Paul Thomas Anderson, born June 26, 1970, in Los Angeles, California, is an acclaimed American filmmaker renowned for his character-driven dramas featuring ambitious storytelling, sprawling ensembles, and psychological depth, often set in the San Fernando Valley.[1][3][4] Raised in a showbiz family by voiceover artist Ernie Anderson, he briefly attended New York University film school before dropping out to pursue independent projects, starting with shorts like the mockumentary *The Dirk Diggler Story* (1988) and *Cigarettes & Coffee* (1993).[1][3][5] His feature debut, *Hard Eight* (1996), expanded from his short and marked his entry into crime thrillers, followed by the breakout *Boogie Nights* (1997), a vivid portrait of the 1970s porn industry that revived careers for stars like Mark Wahlberg and Burt Reynolds while earning Anderson Oscar nominations.[1][2][3][5] He solidified his reputation with *Magnolia* (1999), an epic ensemble mosaic, and *Punch-Drunk Love* (2002), a romantic comedy-drama starring Adam Sandler that won him the Cannes Best Director Palme d'Or.[2][3][5] Anderson's later works include the oil tycoon epic *There Will Be Blood* (2007), starring Daniel Day-Lewis in an Oscar-winning role; *The Master* (2012) with Joaquin Phoenix; the noir adaptation *Inherent Vice* (2014), Oscar-nominated for its screenplay; *Phantom Thread* (2017), another Day-Lewis collaboration earning six Oscar nods; and *Licorice Pizza* (2021), a coming-of-age tale.[1][2][3][4] He holds unique distinctions as the only director to win Best Director at Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, plus multiple FIPRESCI awards, with 11 total Oscar nominations across his films.[2][3][4] Frequently collaborating with actors like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and cinematographer Robert Elswit, Anderson remains a vital force in contemporary cinema, celebrated for original, studio-scale visions outside genre constraints.[2][4][9] No major recent events are noted as of late 2025.[1][2][3]