Wes Anderson Biography

Wes Anderson was born Wesley Wales Anderson on May 1, 1969, in Houston, Texas, USA. His mother Ann was a realtor and archaeologist, while his father Melver Leonard Anderson worked in advertising and public relations. Wes has two brothers.

His parents divorced when he was a young boy and this incident affected him deeply. He graduated from ‘St. John's School’ in Houston in 1987. As a school student, he developed an interest in writing and movie-making, and made silent films using his father's Super 8 camera, starring his brothers and friends.

He went on to study at the ‘University of Texas’ in Austin where he met Owen Wilson in a playwriting class. The two became friends and decided to work together in future. Anderson received his B.A. in philosophy in 1990.

Anderson and Wilson wrote the script for a short film called ‘Bottle Rocket’ in 1994. The movie featured Wilson and his brother Luke. The movie caught the attention of director and producer James L. Brooks who helped the duo receive funds for making a full length feature film of the same name in 1996.

Once again collaborating with Wilson, Anderson made the film ‘Rushmore’ (1998), a comedy drama about an eccentric teenager named ‘Max Fischer.’ The movie, which received positive reviews from critics, helped launch Anderson’s career.

In 2001, he directed the film ‘The Royal Tenenbaums,’ which he had co-written with Owen Wilson. The film was about the lives of three gifted siblings whose eccentric father abandons them in their adolescent years. The film was met with mostly positive reviews.

He collaborated with writer Noah Baumbach for the first time and co-produced the comedy drama ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ in 2004. The film stars Bill Murray as the eponymous ‘Zissou,’ an eccentric oceanographer whose life’s ambition is to seek the “jaguar shark,” which is a fictional creature.

In 2005, he co-produced the movie ‘The Squid and the Whale’ with Peter Newman, Charlie Corwin, and Clara Markowicz. The plot revolves around two young boys who deal with their parents’ divorce. The film was exhibited at the 2005 ‘Sundance Film Festival’ where it received several awards. It was also nominated for the ‘Grand Jury Prize.’

He then went on to direct ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ (2007), which he co-wrote with Schwartzman and actor-screenwriter Roman Coppola. The film, which was about three estranged brothers, starred Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, and Adrien Brody in lead roles. The film included many of Anderson's signature themes and styles, such as despair, abandonment, and sibling relationships.

The film ‘Moonrise Kingdom,’ a coming-of-age drama, which he co-wrote with Roman Coppola, was released in 2012. The movie was described as an "eccentric, pubescent love story” and it featured newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. The film received critical praise and was nominated for an ‘Academy Award’ for ‘Best Original Screenplay.’

He directed ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ in 2014. The film received widespread acclaim from film critics and won the ‘Academy Awards’ for ‘Best Production Design,’ ‘Best Original Score,’ ‘Best Costume Design,’ and ‘Best Makeup and Hairstyling.’

He was the executive producer of the 2014 screwball comedy film ‘She's Funny That Way,’ which starred Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, and Imogen Pots in the lead. The movie received mixed reviews and failed at the box-office. He then served as the executive producer of the 2017 documentary ‘Escapes.’

He returned to direction with the 2018-released stop-motion animated comedy ‘Isle of Dogs,’ which he co-wrote with Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Kunichi Nomura. The movie was a critical and commercial hit and even garnered ‘Academy Award’ nominations for ‘Best Animated Feature film’ and ‘Best Original Score.’

As of 2020, the ingenious filmmaker is working on his comedy drama ‘The French Dispatch.’ Apart from producing and directing the movie, he has also co-written it alongside Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Hugo Guinness. The movie stars Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Frances McDormand in the lead.

‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ is his first major hit and established him as a successful filmmaker. The screenplay was nominated for an ‘Academy Award’ and the movie earned more than $50 million in domestic box office receipts.

One of his biggest successes so far is the comedy film ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’ which was an American-German-British co-production. The film won the ‘Golden Globe Award’ for ‘Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy’ and several ‘Academy Awards’ as well. Anderson's screenplay and direction received widespread critical acclaim.

He won the ‘Independent Spirit Award’ for ‘Best Director’ for the movie ‘Rushmore’ in 1999, which he co-wrote alongside Owen Wilson.

Wes and Noah Baumbach received the ‘San Diego Film Critics Society Award’ for ‘Best Screenplay’ for ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ in 2009.

In 2014, he won the ‘Best Screenplay’ awards at ‘Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards,’ ‘New York Film Critics Circle Awards,’ ‘National Society of Film Critics Awards,’ and ‘Toronto Film Critics Association Awards’ for ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel.’

Wes Anderson is in a relationship with Lebanese writer, costume designer, and voice actress Juman Malouf. The couple has a daughter named Freya, who was born in 2016.