Biography
Paul Joseph Schrader (born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became widely known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scorsese, writing or co-writing Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Bringing Out the Dead (1999). Schrader has also directed 24 films, including Blue Collar (1978), Hardcore (1979), American Gigolo (1980), Cat People (1982), Mishima...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Oh, Canada
2024
Screenplay, Director
Famed Canadian-American leftist documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife was one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid s...
Master Gardener
2023
Director, Writer
Narvel Roth is a meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowa...
1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!
2022
as Self
A remarkable new epic documentary spotlighting the pop culture milestones of 1982 including notable motion pictures, TV, music and video games of that...
The Book of Harth
2022
as Self
A New York City-based conceptual artist embarks on a 20-year art project asking culturally significant people to sign his copy of The Holy Bible.
There Are No Saints
2022
Executive Producer, Screenplay
A man is imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. When his wife is murdered and his son kidnapped and taken to Mexico, he devises an elaborate and dan...
The Card Counter
2021
Screenplay, Director
William Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry yo...
The Beauty of Horror: Paul Schrader on The Comfort of Strangers
2020
as Self
An interview with Paul Schrader on his 1990 film "The Comfort of Strangers"
Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business
2020
as Self
Following five years in the life and career of independent filmmaker Justin McConnell, this documentary explores the struggles of financing, attractin...
Paul Schrader: Man in a Room
2020
as Self
In the sixth installment of the Criterion Channel's Meet the Filmmakers series, director Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell, Listen Up Philip) visits the ever...
Paul Schrader: Man in a Room
2020
Thanks
In the sixth installment of the Criterion Channel's Meet the Filmmakers series, director Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell, Listen Up Philip) visits the ever...
What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael
2019
as Self
Pauline Kael (1919–2001) was undoubtedly one of the greatest names in film criticism. A Californian native, she wrote her first review in 1953 and joi...
First Reformed
2018
Writer, Director
A pastor of a small church in upstate New York starts to spiral out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist ...
We Blew It
2017
as Self
How did America change from Easy Rider into Donald Trump? What became of the dreams and utopias of the 1960's and 1970's? What do the people who lived...
Dog Eat Dog
2016
as El Greco
Carved from a lifetime of experience that runs the gamut from incarceration to liberation, Dog Eat Dog is the story of three men who are all out of pr...
Dog Eat Dog
2016
Director
Carved from a lifetime of experience that runs the gamut from incarceration to liberation, Dog Eat Dog is the story of three men who are all out of pr...
Ken San
2016
as Self
KEN SAN pieces together the puzzle of the life and legacy of Japan's mythical acting icon, Ken Takakura. Collaborators, friends and family tell intima...
American Johns
2015
Thanks
A former actress, turned escort, has an unfortunate incident with one of her 'johns.'
Hitchcock/Truffaut
2015
as Self
Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and pu...
Dying of the Light
2014
Director, Screenplay
Evan Lake, a veteran CIA agent, has been ordered to retire. But when his protégé uncovers evidence that Lake's nemesis, the terrorist Banir, has resur...
Venice 70: Future Reloaded
2013
Director
Made for the Venice Film Festival's 70th anniversary, seventy filmmakers made a short film between 60 and 90 seconds long on their interpretation of t...
The Canyons
2013
Director
The discovery of an illicit love affair leads two young Angelenos on a violent, sexually charged tour through the dark side of human nature.
Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic
2013
as Self
Mike Epps, Richard Pryor Jr. and others recount the culture-defining influence of Richard Pryor - one of America's most brilliant, iconic comic minds.
Milius
2013
as Self
The life story of ‘Zen Anarchist’ filmmaker John Milius, one of the most influential storytellers of his generation.
Walk of Fame
2012
Thanks
Jake Taylor, frustrated with Hollywood and trying to make it, caves into his demons.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter
2011
as Self
Interviews with the junior designers swept into the 24-7 world of "The Eamery" are the heart of this complex picture of a husband-and-wife creative te...
