De Palma, Brian (1940-…), is an American motion-picture director known for his horror and action movies. De Palma’s films have been praised for their visual flair. Much of his work reflects the influence of British film director Alfred Hitchcock.
Brian Russell De Palma was born on Sept. 11, 1940, in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from Columbia University in 1962 and earned a master’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1964. He began his movie career in 1960 directing short films and made his first feature film, Murder a la Mod, in 1968. He followed this film with the satirical Greetings (1968) and directed a sequel, Hi Mom!, in 1970. His thriller Sisters (1973) was his earliest work to show the influence of Hitchcock.
De Palma gained his first widespread recognition with the horror film Carrie (1976), an adaptation of Stephen King’s first novel. He also directed the thrillers Dressed to Kill (1980) and Blow Out (1981). De Palma’s other work includes the gangster films Scarface (1983), The Untouchables (1987), and Carlito’s Way (1993); the war film Casualties of War (1989); and the mystery The Black Dahlia (2006). Among De Palma’s later work, the thriller Mission Impossible (1996) ranks as his most popular film. Another of De Palma’s later films is Mission to Mars (2000). While living in France, De Palma wrote and directed the suspense film Femme Fatale (2002). De Palma also directed Redacted (2007), a montage of stories about American soldiers fighting in the Iraq conflict, and the crime drama Passion (2012).
