Bio
Richard Linklater (born July 30, 1960, Houston, Texas) is an American independent filmmaker widely regarded as one of the key architects of the 1990s American indie renaissance. After dropping out of college and working on an offshore oil rig, he discovered cinema, relocated to Austin in 1983, and co-founded the Austin Film Society in 1985 — an institution he still leads. He broke through with the narrative-free Slacker (1991) and built a reputation for character-driven, philosophically rich films that meditate on time, memory, and suburban American life. His most celebrated works include the Before trilogy (1995–2013) and Boyhood (2014), the latter filmed over 12 years with the same cast, earning him a Golden Globe for Best Director and three Academy Award nominations. He remains based in Austin, deliberately outside the Hollywood system, and continues ambitious long-form projects.
Works
Books
None authored. Notable literary adaptations directed:
- Fast Food Nation (2006) — based on Eric Schlosser’s book
- A Scanner Darkly (2006) — based on Philip K. Dick’s novel
Films & TV
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| It’s Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books | 1988 | Debut feature |
| Slacker | 1991 | Breakthrough indie |
| Dazed and Confused | 1993 | |
| Before Sunrise | 1995 | Before trilogy, Part 1 |
| SubUrbia | 1996 | |
| The Newton Boys | 1998 | |
| Waking Life | 2001 | Animated |
| Tape | 2001 | |
| School of Rock | 2003 | |
| Before Sunset | 2004 | Before trilogy, Part 2 |
| Bad News Bears | 2005 | |
| A Scanner Darkly | 2006 | Animated |
| Fast Food Nation | 2006 | |
| Me and Orson Welles | 2008 | |
| Bernie | 2011 | |
| Before Midnight | 2013 | Before trilogy, Part 3 |
| Boyhood | 2014 | Filmed over 12 years; Golden Globe Best Director |
| Everybody Wants Some!! | 2016 | |
| Last Flag Flying | 2017 | |
| Where’d You Go, Bernadette | 2019 | |
| Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood | 2022 | Animated |
| Hit Man | 2023 | |
| Blue Moon | 2025 | |
| Nouvelle Vague | 2025 | |
| Merrily We Roll Along | 2024–~2040 | Filming over ~16 years with same cast |
Music
None.
Other
- Austin Film Society (co-founded 1985) — major independent cinema institution; Linklater still serves as artistic director
- Documentary subject: Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny (2016, PBS American Masters)