerous Method

Director

2011

Seduced by the challenge of an impossible case, the driven Dr. Carl Jung takes the unbalanced yet beautiful Sabina Spielrein as his patient. Jung’s weapon is the method of his master, the renowned Sigmund Freud. Both men fall under Sabina’s spell.

Dead Ringers

Producer

1988

The Double

Thanks

2014

An awkward office drone becomes increasingly unhinged after a charismatic and confident look-alike takes a job at his workplace and seduces the woman he desires.

Naked Lunch

Writer

1991

Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging with Beat poet pals. After meeting the devilish Dr. Benway, Bill gets a drug made from a centipede. Upon indulging, he accidentally kills Joan, takes orders from his typewriter-turned-cockroach, ends up in a constantly mutating Mediterranean city and learns that his hip friends have published his work -- which he doesn't remember writing.

The Brood

Writer

1979

A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, while a series of brutal attacks committed by a brood of mutant children coincides with the husband's investigation.

Rabid

Writer

1977

After undergoing radical surgery for injuries from a motorcycle accident, a young woman develops a retractable, vampiric stinger in her armpit and a thirst for human blood—the only nourishment that will now sustain her.

Spider

Producer

2002

A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.

Shivers

Writer

1975

Maps to the Stars

Director

2014

Driven by an intense need for fame and validation, members of a dysfunctional Hollywood family are chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.