David Cronenberg
Early Life
David Paul Cronenberg was born in Toronto, Canada on March 15, 1943. He was raised by two very talented parents. His father was a writer/editor and his mother a musician. At a young age he showed exhibited a gift for writing short scary stories and for playing the guitar. He attended the University of Toronto earning a degree in literature before moving on to film-making.
His first films would be Shivers (1975), Rabid (1977), and The Brood (1979). His first major success didn't come until Scanners in 1981. The body horror aesthetics were something audiences had never witnessed before. His next movie Videodrome (1983) contained the same gory themes and hallucinatory visuals. A couple scenes worth noting are one of the protagonist inserting a VHS into his stomach and having a "flesh gun" for a hand. In his films to follow, The Dead Zone (1983), The Fly (1986), and Naked Lunch (1991) his trademark directing style is on full display.
Movies Known For
| Shivers (1975) | Rabid (1977) | The Brood (1979) |
| Scanners (1981) | Videodrome (1983) | The Dead Zone (1983) |
| The Fly (1986) | Dead Ringers (1988) | Naked Lunch (1991) |
Did You Know?
His sister Denise Cronenberg usually designs the costumes in his films.
John Carpenter references him in Escape From New York (1981).
He turned down the chance to direct Top Gun (1986) and Robocop (1987).
He is also referred to as "The King of Venereal Horror" or "The Baron of Blood."