保罗·托马斯·安德森，美国著名导演，独立电影界红人。父亲是当地恐怖节目主持人。他成长的城市在70年代是色情文化工业最繁荣的地方，安德森从少年时代起就着迷于色情电影，他对电影的兴趣远远超过了他的学业。据说他在学校时是所谓之典型的“差等生”，六年级时更因为恶劣的行为被开除。不过他在高中就拍摄了一部30分钟的仿纪录片《Dirk Diggler》，这部影片是关于一位色情明星的，后来成为《不羁夜》的灵感源泉。

安德森曾进入大学主修英国文学，不过很快就转向自己所喜欢的电影。他在纽约和洛杉矶两地担任电视助理、拍摄MTV等。他前往纽约大学电影系，但这次他呆的时间更短，只有两天，他用退还的学费拍摄了短片《雪茄和咖啡》。此片在圣丹斯电影节放映后，好莱坞向他发出了邀请函。1996年，他完成了第一部长片《Hard Eight》，这部将背景设在一个充满赌徒和妓女的黑暗世界中的犯罪片对于初出茅庐的安德森是一个沉重的打击，制作公司将他解雇，且拒绝上映他自己的版本，直至得到了戛纳电影节的关注。

1997年，托马斯·安德森自编、自导，同时兼任制片的影片《不羁夜》（《一举成名》）再获成功，就像片名一样，托马斯·安德森也凭借此片一举成名了——凭借此片他个人不仅得到国内外的多个奖贡，而且还获得了1998年奥斯卡奖的提名（此片也使年轻主演马克·沃尔伯格崭露头角）。1999年11月，托马斯·安德森的新片《木兰花》与观众见面，观众将这部由朱丽安·摩尔主演的影片与《搏击俱乐部》《美国美人》《成为约翰·马尔科维奇》以及《黑客帝国》等成功电影相提并论，甚至评选它为“1999年最好看的电影”和“最有希望获得奥斯卡奖”的影片。并且也从中国演员巩俐手中拿过了柏林金熊奖杯。

Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Los Angeles, Anderson developed an interest in filmmaking from a young age. An alumnus of the Sundance Institute, Anderson is famous for making often epic psychological drama films which often take place in San Fernando Valley and deal with characters seeking after redemption, forgiveness or loss; they also use wide framing as well as realistic or gritty cinematography. Anderson made his feature film debut with Hard Eight (1996). He found critical and commercial success with Boogie Nights (1997), set in the Golden Age of Porn, and received further accolades with Magnolia (1999), an ensemble piece set in the San Fernando Valley, and Punch-Drunk Love (2002), a romantic comedy-drama film.

Anderson's 2007 film There Will Be Blood, about an oil prospector during the Southern California oil boom, achieved major critical and commercial success and was often cited as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. This was followed by The Master (2012) and Inherent Vice (2014). Anderson's eighth film, Phantom Thread, was released in 2017. He has directed music videos for artists including Fiona Apple, Radiohead, Haim, Joanna Newsom, Aimee Mann, Jon Brion and Michael Penn, and has also directed a documentary, Junun (2015), about the making of the album in India. More recently, he directed a short film accompanying Thom Yorke's Anima (2019), released on Netflix and in select IMAX theatres.

Anderson's films are often characterized by their depiction of flawed and desperate characters, explorations of themes such as dysfunctional families, alienation and loneliness, a bold visual style that uses moving camera and long takes, and memorable use of music. He is noted for his frequent collaborations with actors Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Melora Walters, John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix and Daniel Day-Lewis, cinematographer Robert Elswit, costume designer Mark Bridges, and composers Jon Brion and Jonny Greenwood. His films have consistently garnered critical acclaim. Anderson has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, one Golden Globe Award and five BAFTA Awards, and has won a Best Director Award at Cannes, both Golden and a Silver Bear at Berlin and a Silver Lion at Venice.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Thomas Anderson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Paul Thomas Anderson (Studio City, Los Angeles, 26 de junho de 1970) é um cineasta norte-americano nomeado duas vezes ao Oscar de melhor roteiro original por Boogie Nights e Magnólia. Anderson é conhecido por colocar em seus filmes um grande elenco, adotar um estilo de filmagem independente e entrelaçar várias histórias numa mesma trama, como é o caso de Boogie Nights (1997) e Magnolia (1999). Os filmes de Anderson frequentemente lidam com o significado das relações familiares, particularmente dos pais e seus filhos. Temas envolvendo o destino divino, a enigmática natureza do amor e o papel da mídia contemporânea também são explorados.

Пол Томас Андерсон (Paul Thomas Anderson) род. 26 июня 1970, Студио-Сити, Лос-Анджелес, Калифорния — американский кинорежиссёр, сценарист, оператор и продюсер, снявший девять полнометражных фильмов. Номинант на одиннадцать премий «Оскар».

Director de cine y guionista estadounidense nacido en Studio City, California. Uno de los autores más influyentes y complejos del cine actual. Responsable también de los guiones de sus películas, ha creado ya una obra muy cohesionada pero en la que es apreciable, asimismo, una sugerente evolución. Si antes de cumplir los treinta años, Anderson era ya autor de dos obras capitales, Boogie Nights (1997) y Magnolia (1999), después de su también magnífica ópera prima, Sydney (1996), y tras el deslumbrante experimento que constituyó Embriagado de amor (2002), con Pozos de ambición (2007) ofreció una nueva obra maestra que, además, supone un trascendental paso en su trayectoria. Todas ellas son películas situadas en un difuso espacio entre la gloriosa tradición cinematográfica de su país y las corrientes más rigurosas e inventivas del cine contemporáneo, pero ante todo insobornablemente personales, ofreciendo con las mismas un complejo retrato de los EEUU que, como ocurre con los grandes autores, posee resonancias universales. Su siguiente trabajo fue, The Master (2012), un film inspirado en Ron L. Hubbard, el fundador de la Cienciología y protagonizado por Joaquin Phoenix y Philip Seymour Hoffman.