Photo: Jeff Vespa © WireImage.com

Born in Los Angeles, CA. Todd Haynes was always intersted in the arts, and made amateur movies and painted while he was still a child. He attended Brown university and majored in art and semiotics. After he graduated he moved to New York City and made a very controversial short film SUPERSTAR (1987). The movie uses dolls instead of actors to tell the the story of the late Karen Carpenter. The movie was a success at several film festivals, and because of a lawsuit by Richard Carpenter (over musical rights) is very hard to see but it is a true classic for bootleg video buyers. Haynes' first feature, POISON (1991) was even more controversial. The film was attacked by right wing fanatics who said it was pornographic, it won the Grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It is now considered a seminal work of the new queer cinema. His next film SAFE (1995) was a very different work for Haynes, it told the story of a woman suffering from a breakdown caused by a mysterious virus. She ends up in a very strange clinic. Many thought the film was a metaphor of the AIDS virus. The movie was a considered to be an outstanding work and was one of the best films of the year. In VELVET GOLDMINE (1998), Haynes combines the visual style of 60s/70s art films and his love for glam rock music to tell the story of a fictional rock star's rise and fall. The film proved that Haynes has the talent to be seriously respected by critics and film lovers everywhere. He wrote and directed FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002), for which he received an Oscar® nomination. Haynes' most recent feature film as writer and director is 2007's I'M NOT THERE, his ruminations on the life of Bob Dylan, where six characters embody a different aspect of the musician's life and work. As an executive producer, Haynes' most recent credits include QUINCEAÑERA and OLD JOY (both 2006), and WENDY (scheduled for release in 2008).  Nominated for Achievement in Writing (Original Screenplay) 2002: FAR FROM HEAVEN 1 nomination