Todd Haynes

Film director Todd Haynes began his career with a 1987 short Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story. The short chronicled Carpenter's life using Barbie dolls, but because Haynes failed to secure licensing for The Carpenter's songs used throughout the film, he was hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit and had to pull the film from distribution.

His next project wasn't free from controversy either. Entitled Poison, the 1991 feature-length film was based on the writings of controversial French playwright Jean Genet. The film was partly funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and became the target of American Family Association's Reverend Donald Wildmon who called it federally-funded "filth."

His second full-length feature Safe marked his first collaboration with actress Julianne Moore and the first to receive wide distribution. Safe was followed by 1998's Velvet Goldmine and 2002's Far From Heaven'.

In 2007, Haynes released I'm Not There, an experimental biopic chronicling the life and many identities of musician Bob Dylan.

In addition to his directorial efforts, Haynes is an openly gay artist and activist. He was a founding member of Gran Fury, an artists/activists collective that spun off of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in 1998.

Fast Facts

1. Born: Jaunary 2, 1961
2. Birthplace: Encino, California
3. Education: BS in Semiotics from Brown University; MFA from Bard College
4. Awards: Academy Award nomination, "Best Original Screenplay"
5. Before securing music rights for his Bob Dylan biopic, he had unsuccessfully tried to get rights from both Karen Carpenter and David Bowie for two of his previous films

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