Terry Zwigoff

TERRY ZWIGOFF

Date of Birth: 1948

Producer/director Terry Zwigoff is the critically-acclaimed director of the documentary Louie Bluie, a portrait of the obscure and eccentric blues musician and artist, Howard Armstrong. His inspiration for the film came when he discovered a 1934 recording by an unknown artist. He then spent the next two years researching the musician.

After Louie Bluie, he worked on his second documentary, Crumb, a portrait of the controversial comic book writer/artist, Robert Crumb. Crumb was another film laced with personal experience, as Zwigoff had known Robert Crumb for over twenty-five years, published several of his comics in the 1970s and played in Crumb's band, The Cheap Suit Serenaders. The documentary was a hit, becoming the highest-grossing documentary film ever made and winning several awards for Best Documentary. He has also won the DGA, IDA and National Review award for Best Director.

Zwigoff's first fictional film was Ghost World (2000), starring Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson and based on a comic book by Daniel Clowes. Zwigoff co-wrote the film with Clowes, and they were nominated for an Oscar® for Best Screenplay based on previously published material. At the Deauville Film Festival, Zwigoff won the Jury Special Prize as well as a Best Director Award from the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.

Zwigoff next helmed the big budget feature comedy Bad Santa, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Bernie Mac. He followed it up with Art School Confidential, starring John Malkovich.

Filmography:

Art School Confidential (2005)
Bad Santa (2003)
Ghost World (2000)
Crumb (1994)
A Family Named Moe (???)
Louie Bluie (1985)