Godard Made in USA
2010
as Self
Documentary by Luc Lagier exploring Godard's career as a filmmaker, the production of Breathless and his influence and his relationship with American ...
The Rules of Film Noir
2009
as Self
Matthew Sweet explores his rules of 1940s and 50s American film noir thrillers.
Tales from the Script
2009
as Self
Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon"), John Carpenter ("Halloween"), Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption"), William Goldman ("The Princess Bride"), Paul...
Murnau, Borzage and Fox
2008
as Self
Documentary focusing on the film careers F.W. Murnau, Frank Borzage and William Fox and their impact on the history of cinema.
Schrader's Exorcism
2008
as Self
A documentary chronicling director Paul Schrader's ride through hell and back while making film history with his prequel to The Exorcist. Schrader, af...
Adam Resurrected
2008
Director
After again attempting to commit murder, a Jewish man with a mysterious past and extraordinary intelligence, charisma, and body control returns to an ...
God's Lonely Man
2007
as Self
An examination of Travis's condition and situation in Taxi Driver
Influence And Appreciation: A Martin Scorsese Tribute
2007
as Self
Filmmakers examine the work and influence of Martin Scorsese on modern cinema
The Walker
2007
Director, Screenplay
An escort who caters to Washington D.C.'s society ladies becomes involved in a murder case.
Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
2006
as Self
Film Noir burrows into the mind; it's disorienting, intriguing and enthralling. Noir brings us into a gritty underworld of lush morbidity, providing i...
Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That
2005
as Self
Documentary about filmmaker Budd Boetticher.
Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist
2005
Director
Father Merrin takes a sabbatical from the Church to devote himself to history and archaeology as he struggles with his shattered faith.
Raging Bull: Before the Fight
2005
as Self
The first part of a four-part documentary about the production of "Raging Bull."
Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz
2004
as Self
Film noir, which enjoyed particular success in the 1930s and 1940s, is probably the most profound genre of classic Hollywood cinema. Eckhart Schmidt t...
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
2004
as Self
An account of the life and work of American film director Sam Peckinpah (1925-84), a tortured artist whose genius and inner demons changed the Western...
Sex at 24 Frames Per Second
2003
as Self
Examines the relationship between sex, women, and the role of female sexuality in popular Hollywood culture, focusing on Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfie...
A Decade Under the Influence
2003
as Self
A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential direc...
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
2003
as Self
The chronicle of the mind-blowing journey that was Hollywood during the seventies; the true and gripping story of the last golden age of American cine...
Auto Focus
2002
Director
A successful TV star during the 1960s, former "Hogan's Heroes" actor Bob Crane projects a wholesome family-man image, but this front masks his persona...
Cat People: An Intimate Portrait by Paul Schrader
2002
as Self
Director Paul Schrader discusses the making of 1982's Cat People.
Forever Mine
1999
Writer, Director
A hotel cabana boy falls for the wife of a powerful politico. But when she confesses to the affair, her husband determines to end it forever.
Bringing Out the Dead
1999
Screenplay
Once called "Father Frank" for his efforts to rescue lives, Frank Pierce sees the ghosts of those he failed to save around every turn. He has tried ev...
Making 'Taxi Driver'
1999
as Self
A behind the scenes snapshot of the making of one of the greatest films ever made. Filled with trivia, interviews from cast and crew, and more.
Affliction
1997
Director, Screenplay
A small town policeman must investigate a suspicious hunting accident. The investigation and other events result in him slowly disintegrating mentally...
Touch
1997
Director, Screenplay
At the discovery of his ability to work miracles, Juvenal becomes a media sensation, but now he's prone to those who want to exploit him.
City Hall
1996
Writer
The accidental shooting of a boy in New York leads to an investigation by the Deputy Mayor, and unexpectedly far-reaching consequences.
Untitled: New Blue
1995
as Himself (uncredited)
A short film directed by Paul Schrader following the story of a painting from Schrader's collection.
Untitled: New Blue
1995
Director, Writer
A short film directed by Paul Schrader following the story of a painting from Schrader's collection.
