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Curtis Hanson is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter and Producer American born on 24 march 1945 at Reno (USA)

Curtis Hanson

Curtis Hanson
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Birth name Curtis Lee Hanson
Nationality USA
Birth 24 march 1945 at Reno (USA)
Death 20 september 2016 (at 71 years)
Awards Writers Guild of America Award

Curtis Lee Hanson (born March 24, 1945) is an American film director, film producer and screenwriter. His directing work includes the psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), the neo-noir crime film L.A. Confidential (1997), the comedy Wonder Boys (2000), the hip-hop biopic 8 Mile (2002), and the romantic comedy-drama In Her Shoes (2005).

Hanson won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1997, for co-writing L.A. Confidential alongside Brian Helgeland.

Biography

Curtis Hanson commence sa carrière en 1973 avec le film d'horreur indépendant Sweet Kill, mais ce n'est que dans les années 1980, après quatre films à petit budget (dont Losin' It, avec Tom Cruise), que sa carrière décolle avec son intronisation à la Directors Guild, sous le parrainage de Samuel Fuller, Don Siegel et John Cassavetes. Après des films à petit budgets et deux thrillers (Faux témoin et Bad Influence), il connaît la consécration mondiale en 1992 avec La Main sur le berceau qui met en vedette Rebecca De Mornay.

Après le thriller d'action La Rivière sauvage (1994), avec Meryl Streep et Kevin Bacon, il réalise L.A. Confidential, d'après James Ellroy, qui lui vaut l'Oscar du meilleur scénario adapté en 1998.

Au cours des années 2000, il confirme avec les comédies dramatiques Wonder Boys (2000) - où il dirige une nouvelle fois une pléthore d'acteurs hollywoodiens talentueux - et In Her Shoes (2005), portée par les interprétations de Toni Collette et Cameron Diaz, en sœurs très différentes. Mais cette décennie est surtout marquée par le succès critique et commercial, aussi bien aux États-Unis qu'en France, du biopic 8 Mile (2002), avec Eminem dans son premier grand rôle au cinéma. Ce film retrace librement les débuts de la carrière du rappeur phénomène à Détroit.

En 2007, il dirige Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore et Robert Duvall dans le drame Lucky You, pour lequel il revient aussi à l'écriture, 10 ans après L.A. Confidential. Il ne reviendra qu'en 2011 à la tête du projet Too Big to Fail : Débâcle à Wall Street, ambitieux téléfilm pour la chaîne à prestige HBO, où il dirige une large distribution d'acteurs majeurs de la télévision américaine. L'année suivante, il s'éloigne des univers urbains pour réaliser Chasing Mavericks, qui retrace la vie du surfer Jay Moriarity. Le projet sera finalisé par Michael Apted.

Hanson est aussi acteur, notamment dans Adaptation (2002), où il interprète le mari de Meryl Streep.

Souffrant d'une DFT (Dégénérescence Fronto-Temporale), maladie neuro-dégénérative détruisant les lobes frontaux du cerveau, il ne travaille plus. Le 21 septembre 2016, il est retrouvé mort à son domicile dans le quartier d'Hollywood Hills.

Best films

8 Mile (2002)
(Director)
Couples Retreat (2009)
(Scriptwriter)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
(Director)
The River Wild (1994)
(Director)
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)
(Director)
Wonder Boys (2000)
(Director)

Usually with

Jeff Imada
Jeff Imada
(4 films)
Chris Jenkins
Chris Jenkins
(3 films)
Stephen Young
Stephen Young
(2 films)
Pablo Ferro
Pablo Ferro
(1 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Curtis Hanson (24 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Adaptation., 1h54
Directed by Spike Jonze
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Crime
Themes Films about films, Films about writers, Mise en scène d'un scénariste
Actors Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Cara Seymour, Tilda Swinton, Brian Cox
Roles Orlean's Husband
Rating76% 3.8480653.8480653.8480653.8480653.848065
The self-loathing Charlie Kaufman is hired to write the screenplay for The Orchid Thief. Kaufman is going through depression and is not happy that his twin brother Donald has moved into his house and is mooching from him. Donald decides to become a screenwriter like Charlie and attends one of Robert McKee's famous seminars.
The Goonies, 1h50
Directed by Richard Donner
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Adventure
Themes L'adolescence, Films about children, Seafaring films, Transport films, Pirate films, Road movies, Children's films, Chase films
Actors Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Robert Davi, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green
Roles Mr. Perkins
Rating76% 3.8481453.8481453.8481453.8481453.848145
Facing foreclosure of their homes in the Goon Docks area of Astoria, Oregon to an expanding country club, a group of children called the "Goonies" gathers for a last weekend. The Goonies include optimist Mikey Walsh, his older brother Brand, the inventive Data, the talkative Mouth, and the overweight klutz Chunk. While rummaging through the Walshes' attic, they come across an old treasure map and a 1632 doubloon, that shows the whereabouts of a treasure, of a famous pirate, named "One-Eyed" Willy, which is rumored to be hidden nearby. Evading Brand for one last adventure together, the kids find themselves at a derelict restaurant near the coast, which coincides with the doubloon and the map. They encounter the Fratellis, a family of criminals hiding out at the abandoned restaurant. Evading detection by returning outside, the kids run into Brand and two girls: the popular cheerleader Andy, who has a crush on Brand, who shares the same feelings for her, and Stef, a nerdy, tough-talking girl and Andy's best friend.

