Biography

One of cinema’s most imaginative filmmakers, Tim Burton has enjoyed success in both the live-action and animation arenas. His recent films include Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Big Eyes, Dark Shadows, and Frankenweenie, which was a 2012 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Picture. He also produced the fantasy horror Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. In 2010, he directed Alice in Wonderland, which was the second-highest-grossing release of 2010. The film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy, and won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. Mr. Burton was previously honored with an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature for Corpse Bride, which he directed and produced. He received BAFTA Award and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for Best Director for Big Fish, and he won a National Board of Review Award and garnered Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for his directing work on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The film also won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy. In 2019 his adaptation of Disney’s Dumbo will be released.

Mr. Burton began his film career in animation, and, in 1982, directed the stop-motion animated short Vincent, narrated by Vincent Price. He made his feature film directorial debut in 1985 with the comedy Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. He then helmed the comedy Beetlejuice and directed the action blockbusters Batman and Batman Returns. In 1990, Mr. Burton directed, co-wrote, and produced the romantic fantasy Edward Scissorhands, which marked the start of his cinematic partnership with Johnny Depp. Their subsequent collaborations include the films Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, Sweeney Todd, and Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Mr. Burton’s additional directing credits include Mars Attacks! and the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes. He also conceived and produced The Nightmare Before Christmas, and produced such films as Cabin Boy, Batman Forever, and the animated features James and the Giant Peach and 9. In 2010, the filmmaker released The Art of Tim Burton, comprising more than forty years of his personal and project artwork. In November of that year, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) opened an exhibit of his work, which went on to tour in Melbourne, Toronto, Los Angeles, Paris, and Seoul.