Quentin Tarantino

A true legend was born on 27 March 1963 called Quentin Tarantino. His parents Tony Tarantino and Connie McHugh divorced before he was born and he was raised by his mother. He spent only two years at James Best Acting School before dropping out. Tarantino was a film fan from a very young age and proudly acknowledged his job at Video Archives, a rental store, played a great part in his studies.

His first movie screened in 1992 at the Sundance Film Festival and became an instant cult-classic called Reservoir Dogs. There was no doubt it would set the trend for more original movies to come. He wrote the script in less than four weeks and Harvey Keitel chose to help with funding along with playing a part. Tarantino’s second script Natural Born Killers (1994) held no restraints in glorifying violence. With Oliver Stone in the director's seat it proved to become a rebel film in a class of its own.

With the success came Hollywood offers which he chose to decline in order to work on his third script Pulp Fiction, only this time he would direct it himself. It starred well-known actors like Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis. His special skills for writing his speech-like dialogue along with his original ideas raked in numerous Academy Awards and nominations. More favorites soon followed like From Dusk till Dawn (1996) and Jackie Brown (1997).

Tarantino went from strength to strength and both wrote and directed Kill Bill vol 1 and 2, utilizing Uma Thurman in the lead. It was a project they talked about when filming Pulp Fiction and consisted of a rather strange mix regarding styles. In 2009 he took a change of pace with the alternative history in Inglourious Basterds (2009). Christoph Waltz, who he later used in Django - Unchained, did an amazing job with the script. The movie surrounds a group of Jewish American soldiers; situated in France during the Second World War.

Quentin Tarantino at the 2010 Academy Awards (photo by Sgt. Michael Connors)

His latest work Django - Unchained (2012) has surpassed all his previous movies in terms of sales and his ability to bring out the best in the actors is undeniable. Apart from Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio gives the performance of a lifetime as a powerful slave trader. A certain scene where these three characters have dinner is probably the most impressive minutes DiCaprio has shown in his career.

Mr. Tarantino has influenced the movie industry in a way few people has been able to do. Thanks to more original directors like Robert Rodriguez, also a good friend of Quentin, the best is yet to come.