Quentin Tarantino

WHY IS HE FAMOUS

Few film directors achieve rock star status, but Quentin Tarantino certainly has. His first flick, Reservoir Dogs (1992), took the Sundance Film Festival by its hoity-toity collar, slapped it around and turned it on its ear. Hollywood took notice, as did legions of film fans desperate for something new. Tarantino has continued to provide that "something new," mashing together disparate genres like Westerns, Blaxploitation and kung-fu into movies like Jackie Brown (1997) and Death Proof (2007).

Quentin Tarantino Quote

"I never walked around thinking I was this geek who could never get anybody. I never felt any girl was unattainable, as long as she got to know me."

72 MAGNETISM

With his gangly limbs, thinning hair and goofy disposition, Quentin Tarantino is a perfect fit for a job behind the camera (which makes his determination to appear in front of it in all his films that much more confounding). Still, the guy’s got oodles of charisma, a decent fashion sense and more money than a derivatives trader circa 2007. The list of beauties on his dating resume includesSofia Coppola, Vivica A. Fox and his muse, Uma Thurman.

85 SUCCESS

Quentin Tarantino’s greatest success may be his continued ability to make decidedly non-mainstream movies that connect with mainstream audiences. His films are violent, eccentric and dialogue-heavy, yet they’ve still made a combined $400 million. Throw in the Oscar he received for his Pulp Fiction (1994) screenplay, not to mention the millions in his 401(k), and the guy’s had his share of impressive success. 

QUENTIN TARANTINOBIOGRAPHY

Quentin Tarantino is kinda like the kid down at your local video store that talks a bit too much about the art of movies when you go in to rent, only Tarantino has A-list Hollywood power (not to mention riches).

It’s no coincidence, really. Tarantino once worked a dead-end job at a video store. He was a high school drop out, hyperactive, unabashed film geek that spent hours talking movies with his coworkers and customers. He took acting classes, wrote screenplays and hung around the fringes of Hollywood waiting for his break.

Golf courses and parties seem to be the best places to network. Since Quentin Tarantino seems about as coordinated as a one-legged, drunk rhinoceros, his networking was focused on the Hollywood party scene. It was at one such party where he met producer Lawrence Bender, the man that would go on to produce all of Tarantino’s work. The two fledgling scenesters gelled immediately, and Bender encouraged Tarantino to flesh out some of the ideas they had drunkenly discussed over the cheese platter.

Quentin Tarantino And Reservoir Dogs

That conversation birthed Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s ultra-violent, ultra-low budget heist film. Tarantino received a major boost when Harvey Keitel read the script and agreed to appear for a fraction of his usual salary. Keitel’s involvement was also enough to garner the film a place in the Sundance Film Festival.

With little fanfare coming in, Reservoir Dogs took everyone by storm and was the talk of the industry. If there is one thing Hollywood loves, it’s a director that can make cheap movies that make a lot of money. And so Quentin Tarantino was minted the "Next Big Thing."

Tarantino used his newfound celebrity to sell screenplays like True Romance (1993) and Natural Born Killers (1994). It provided him with enough financial wiggle room to turn down offers to direct flicks like Speed (1994) and Men in Black (1997) so he could focus on his magnum opus.

Quentin Tarantino And Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction was one of the most anticipated movies of 1994. It certainly didn’t disappoint. It had all the hallmarks of what would become classic Tarantino -- an easy mix of humor and violence, quirky characters and amazing music.

The film resurrected the career of John Travolta, earned seven Oscar nominations and earned well over $100 million at the box office. It also cemented Tarantino’s reputation as one of the most bankable directors in the game.

Quentin Tarantino, The Actor

That success also allowed Quentin Tarantino to dabble in acting. He had always managed to craft a cameo for himself in his own films, but Quentin’s appearance in Destiny Turns on the Radio(1995) and From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) showed everyone that his real skill was most definitely found behind the camera.

The curse of success in Hollywood is that expectations get pretty high. So it was with Quentin Tarantino for his next film. The Pulp Fiction shadow loomed large, and it ended up overshadowing what was actually a pretty good movie in Jackie Brown. It was met with tepid reviews and mediocre box office, and whispers of a one-hit wonder started.

Quentin Tarantino And Kill Bill

Undeterred, Quentin Tarantino continued to work. From the revenge epic Kill Bill (2003) to the underrated Death Proof (2007), the man has directed some of the coolest films of the past decade. He has also created such a well-defined brand that his name alone is enough to sell movies. He takes independent films he enjoys, slaps his name on the poster and that all but guarantees it to become a hit. Hostel (2005), Killing Zoe (1994) and Iron Monkey(2001) are just a few that enjoy his profitable endorsement.

Quentin Tarantion And Inglourious Basterds

If there is one thing that can be could have been called a disappointment in Quentin Tarantino’s career, it was his inability to get one of his favorite scripts brought to the big screen. He had been working on a WW II script entitled Inglorious Basterds for years, shopping it around and fine-tuning it, but never succeeding in getting a green light.
 
Finally, risk-taking Hollywood power-player Harvey Weinsteintook a chance and filming began in October of 2008. StarringBrad Pitt and a random cast of supporting players (includingMike Myers), the movie tells the tale of a squadron of U.S. troops tasked with killing as many Nazis as possible. It is rich fodder for Tarantino, and is expected to be yet another feather in the cap of this unlikely Hollywood legend.

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