Paul Schrader

Biography

Paul Joseph Schrader (/ˈʃreɪdər/; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scorsese, writing or co-writing Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Bringing Out the Dead (1999). Schrader has also worked extensively as a director: his 23 films include Blue Collar (1978), Hardcore (1979), American Gigolo (1980), Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Light Sleeper (1992), Affliction (1997), and First Reformed (2017), with the last of these earning him his first Academy Award nomination. Schrader's work frequently depicts "man in a room" stories which feature isolated, troubled men confronting an existential crisis. Raised in a strict Calvinist family, Schrader attended Calvin College before pursuing film studies at UCLA on the encouragement of film critic Pauline Kael. He then worked as a film scholar and critic, publishing the book Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer (1972) before transitioning to screenwriting in 1974. The success of Taxi Driver in 1976 brought greater atten…

Movies & TV Shows

1. Dog Eat Dog (2016) — El Greco
2. Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015) — Self
3. Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) — Self - Guest
4. The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011) — Self
5. Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic (2013) — Self
6. Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003) — Self
7. Milius (2013) — Self
8. A Decade Under the Influence (2003) — Self
9. Tales from the Script (2009) — Self
10. Eames: The Architect and the Painter (2011) — Self
11. Making 'Taxi Driver' (1999) — Self
12. Mr. Scorsese (2025) — Self
13. The Last Movie Stars (2022) — Self
14. Venice 70: Future Reloaded (2013) — Self (segment Paul Schrader)
15. Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter (2015) — Self
16. Playboy: Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003) — Self
17. What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (2019) — Self
18. The Rules of Film Noir (2009) — Self
19. Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light (2006) — Self
20. The Road to Bresson (1984) — Self
21. We Blew It (2017) — Self
22. Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade (2004) — Self
23. Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005) — Self
24. Murnau, Borzage and Fox (2008) — Self
25. Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business (2020) — Self
26. Ken San (2016) — Self
27. Talking with Ozu (1993) — Self
28. Hollywood Mavericks (1990) — Self
29. Untitled: New Blue (1995) — Himself (uncredited)
30. Scene by Scene (1997) — Self
31. Raging Bull: Before the Fight (2005) — Self
32. The Book of Harth (2022) — Self
33. Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer (1990) — Self
34. Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz (2004) — Self
35. Schrader's Exorcism (2008) — Self
36. God's Lonely Man (2007) — Self
37. Influence And Appreciation: A Martin Scorsese Tribute (2007) — Self
38. Paul Schrader: Man in a Room (2020) — Self
39. Cat People: An Intimate Portrait by Paul Schrader (2002) — Self
40. Producing 'Taxi Driver' (2007) — Himself

Directed

1. First Reformed (2018) — Director
2. The Card Counter (2021) — Director
3. American Gigolo (1980) — Director
4. Cat People (1982) — Director
5. Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005) — Director
6. Dog Eat Dog (2016) — Director
7. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) — Director
8. Dying of the Light (2014) — Director
9. Master Gardener (2023) — Director
10. Hardcore (1979) — Director
11. Affliction (1998) — Director
12. The Canyons (2013) — Director
13. Auto Focus (2002) — Director
14. Light Sleeper (1992) — Director
15. Blue Collar (1978) — Director
16. The Comfort of Strangers (1990) — Director
17. The Walker (2007) — Director
18. Adam Resurrected (2008) — Director
19. Oh, Canada (2024) — Director
20. Light of Day (1987) — Director
21. Patty Hearst (1988) — Director
22. Forever Mine (1999) — Director
23. Witch Hunt (1994) — Director
24. Touch (1997) — Director
25. Venice 70: Future Reloaded (2013) — Director
26. Untitled: New Blue (1995) — Director
27. Non Compos Mentis — Director
28. The Basics of Philosophy — Director