Director

Chasing Mavericks, 1h56
Directed by Curtis Hanson, Michael Apted
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Surfing films, Buddy films, Children's films
Actors Gerard Butler, Jonny Weston, Leven Rambin, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, Taylor Handley
Rating70% 3.54913.54913.54913.54913.5491
In 1987 an 8 year-old boy in Santa Cruz, California, Jay Moriarity, is saved from drowning by his next door neighbor, surfer Frosty Hesson (Gerard Butler). This ignites his passion for the sport.
Too Big to Fail, 1h38
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Political films
Actors William Hurt, Edward Asnere, Billy Crudup, Paul Giamatti, Topher Grace, Matthew Modine
Rating72% 3.6479353.6479353.6479353.6479353.647935
Too Big to Fail chronicles the 2008 financial meltdown, focusing on the actions of U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson (William Hurt) to contain the problems during the period of August 2008 to October 13, 2008. Dick Fuld (James Woods), CEO of Lehman Brothers, is seeking external investment, but investors are wary as Lehman is seriously exposed to toxic housing assets and the Treasury is ideologically opposed to offering any sort of bailout as it did for Bear Stearns.
Lucky You
Lucky You (2007)
, 2h2
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy-drama, Romance
Themes Jeu, Poker
Actors Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall, Debra Messing, Jean Smart, Joey Kern
Rating58% 2.948382.948382.948382.948382.94838
Set in 2003, Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) is a young and talented poker player in Las Vegas haunted by his relationship with his estranged father, L.C. Cheever (Robert Duvall), a two-time World Series of Poker Champion. Huck is a regular in Vegas poker rooms but needs $10,000 to get a seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
In Her Shoes, 2h10
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romantic comedy, Romance
Themes Films about families
Actors Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, Shirley MacLaine, Mark Feuerstein, Richard Burgi, Ken Howard
Rating64% 3.2473553.2473553.2473553.2473553.247355
Maggie (Cameron Diaz) and Rose Feller (Toni Collette) are sisters with nothing in common but their shoe size. They were raised by their father Michael (Ken Howard) and stepmother (Candice Azzara) after their mother Caroline died, supposedly in a car accident. Rose is the eldest; an ostensibly plain and serious lawyer who is protective of Maggie despite her flaws. Maggie is a free spirit who is unable to hold a steady job (due to her virtual inability to read) and turns to alcohol and men for emotional and financial support. Rose grudgingly allows Maggie to move in with her in her Rittenhouse Square apartment in Philadelphia when their stepmother throws her out of the house. Their already difficult relationship ends, however, when Rose catches Maggie in bed with Jim (Richard Burgi), her boyfriend. Maggie subsequently disappears from Rose's life.
8 Mile
8 Mile (2002)
, 1h50
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Musical
Themes Dance films, Films about families, Films about music and musicians, Films about the labor movement, Hip hop films, Musical films, Gangster films, Harcèlement au travail
Actors Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer, Taryn Manning, King Gordy
Rating71% 3.599223.599223.599223.599223.59922
In Fall 1995 in Detroit, Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (Eminem), a young and unhappy blue-collar worker from a poor family, struggles with various aspects of his life. He has moved back north of 8 Mile Road to the rundown trailer home in Warren, Michigan of his alcoholic mother Stephanie (Kim Basinger), his little sister Lily (Chloe Greenfield), and Stephanie's abusive live-in boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon). Although encouraged by his friends, who hail him as a talented rap music artist, Jimmy worries about his potential as a musician, particularly due to his lack of confidence. This caused him to panic during a rap battle one night at a club called The Shelter, and leave the stage humiliated.
Wonder Boys, 1h51
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Films about writers, Films about education, Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes, Robert Downey Jr., Rip Torn
Rating71% 3.5982453.5982453.5982453.5982453.598245
Professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is a novelist who teaches creative writing at an unnamed Pittsburgh university (the movie was shot chiefly in and around Carnegie Mellon). He is having an affair with the university chancellor, Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand), whose husband, Walter (Richard Thomas), is the chairman of the English department in which Grady is a professor. Grady's third wife, Emily, has just left him, and he has failed to repeat the grand success of his first novel, published years earlier. He continues to labor on a second novel, but the more he tries to finish it the less able he finds himself to invent a satisfactory ending. The book runs to over two and a half thousand pages and is still far from finished. He spends his free time smoking marijuana.
