Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity, unique visual and narrative styles, and frequent use of
ensemble casts. They often contain themes of
grief,
loss of innocence, and
dysfunctional families. Cited by some critics as a modern-day example of the work of an
auteur, three of Anderson's films have appeared in
BBC Culture's
2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000.
He gained acclaim for his early work
Bottle Rocket (1996), and
Rushmore (1998). During this time, he often collaborated with
Luke Wilson and
Owen Wilson and founded his production company American Empirical Pictures, which he currently runs. He then received a nomination for the
Academy Award for
Best Original Screenplay for
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). His next films included
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004),
The Darjeeling Limited (2007), and his first
stop-motion film
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) for which he received an
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature nomination, and then
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) earning his second
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination.
With Anderson's film
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), he received his first Academy Award nominations for
Best Director and
Best Picture, and won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and the
BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay. The next films included his second stop-motion film
Isle of Dogs (2018), which earned him the
Silver Bear for Best Director, and
The French Dispatch (2021). His next film,
Asteroid City, is slated for release in June 2023.
