Abel Ferrara

Biography

Abel Ferrara (Italian: [ferˈraːra]; born July 19, 1951) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of neo-noir imagery. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best known movies include the New York-set, gritty crime thrillers The Driller Killer (1979), Ms .45 (1981), King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992), and The Funeral (1996), chronicling violent crime in urban settings with spiritual overtones. Ferrara also worked in a wide array of genres, including the sci-fi remake Body Snatchers (1993), cyberpunk thriller New Rose Hotel (1998), the religious drama Mary (2005), the black comedy Go Go Tales (2007), and the biopic Pasolini (2014), as well as in several documentary filmmaking projects.

Directed

1. Bad Lieutenant (1992) — Director
2. King of New York (1990) — Director
3. Miami Vice (1984) — Director
4. Body Snatchers (1993) — Director
5. Ms .45 (1981) — Director
6. The Addiction (1995) — Director
7. Pasolini (2014) — Director
8. Zeros and Ones (2021) — Director
9. The Funeral (1996) — Director
10. The Driller Killer (1979) — Director
11. 4:44 Last Day on Earth (2012) — Director
12. New Rose Hotel (1999) — Director
13. Welcome to New York (2014) — Director
14. Fear City (1984) — Director
15. Dangerous Game (1993) — Director
16. Siberia (2020) — Director
17. 'R Xmas (2001) — Director
18. China Girl (1987) — Director
19. Crime Story (1986) — Director
20. Tommaso (2020) — Director
21. The Blackout (1997) — Director
22. Go Go Tales (2008) — Director
23. Mary (2005) — Director
24. Padre Pio (2023) — Director
25. Cat Chaser (1989) — Director
26. 9 Lives of a Wet Pussy (1976) — Director
27. Subway Stories (1997) — Director
28. The Gladiator (1986) — Director
29. Chelsea on the Rocks (2008) — Director
30. Mulberry St. (2010) — Director
31. Crime Story: Pilot (1986) — Director
32. Napoli, Napoli, Napoli (2010) — Director
33. Piazza Vittorio (2017) — Director
34. Could This Be Love (1973) — Director
35. Alive in France (2018) — Director
36. The Projectionist (2019) — Director
37. Nicky's Film (1971) — Director
38. Mylene Farmer: Music Videos II & III (2001) — Director
39. Sportin' Life (2020) — Director
40. Mylène Farmer : Music Videos IV (2006) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Marty Supreme (2025) — Ezra Mishkin
2. Black Butterfly (2017) — Pat
3. Ms .45 (1981) — 1st Rapist
4. The Driller Killer (1979) — Reno Miller
5. The App (2019)
6. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013) — Self
7. Daddy Longlegs (2010) — Robber
8. 9 Lives of a Wet Pussy (1976) — Old Man
9. Don Peyote (2014) — Taxi Cab Driver
10. Chelsea on the Rocks (2008) — Self
11. Mulberry St. (2010) — Self
12. Piazza Vittorio (2017) — Himself
13. Uncle Bob (2010) — Self
14. At Sundance (1995) — Self
15. Cannes: All Access (2007) — Self
16. Balkan Spirit (2013) — Self - Director
17. Alive in France (2018) — Self
18. The Projectionist (2019) — Himself
19. Water and Sugar – Carlo Di Palma: The Colours of Life (2017) — Self
20. Exes (2006) — Caïn
21. The Passion According to Béatrice (2024) — Self
22. Nicky's Film (1971) — Man in junkyard
23. Sportin' Life (2020) — Self
24. Abel Ferrara: Not Guilty (2003) — Self
25. Judas' Gospel (2025) — Herodes
26. Sculpt (2016)
27. The Night Burns (2021) — Abel
28. Soldato sotto la luna (2022) — Anicio
29. Odyssey in Rome (2005)
30. A Talent For Trouble (2018) — Self
31. Abel/Asia (1998) — Self
32. Nice to Meet You, Please Don't Love Me! (2004) — Himself
33. Talking with the Vampires (2018)
34. Buon Lavoro (2022)
35. Siegfriedsdorf
36. Please Leave a Message: Anthology Film Archives Voicemails Through the Ages (2022)
37. Abel Ferrara in Lucca (2012)
38. Wiara (2018) — Self
39. Home Sweet Home (2012)
40. Ultima Chiamata (2017)