L.A. Confidential, 2h18
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Noir, Crime
Themes Films about sexuality, Films about prostitution
Actors Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell
Rating81% 4.0984254.0984254.0984254.0984254.098425
In early 1950s Los Angeles, Detective Sergeant Edmund "Ed" Exley (Guy Pearce), the son of a legendary LAPD detective, is determined to live up to his father's reputation. His intelligence, insistence on following regulations and cold demeanor contribute to his isolation from other officers. He exacerbates this resentment by volunteering to testify in a police brutality case, insisting on a promotion to Detective Lieutenant against the advice of Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell). Exley's ambition is fueled by the murder of his father by an unknown assailant, to whom he refers as "Rollo Tomasi" to give him personality.
The River Wild, 1h48
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about disabilities, Sign-language films, American Sign Language films, Films about language and translation
Actors Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, Benjamin Bratt, John C. Reilly, Joseph Mazzello
Rating64% 3.2491153.2491153.2491153.2491153.249115
A Boston couple, Gail (Meryl Streep) and Tom (David Strathairn), are having marital problems, due to his inability to spend time with his family because of his work as an architect. She, a water rafting expert, decides to take their son, Roarke (Joseph Mazzello), on a holiday rafting trip down the Salmon River in Idaho, along with their dog, Maggie. Their daughter, Willa (Stephanie Sawyer), accompanies them to Gail's parents' house in Idaho. At the last minute, just when they are about to leave for the almost week-long trip, Tom joins them. As they are setting off, they meet a couple of other rafters, Wade (Kevin Bacon) and Terry (John C. Reilly), who appear to be friendly. Thus they leave for the trip, leaving Willa behind to be taken care of by her grandparents.
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, 1h50
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Themes Pregnancy films, Medical-themed films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson, Julianne Moore, Madeline Zima
Rating67% 3.3515553.3515553.3515553.3515553.351555
Claire Bartel is pregnant with her second child. At a routine checkup she is sexually molested by her new obstetrician, Dr. Victor Mott. Traumatized, she tells her husband, Michael, who encourages her to report him to the police. More women come forward with similar complaints, and multiple charges are prepared against Dr. Mott, who shoots himself. Later, Dr. Mott's pregnant widow is told by her lawyers that her husband's assets have been frozen because of the lawsuits and that she will lose her luxurious home. Mrs. Mott goes into early labor, loses her baby and, after hemorrhaging, is given an emergency hysterectomy. While recovering in the hospital, she sees a news story featuring Claire as the woman who alerted the police, leading Mrs. Mott to swear vengeance.
Bad Influence, 1h39
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime, Romance
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Rob Lowe, James Spader, Lisa Zane, Christian Clemenson, Joyce Meadows, Marcia Cross
Rating62% 3.1478153.1478153.1478153.1478153.147815
Michael, a shy, socially awkward doormat, meets the extroverted Alex who teaches him to be assertive and take risks. Things go too far however, when they go on a drug-fueled crime spree and assault a coworker Michael dislikes. When Michael wants out, Alex takes it upon himself to convince Michael to reconsider his decision - one way or another.
Evil Town
Evil Town (1987)
, 1h28
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Horror
Themes Medical-themed films, Zombie films, Films about viral outbreaks, Disaster films
Actors James Keach, Dean Jagger, Robert Walker Jr., Hope Summers, Doria Cook-Nelson, Dabbs Greer
Rating38% 1.942881.942881.942881.942881.94288
The film depicts an evil scientist's (Dean Jagger) campaign to achieve eternal youth, through synthesizing a drug derived from human pituitary fluid. In extracting the fluid, he creates mindless zombies from the donors. Because the local town residents are in on the plot, to achieve immortality, they help the scientist, by abducting visitors who come through town.
The Bedroom Window, 1h52
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality
Actors Steve Guttenberg, Elizabeth McGovern, Isabelle Huppert, Paul Shenar, Carl Lumbly, Wallace Shawn
Rating63% 3.199553.199553.199553.199553.19955
Terry (Steve Guttenberg) is having an affair with his boss' wife Sylvia (Isabelle Huppert). One night after an office party, they are together and Sylvia witnesses an attack on Denise (Elizabeth McGovern) from Terry's bedroom window. She doesn't want to expose their relationship and so is reluctant to talk to the police. Terry, wanting to help, gives the police the description of the attacker. He soon becomes the main prosecution witness until it becomes clear he cannot have witnessed the assault, at which point he becomes the main suspect in the case. He then sets out to find the real rapist/killer with some help from Denise.