Witch Hunt
1994
Director
Magic and murder connect an actress, a private eye, a senator and a witch in 1950s Hollywood.
Talking with Ozu
1993
as Self
A tribute to the legendary Japanese film director featuring the reflections of filmmakers Lindsay Anderson, Claire Denis, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Aki Kaurism...
Light Sleeper
1992
Director, Screenplay
John LeTour is a recovering drug user who suffers insomnia and still deals to a high-end New York clientele, even though he’s trying to move on from t...
The Comfort of Strangers
1990
Director
An Italian diplomat's son follows and seduces English lovers in Venice.
Hollywood Mavericks
1990
as Self
A documentary focusing on seventeen maverick directors who were not afraid to break the rules of filmmaking to advance their art. Among the classic di...
Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer
1990
as Self
Documentary about the life and work of film director Preston Sturges.
Pictures of Europe
1990
as Self
What makes European cinema so special? Find out in Paul Joyce’s feature-length documentary, Pictures of Europe, which examines the differences between...
Patty Hearst
1988
Director
The true story of a rich girl who was abducted by American revolutionaries in the 1970's. Her time spent with her captors made her question herself an...
The Last Temptation of Christ
1988
Screenplay
Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas -...
Light of Day
1987
Screenplay, Director
Cleveland siblings rise with a rock band while coping with personal problems.
The Mosquito Coast
1986
Screenplay
Allie Fox, an American inventor exhausted by the perceived danger and degradation of modern society, decides to escape with his wife and children to B...
Inside Mishima
1985
as Self
Short report on the making of Paul Schrader's film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, aired as part of the VISIONS: CINEMA programme in 1985.
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
1985
Writer, Director
A fictional account of the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima, combining dramatizations of three of his novels and a depiction of the events of Nov...
The Road to Bresson
1984
as Self
A Dutch documentary about legendary French filmmaker Robert Bresson.
Cat People
1982
Director, Screenplay
After years of separation, Irena Gallier and her minister brother, Paul, reunite in New Orleans. When zoologists capture a wild panther, Irena is draw...
Raging Bull
1980
Screenplay
The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
American Gigolo
1980
Director, Writer
Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife...
Old Boyfriends
1979
Writer, Executive Producer
When her marriage falls apart, a psychiatrist seeks out those of her former boyfriends who left the biggest impact on her life, mostly in a bad way.
Hardcore
1979
Writer, Director
A conservative Midwest businessman ventures into the sordid underworld of pornography in search of his runaway teenage daughter who’s making hardcore ...
Blue Collar
1978
Director, Screenplay
Fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and union brass, and coupled with financial hardships on each man's end, three auto assembly ...
Rolling Thunder
1977
Original Story, Screenplay
A Vietnam veteran, Charles Rane, returns home after years in a POW camp and is treated as a hero. He has a hard time adjusting, and things go badly. A...
Obsession
1976
Screenplay, Story
A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his late wife.
Taxi Driver
1976
Screenplay
A mentally unstable Vietnam War veteran works as a night-time taxi driver in New York City where the perceived decadence and sleaze feed his urge for ...
The Yakuza
1974
Screenplay
When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter, and George summons his old friend, private eye Harry Kilmer...
Best Served Cold
N/A
as Himself
A feature length cinema documentary on how THE FARMER (1977) became the most-requested cult film of the new millennium, and it's a crazy tale that inv...
Bait
N/A
Screenplay
An employee at a high-end resort leads a handful of students into shark infested waters after he's beaten and humiliated by one of the guys in the gro...
Non Compos Mentis
N/A
Director, Writer
Plot TBA. Said to be an erotic thriller set in the “world of finance” in New York.
Amber Light
N/A
Writer
A story that follows a trauma nurse in Puerto Rico
The Basics of Philosophy
N/A
Director, Writer
About an intellectual university philosophy professor.
Life from the Other Side
N/A
Screenplay
Emily Limos, a 23-year-old Instagram influencer, and Moussa “Mouse” Lafitte, an Algerian immigrant in their struggle to make ends meet in New York Cit...