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Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater

9 movies on Netflix

Biography

Richard Linklater is an American filmmaker known for films about suburban culture and the passage of time. Born in Houston, he studied at Sam Houston State University before leaving school to work on an offshore oil rig, where reading novels led him to repertory cinema in Houston. He bought a Super-8 camera and moved to Austin, where he founded the Austin Film Society in 1985. His debut feature was It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988), followed by Slacker (1990), made for $23,000. Dazed and Confused (1993) drew on his high school years, and Before Sunrise (1995) won him the Silver Bear for Best Director. He became known for loosely structured narratives, including the Before trilogy, Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly, School of Rock, and Boyhood (2014), which won Golden Globes and BAFTAs and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Later films include Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) and Hit Man (2023).

66years old

Turns 67 on July 30in 289 days

Born July 30, 1960Houston
Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
Richard Stuart Linklater (birth name)

Movie Career

Films: 9
Career span: 33 years1988 to 2021

Genres

Drama56%, 5 films
Comedy33%, 3 films
Adventure22%, 2 films
Documentary22%, 2 films
Music22%, 2 films

First and latest

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First role
Linklater's first feature was It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books, a Super-8 film. Shooting it took a year, and editing it took another year.
Behind the camera
Linklater created Detour Filmproduction, then made Slacker for only $23,000. The film went on to gross more than $1.25 million.
A change of course
Linklater dropped out of Sam Houston State University to work on an offshore oil rig, where he read novels and later discovered film at a Houston repertory cinema.
Behind the camera
In 1985, Linklater started the Austin Film Society alongside Chale Nafus, his college professor, University of Texas professor Charles Ramirez-Berg, SXSW founder Louis Black, and Lee Daniel, a frequent collaborator of his.
A role that slipped away
Linklater was set to direct an adaptation of The Rosie Project with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead, but he left the project when Lawrence quit.

Richard Linklater movies on Netflix

Clerk2021IMDb rating 7.0as Himself
Blaze2018IMDb rating 6.6as Oilman
Hitchcock/Truffaut2015IMDb rating 7.3as Himself
The Hottest State2007IMDb rating 6.0as John Wayne Enthusiast
Spy Kids2001IMDb rating 5.7as Cool Spy
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America1996IMDb rating 6.8as Tour Bus Driver (voice)
The Underneath1995IMDb rating 6.1as Ember Doorman
Slacker1990IMDb rating 7.0as Should Have Stayed at Bus Station
It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books1988IMDb rating 5.5

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

Slacker1990 Comedy, Dramaas Should Have Stayed at Bus Station
IMDb rating 7.026K votes
Spy Kids2001 Action, Adventure, Comedyas Cool Spy
IMDb rating 5.7138K votes
It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books1988
IMDb rating 5.51.1K votes
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America1996as Tour Bus Drivervoice
IMDb rating 6.863K votes
The Underneath1995as Ember Doorman
IMDb rating 6.14.1K votes
The Hottest State2007as John Wayne Enthusiast
IMDb rating 6.03.0K votes
Hitchcock/Truffaut2015as Himself
IMDb rating 7.37.7K votes
Blaze2018as Oilman
IMDb rating 6.64.0K votes

Worked with

Richard Linklater shares two films with Mike Judge, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Jonathan Marc Sherman

Danny Trejo

Bruce Willis

Antonio Banderas

Ethan Hawke

Ethan HawkeDirector, 2 films

Films together

Mike Judge2 films together, 1996 to 2001
Mike Judge's page
- Spy Kids2001IMDb rating 5.7Linklater as Cool SpyJudge as Donnagon / Donnamight
- Beavis and Butt-Head Do America1996IMDb rating 6.8Linklater as Tour Bus DrivervoiceJudge as Beavis / Butt-Head / Tom Anderson / Mr. Van Driessen / Principal McVickervoice
Jonathan Marc Sherman2 films together, 2007 to 2018
Jonathan Marc Sherman's page
- Blaze2018IMDb rating 6.6Linklater as OilmanSherman as Sam
- The Hottest State2007IMDb rating 6.0Linklater as John Wayne EnthusiastSherman as Party Philosopher
Danny Trejo1 film together, 2001
Danny Trejo's page
- Spy Kids2001IMDb rating 5.7Linklater as Cool SpyTrejo as Machete
Bruce Willis1 film together, 1996
Bruce Willis's page
- Beavis and Butt-Head Do America1996IMDb rating 6.8Linklater as Tour Bus DrivervoiceWillis as Muddy Grimesvoice
Antonio Banderas1 film together, 2001
Antonio Banderas's page
- Spy Kids2001IMDb rating 5.7Linklater as Cool SpyBanderas as Gregorio Cortez
Ethan Hawke1 film together, 2007
Ethan Hawke's page
- The Hottest State2007IMDb rating 6.0Linklater as John Wayne EnthusiastHawke as Vince
Ethan HawkeDirector, 2 films, 2007 to 2018
All films by Ethan Hawke
- Blaze2018IMDb rating 6.6Linklater as Oilman
- The Hottest State2007IMDb rating 6.0Linklater as John Wayne Enthusiast

Awards

Six awards and honors from 1995 to 2026, five of them major.

Richard Linklater's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Golden Globes
2015	Best Director	Boyhood	Won
BAFTA
2015	Best Direction	Boyhood	Won
Berlin Film Festival
2014	Silver Bear for Best Director	Boyhood	Won
2013	Berlinale Camera		Won
1995	Silver Bear for Best Director	Before Sunrise	Won
Other honors
2026	César Award for Best Director	Nouvelle Vague	Won

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.