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Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader

Known For Writing
Birthday Jul 22, 1946 (79)
Birthplace Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Popularity 0.3 (history)
Updated Aug 08, 2025 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
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 La ... st 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: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Light Sleeper (1992), Affliction (1997), and First Reformed (2017); the latter earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Schrader's work frequently depicts troubled men struggling through an existential crisis that is then punctuated by a violent, cathartic event. Raised in a strict Calvinist family, Schrader attended Calvin College before electing to pursue film studies at UCLA on the encouragement of film critic Pauline Kael. He then worked as a film scholar and critic, publishing the book Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer (1972) before making the transition to screenwriting in 1974. The success of Taxi Driver in 1976 brought greater attention to his work, and Schrader began directing his own films beginning with Blue Collar (co-written with his brother, Leonard Schrader). His three most recent films have been described by Schrader as a loose trilogy: First Reformed (2017), The Card Counter (2021), and Master Gardener (2022). Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Schrader, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

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Filmography

Dog Eat Dog

Dog Eat Dog

2016

as El Greco

Oh, Canada

Oh, Canada

2024

Screenplay

Master Gardener

Master Gardener

2023

Writer

There Are No Saints

There Are No Saints

2022

Screenplay

The Card Counter

The Card Counter

2021

Screenplay

First Reformed

First Reformed

2018

Writer

Dark

Dark

2017

Writer

Dying of the Light

Dying of the Light

2014

Screenplay

The Walker

The Walker

2007

Screenplay

Bringing Out the Dead

Bringing Out the Dead

1999

Screenplay

Forever Mine

Forever Mine

1999

Writer

Affliction

Affliction

1998

Screenplay

Touch

Touch

1997

Writer

City Hall

City Hall

1996

Writer

Untitled: New Blue

Untitled: New Blue

1995

Writer

Light Sleeper

Light Sleeper

1992

Screenplay

Light of Day

Light of Day

1987

Screenplay

The Mosquito Coast

The Mosquito Coast

1986

Screenplay

Cat People

Cat People

1982

Screenplay

American Gigolo

American Gigolo

1980

Writer

Raging Bull

Raging Bull

1980

Screenplay

Hardcore

Hardcore

1979

Writer

Old Boyfriends

Old Boyfriends

1979

Writer

Blue Collar

Blue Collar

1978

Screenplay

Rolling Thunder

Rolling Thunder

1977

Original Story, Writer

Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver

1976

Screenplay

Obsession

Obsession

1976

Screenplay, Story

The Yakuza

The Yakuza

1974

Screenplay

Oh, Canada

Oh, Canada

2024

Director

Master Gardener

Master Gardener

2023

Director

The Card Counter

The Card Counter

2021

Director

First Reformed

First Reformed

2018

Director

Dark

Dark

2017

Director

Dog Eat Dog

Dog Eat Dog

2016

Director

Dying of the Light

Dying of the Light

2014

Director

The Canyons

The Canyons

2013

Director

Adam Resurrected

Adam Resurrected

2008

Director

The Walker

The Walker

2007

Director

Auto Focus

Auto Focus

2002

Director

Forever Mine

Forever Mine

1999

Director

Affliction

Affliction

1998

Director

Touch

Touch

1997

Director

Untitled: New Blue

Untitled: New Blue

1995

Director

Witch Hunt

Witch Hunt

1994

Director

Light Sleeper

Light Sleeper

1992

Director

The Comfort of Strangers

The Comfort of Strangers

1990

Director

Patty Hearst

Patty Hearst

1988

Director

Light of Day

Light of Day

1987

Director

Cat People

Cat People

1982

Director

American Gigolo

American Gigolo

1980

Director

Hardcore

Hardcore

1979

Director

Blue Collar

Blue Collar

1978

Director

There Are No Saints

There Are No Saints

2022

Executive Producer

Old Boyfriends

Old Boyfriends

1979

Executive Producer

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

No data available

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

as Self

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Sep 03, 2011

Scene by Scene

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: May 10, 1997

The Last Movie Stars

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jul 21, 2022

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Aug 02, 2015

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 5 12 14 9
2024 6 11 18 5
2024 7 17 30 8
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2024 10 7 18 3
2024 11 6 10 2
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2025 1 11 23 6
2025 2 5 10 1
2025 3 2 10 0
2025 4 0 1 0
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2025 6 1 2 0
2025 7 0 1 0
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2025 9 0 0 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
2024 5 632 176
2024 6 473 152
2024 7 492 465
2024 12 962 962
2025 1 732 693
2025 8 670 517
2025 9 868 805

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