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David Cronenberg

Directing

Born March 15, 1943 · Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Also known as David Paul Cronenberg

Biography

David Paul Cronenberg (born 15 March 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and the intertwining of the psychological, physical, and technological. Cronenberg is best known for exploring these themes through sci-fi horror films such as Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981),  Videodrome (1983), and The Fly (1986). However, he has also directed dramas, psychological thrillers, and gangster films. Cronenberg's films have polarized critics and audiences; he has earned critical acclaim and sparked controversy for his depictions of gore and violence. The Village Voice called him "the most audacious and challenging narrative director in the English-speaking world". His films have won numerous awards, including the Special Jury Prize for Crash at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, a unique award that is distinct from the Jury Prize as it is not given annually but only at the request of the official jury, who in this case gave the award "for originality, for daring, and for audacity". From the 2000s to the 2020s, Cronenberg collaborated on several films with Viggo Mortensen, including A History of Violence (2005), Eastern Promises (2007), A Dangerous Method (2011) and Crimes of the Future (2022). Seven of his films were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or, the most recent being The Shrouds (2024), which was screened at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Cronenberg, licensed under CC-BY-SA, is a full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Bram Stoker AwardLifetime Achievement · 2024
  • Carrosse d'or · 2006
  • Sitges Film Festival Best Director award · 2002
  • Time Machine Award · 2002
  • Canada's Walk of Fame · 1999
Show all 22 awards →
  • Jury Prize · 1996
  • Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television AwardBest Motion Picture · 1992
  • Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television AwardBest Motion Picture · 1989
  • Sitges Film Festival Best Screenplay award · 1977
  • Sitges Film Festival Best Director award · 1975
  • Canadian Screen AwardBest Screenplay
  • Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
  • Companion of the Order of Canada
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
  • Knight of the Legion of Honour
  • Officer of the Order of Canada
  • Order of Ontario
  • Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
  • Special Prize of the Angoulême festival jury
  • The George Pal Memorial Award
  • Bram Stoker AwardBest First Novel · 2014 · nominated
  • European Film AwardBest Non-European Film · 2002 · nominated

Filmography50+ titles

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

2026as Chester Danforth

The Fly

1986as Gynecologist

Eastern Promises

2007Director

Friday the 13th: The Series

1987Director

Alias Grace

2017as Reverend Verrenger

A History of Violence

2005Director

Videodrome

1983as Max Renn (Helmet Scenes) (uncredited)

Dead Ringers

1988as Obstetrician (uncredited)

Star Trek: Discovery

2017as Dr. Kovich

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

2010as Self (archive footage)

Barney's Version

2010as O'Malley Director #2

The Dead Zone

1983Director

Escape from New York

1981Thanks

Leo

2023Original Film Writer

Pacific Rim

2013Thanks

Alias

2001as Dr. Brezzel

eXistenZ

1999Director, Producer, Screenplay

Slasher

2016as Spencer

Last Night

1998as Duncan

Scanners

1981Director, Writer

The Brood

1979Director, Writer

Spider

2002Director, Producer

To Die For

1995as Man at Lake

M. Butterfly

1993Director

The Double

2013Thanks

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

2010as Self

Into the Night

1985as Group Supervisor

Falling

2020as Dr. Klausner

Tales from the Organ Trade

2013as Narrator

A Dangerous Method

2011Director

Moonshine Highway

1996as Clem Clayton

Nightbreed

1990as Dr. Philip K. Decker

Shivers

1975as Infected Crowd Member (uncredited)

Shortbus

2006Thanks

Rabid

1977Director, Writer

Sangre Del Toro

2025as Self (archive footage)

Maps to the Stars

2014Director

Happy Town

2010as Dr. Leichman

Resurrection

1999as Father Rousell

Crimes of the Future

2022Director, Writer

Extreme Measures

1996as Hospital Lawyer

The Shrouds

2024Director, Writer

Rabid

2019Original Film Writer

Cosmopolis

2012Director, Producer, Screenplay

Scanner Cop

1994Characters

Room 999

2023as Self

Humane

2024as D.O.C.S. Commercials Narrator

Disappearance at Clifton Hill

2019as Walter

Stereo (Tile 3B of a CAEE Educational Mosaic)

1969Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Producer, Writer

The Dead Don't Die

2019Thanks