Biography
Philip Kaufman (born October 23, 1936) is an American film director and screenwriter. Although not noted for directing a large number of films, the films he has worked on have been recognized for their intelligence and independence. He is noted for directing films of eclectic subjects, ranging from realism to fantasy, and often incorporating satire or subtle humor as part of his “artistic signature.” He was born in Chicago, Illinois. Kaufman has been considered a “risk taker.” He has successful...
Known For
Complete Filmography

A Look Through His Lens
2024
as Self
Oscar-winning cinematographer Philippe Rousselot offers a master class in image making, with insightful examples from his work on Diva, Hope and Glory...

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
2023
Characters
Finding himself in a new era, and approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacle...

Algren
2021
as Self
Algren will spotlight the hard-knock life and authentic creative legacy of one of the most underrated writers of the twentieth century, Nelson Algren....

Friedkin Uncut
2018
as Self
An introspective insight into the life and artistic journey of William Friedkin, an extraordinary and offbeat director of cult films such as The Frenc...

Hemingway & Gellhorn
2012
Director
Writer Ernest Hemingway begins a romance with fellow scribe Martha Gellhorn.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2008
Characters
Set during the Cold War, the Soviets—led by sword-wielding Irina Spalko—are in search of a crystal skull which has supernatural powers related to a my...

Fog City Mavericks
2007
as Self
Fog City Mavericks: The Filmmakers of San Francisco is a compelling exploration of the legendary filmmakers who call the San Francisco Bay Area home i...

Emotional History: The Making of 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being'
2006
as Self
Milan Kundera's rambling novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being, though greatly admired, was thought by Hollywood studio executives to be "unfilmable...

Twisted
2004
Director
Recently promoted and transferred to the homicide division, Inspector Jessica Shepard feels pressure to prove herself -- and what better way than by s...

Quills
2000
Director
A nobleman with a literary flair, the Marquis de Sade lives in a madhouse where a beautiful laundry maid smuggles his erotic stories to a printer, def...

Rising Sun
1993
Director, Screenplay
When a prostitute is found dead in a Los Angeles skyscraper occupied by a large Japanese corporation, detectives John Connor and Web Smith are called ...

Henry & June
1990
Director, Screenplay
While traveling in Paris, author Henry Miller and his wife, June, meet Anais Nin, and sexual sparks fly as Nin starts an affair with the openly bisexu...

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1989
Characters
In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval his...

The Unbearable Lightness of Being
1988
as Man walking on street outside Sabina's flat (uncredited)
Successful surgeon Tomas leaves Prague for an operation, meets a young photographer named Tereza, and brings her back with him. Tereza is surprised to...

The Unbearable Lightness of Being
1988
Director, Screenplay
Successful surgeon Tomas leaves Prague for an operation, meets a young photographer named Tereza, and brings her back with him. Tereza is surprised to...

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1984
Characters
After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting ...

The Right Stuff
1983
Screenplay, Director
As the Space Race ensues, seven pilots set off on a path to become the first American astronauts to enter space. However, the road to making history b...

Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981
Story
When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legen...

The Wanderers
1979
Director, Screenplay
The streets of the Bronx are owned by '60s youth gangs where the joy and pain of adolescence is lived. Philip Kaufman tells his take on the novel by R...

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1978
as City Official on Phone (uncredited) (voice)
The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers...

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1978
Director
The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers...

The Outlaw Josey Wales
1976
Screenplay
After avenging his family's brutal murder, Wales is pursued by a pack of soldiers. He prefers to travel alone, but ragtag outcasts are drawn to him - ...

The White Dawn
1974
Director
In 1896, three survivors of a whaling ship-wreck in the Canadian Arctic are saved and adopted by an Eskimo tribe but frictions arise when the three st...

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
1972
Director, Writer
The gangs of Jesse James and Cole Younger join forces to rob the First National Bank in Northfield, Minnesota, but things do not go as planned.

Fearless Frank
1969
Writer, Director, Producer
A country boy arrives in Chicago, gets killed by some gangsters, and returns to life with superhuman powers in this satirical look at movie genres.

Goldstein
1965
Writer, Editor, Producer
GOLDSTEIN, the feature film debut of talented director Philip Kaufman, is an early example of American independent filmmaking from the early 1960s. A ...