Christopher Nolan
Biography
Christopher Nolan is a filmmaker with British and American citizenship who built his reputation on large-scale Hollywood movies with intricate plots. He was born in London and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from University College London, then made short films before his first feature, Following (1998), a low-budget project he handled as writer, director, cinematographer and editor. Memento (2000) brought him international recognition and screenplay nominations at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes. Moving into studio work with Insomnia (2002), he later directed the Dark Knight trilogy and films such as The Prestige (2006), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017) and Tenet (2020). Oppenheimer (2023) earned him Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. He was made a CBE in 2019, knighted in 2024, and became president of the Directors Guild of America in 2025.
56years old
Turns 57 on July 30in 269 days
- Born City of Westminster
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Christopher Edward Nolan (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 5
- Career span
- 36 years1989 to 2025
Every film, newest first
- 2025Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the DesertIMDb rating 8.4
- 2023To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic BombIMDb rating 7.4
- 2019Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic SoundIMDb rating 7.6
- 2013The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight TrilogyIMDb rating 7.9
- 1989TarantellaIMDb rating 5.1
Genres
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Did you know?!
A role that slipped away
Nolan was set to direct Troy, but after leaving the project he pitched a realistic Batman origin story to Warner Bros., which let him make Batman Begins to reconcile after he was forced out of Troy.
A role that slipped away
Nolan wrote a Howard Hughes biopic screenplay but shelved it after learning Martin Scorsese was already making The Aviator, and he was briefly attached to adapt Ruth Rendell's The Keys to the Street before choosing Batman Begins.
Christopher Nolan movies on Netflix
Worked with
Christopher Nolan made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Robert Redford's page
Adolf Hitler's page
Timothée Chalamet's page
Barbra Streisand's page
Steven Spielberg's page
George Lucas's page
Christopher CasselDirector, 1 film, 2023
All films by Christopher Cassel
Midge CostinDirector, 1 film, 2019
All films by Midge Costin
All films by Roko Belic
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 2001 to 2024, four of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 2024 | Best Director | Oppenheimer | Won |
| 2024 | Best Picture | Oppenheimer | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 2024 | Best Director | Oppenheimer | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| 2024 | Best Direction | Oppenheimer | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2024 | Knight Bachelor | Won | |
| 2019 | Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Won | |
| 2011 | Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form | Inception | Won |
| 2010 | Indiana Film Journalists Association Award for Best Director | Won | |
| 2002 | Edgar Awards | Won | |
| 2001 | The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award | Memento | Won |
| Bradbury Award | Won | ||
| Saturn Awards | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.