Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Directing for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, and won the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for his film Elephant. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
His early career was devoted to directing television commercials in the Pacific Northwest. In his films, he has dealt with themes concerning homosexuality and other marginalized subcultures.
His filmography as writer and director includes an adaptation of Tom Robbins' novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which features a diverse cast (Keanu Reeves, Roseanne Barr, Uma Thurman, and k.d. lang, with cameos by William S. Burroughs and Heather Graham, among others); and My Own Private Idaho, also starring Reeves as well as River Phoenix.
He wrote the screenplays for most of his early movies, and wrote one novel, Pink. A book of his photography has also been published, called 108 Portraits.
Acted in
The Trainer
2024
who is Gus Van Sant?
2024
as Himself
Nicole Kidman: Eyes Wide Open
2023
as Self (interview)
At the Video Store
2019
as Self
Zeroville
2019
as Film Archive Curator
Illegal Civilization 3
2018
as Self
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
2018
as Willamette Week Editor
Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible
2016
as Self
I Don't Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman
2015
as Self
About Cinema
2015
as Self
The Canyons
2013
as Dr. Campbell
The Greatest Event in Television History
2012
as Self
Reflecting On A Journey: Good Will Hunting 15 Years Later
2012
as Self
A Special Day
2012
as Self
The Advocate for Fagdom
2011
as Self
The Story of Film: An Odyssey
2011
as Self
Portlandia
2011
as Gus Van Sant
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
2010
as Self
Making Paranoid Park
2008
Crítico
2008
as Self
In the Mood for Doyle
2007
as Self
Paranoid Park
2007
as Guy Reading Newspaper (uncredited)
Here’s Looking at You, Boy
2007
as Self
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
2006
as Self
Last Days
2005
as Phone Voice (voice)
The Making of ‘My Own Private Idaho’
2005
as Self
On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time
2004
as Himself
The Making of Last Days
2004
as Himself
Saltlake Van Sant
2003
as Self
About Elephant
2003
as Self
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
2001
as Gus Van Sant
Rescued from the Closet
2001
as Self
Finding Forrester
2000
as Library Assistant (uncredited)
Psycho Path
2000
as Self - Director
The Making of Drugstore Cowboy
1999
Psycho
1998
as Man Talking to Man in Cowboy Hat (uncredited)
Strange Parallel
1998
as Self
Guns on the Clackamas
1995
Hi Octane
1994
as Self
Made in the USA
1993
as Self
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Funky Monks
1991
as Himself
My Own Private Idaho
1991
as Man Behind Hotel Counter (uncredited)
Drugstore Cowboy
1989
as Himself (uncredited)
Mala Noche
1988
as Guy at Hotel (uncredited)
Junior
1988
as Himself
Five Ways to Kill Yourself
1987
