Biography
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Directing for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, and won the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for his film Elephant. He lives in Portland, Oregon. His early career was devoted to directing television commercials in the Pacific Northwest. In his films, he has dealt with themes concerning homosexuality and other marginalized subcultures. His filmography as writer and director includes an adaptation of Tom Robbins' novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which features a diverse cast (Keanu Reeves, Roseanne Barr, Uma Thurman, and k.d. lang, with cameos by William S. Burroughs and Heather Graham, among others); and My Own Private Idaho, also starring Reeves as well as River Phoenix. He wrote the screenplays for most of his early movies, and wrote one novel, Pink. A book of his photography has also been published, called 108 Portraits.
Directed
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Good Will Hunting (1997) — Director
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Milk (2008) — Director
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Elephant (2003) — Director
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My Own Private Idaho (1991) — Director
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Finding Forrester (2000) — Director
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Psycho (1998) — Director
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To Die For (1995) — Director
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Paris Je T'aime (2006) — Director
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Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018) — Director
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Promised Land (2012) — Director
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Drugstore Cowboy (1989) — Director
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Paranoid Park (2007) — Director
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The Sea of Trees (2016) — Director
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Restless (2011) — Director
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Last Days (2005) — Director
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Gerry (2002) — Director
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FEUD (2017) — Director
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Dead Man's Wire (2026) — Director
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To Each His Own Cinema (2007) — Director
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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1994) — Director
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Boss (2011) — Director
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Mala Noche (1987) — Director
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When We Rise (2017) — Director
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The Discipline of D.E. (1982) — Director
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8 (2008) — Director
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Thanksgiving Prayer (1991) — Director
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My Own Private River (2012) — Director
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David Bowie: Best of Bowie (2002) — Director
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Ballad of the Skeletons (1997) — Director
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Four Boys in a Volvo (1996) — Director
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My New Friend (1987) — Director
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Five Ways to Kill Yourself (1987) — Director
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Ken Death Gets Out of Jail (1988) — Director
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Le Marais (2006) — Director
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Cinema16: American Short Films (2006) — Director
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Best of Chris Isaak (2006) — Director
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Ouverture of Something That Never Ended (2020) — Director
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Psycho Shampoo (1979) — Director
- Mansion on the Hill (2008) — Director
- De Witt Clinton Choir (2000) — Director
Also appeared in
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Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) — Gus Van Sant
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My Own Private Idaho (1991) — Man Behind Hotel Counter (uncredited)
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Finding Forrester (2000) — Library Assistant (uncredited)
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Psycho (1998) — Man Talking to Man in Cowboy Hat (uncredited)
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Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018) — Willamette Week Editor
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Entourage (2004) — Gus Van Sant
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Drugstore Cowboy (1989) — Himself (uncredited)
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Paranoid Park (2007) — Guy Reading Newspaper (uncredited)
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Last Days (2005) — Phone Voice (voice)
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The Canyons (2013) — Dr. Campbell
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Portlandia (2011) — Gus Van Sant
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Mala Noche (1987) — Guy at Hotel (uncredited)
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Zeroville (2019) — Film Archive Curator
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The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011) — Self
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William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010) — Self
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Red Hot Chili Peppers - Funky Monks (1991) — Self
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Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema (2006) — Self
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Critic (2008) — Self
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I Don't Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman (2015) — Self
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Nicole Kidman: Eyes Wide Open (2023) — Self (interview)
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The Greatest Event in Television History (2012) — Self
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Strange Parallel (1998) — Self
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About Cinema (2015) — Self
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Here’s Looking at You, Boy (2007) — Self
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The Trainer (2024) — Gus Van Sant
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Psycho Path (1999) — Self - Director
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The Advocate for Fagdom (2011) — Self
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Five Ways to Kill Yourself (1987)
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Hi Octane (1994) — Self
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Made in the USA (1993) — Self
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Guns on the Clackamas (1995)
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In the Mood for Doyle (2007) — Self
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A Special Day (2012) — Self
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Illegal Civilization 3 (2018) — Self
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Rescued from the Closet (2001) — Self
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On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time (2004) — Himself
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Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible (2016) — Self
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At the Video Store (2019) — Self
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Saltlake Van Sant (2003) — Self
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Leçon de Cinéma (2004) — Self