- Born
- Birth nameRichard Stuart Linklater
- Nickname
- Rick
- Height5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
- Self-taught writer-director Richard Stuart Linklater was born in Houston, Texas, to Diane Margaret (Krieger), who taught at a university, and Charles W. Linklater III. Richard was among the first and most successful talents to emerge during the American independent film renaissance of the 1990s. Typically setting each of his movies during one 24-hour period, Linklater's work explored what he dubbed "the youth rebellion continuum," focusing in fine detail on generational rites and mores with rare compassion and understanding while definitively capturing the 20-something culture of his era through a series of nuanced, illuminating ensemble pieces which introduced any number of talented young actors into the Hollywood firmament. Born in Houston, Texas, Linklater suspended his educational career at Sam Houston State University in 1982, to work on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. He subsequently relocated to the state's capital of Austin, where he founded a film society and began work on his debut film, 1987's It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988). Three years later he released the sprawling Slacker (1990), an insightful, virtually plotless look at 1990s youth culture that became a favorite on the festival circuit prior to earning vast acclaim at Sundance in 1991. Upon its commercial release, the movie, made for less than $23,000, became the subject of considerable mainstream media attention, with the term "slacker" becoming a much-overused catch-all tag employed to affix a name and identity to America's disaffected youth culture.- IMDb Mini Biography By: goodtanin@yahoo.com
- SpouseChristina Harrison(? - present) (3 children)
- ChildrenLorelei Linklater
- ParentsDiane MargaretCharles W. Linklater
- His films often take place within a single day
- His movies often take place in Texas
- His movies often reference Little League baseball
- Frequently casts Ethan Hawke
- Frequently writes and/or directs movies starring children or teenagers, e.g., Dazed and Confused (1993), School of Rock (2003), Bad News Bears (2005), Boyhood (2014) and Everybody Wants Some!! (2016).
- Kevin Smith said that it was Linklater's Slacker (1990) that made him want to be a director.
- First became passionate about film while working on an oil rig during college and realized he wanted to be a Director.
- Although the preference of dialogue over action in many of his movies, particularly the Before Trilogy, may lead some to believe that his movies are improvised by the actors, Linklater has often said that this is far from the truth: he rehearses his scenes constantly before filming, and does not allow any changes from the script while filming. He has said that he usually does not have the budget or the patience to allow for improvisation.
- 7 October 2004: Three former friends of Linklater-Bobby Wooderson, Andy Slater, and Richard "Pink" Floyd-sued him for the unauthorized use of their names and images in the film Dazed and Confused (1993) and for their representation as stoners, which they say has damaged their reputation.
- He never went to film school and learned everything he knows through experience and working.
- Most of us are losers most of the time, if you think about it.
- [Terrence Malick] is a guy who sees his movies and thinks, "I would have done that differently". I see mine and say, "Given the circumstances, that's what I did and that's what I'd do again". I don't know how much of a free-will guy I am.
- But nothing is going to knock me off my game. Because I have some pretty low-budget films I want to do.
- I would have loved to have been a '40s studio director like Vincente Minnelli. You ended up with a real diverse career. Now you don't get a call from [Darryl F. Zanuck] saying, "Come do this movie on Monday". So you have to do it on your own.
- We all give ourselves a lot of leeway, but we want consistency from other people.
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