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Quentin Tarantino is 60: Ten facts about the cult director

Quentin Tarantino has no place for weak nerves – in his films, fake blood usually squirts by the liter. Above all, however, his works have been captivating for more than 30 years with brilliant dialogues, laconic wit and an all-star cast. At Tarantino, the “Who’s Who” of Hollywood comes into their own. The list of well-wishers for his birthday should also be top-class – following all, the cult director will be 60 years old this Monday.

You can read ten impressive facts regarding the life of cult director Quentin Tarantino here:

How Quentin got his name: Tarantino was born in 1963 to 16-year-old Connie McHugh and 21-year-old Italian-American Tony Tarantino in Knoxville, Tennessee. He owes his name to Quint Asper, a character in the western series “Gunsmoke”, played by Burt Reynolds.
Tarantino is a writing genius without a degree: The young mother raised little Quentin Jerome alone in Los Angeles. There, the school dropout and film junkie went to ghetto cinemas, where kung fu films and Clint Eastwood westerns were shown. Everything else he learned through jobs in video stores and acting classes.
How Robert Redford got his career rolling: Tarantino’s passion for film brought him to a directing workshop in Sundance, where Hollywood star Robert Redford hosts the annual independent film festival. Tarantino celebrated his first big screen success in 1992 with his Sundance debut “Reservoir Dogs”, a merciless gangster chamber play.
For “Pulp Fiction” stars waived the big fee: Tarantino’s second feature film “Pulp Fiction” was made with relatively modest means, but was a sensational success at the box office. With a production cost of $8.5 million, both Bruce Willis and John Travolta waived a large part of their usual fees. The screenplay for the blood orgy regarding crook honor, murder and manslaughter won the first Oscar. The story elements were intended to be reminiscent of classic 1920s and 1930s crime thrillers that appeared in pulp novels. Hence the title of the film.

Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary accept the 1995 screenwriting Oscar for “Pulp Fiction.”
Image: EPA
Serious accident of Uma Thurman: In 1997, Tarantino provided the gangster epic Jackie Brown. Another six years passed until “Kill Bill”, Tarantino served up the revenge campaign of a murderous bride (Uma Thurman) in a double pack as “Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2”. Years following the shooting, a New York Times report led to serious allegations once morest Tarantino. He persuaded Thurman, who was considered his muse, to do a stunt in which she injured her neck and knees. Thurman himself later said there was no malicious intent behind it. Producer Harvey Weinstein is said to have later covered up the stunt accident.

Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill”
jack of all trades Tarantino: As an auteur filmmaker, Tarantino makes few compromises. He directs, writes the screenplay, is often a producer himself and takes part in small roles as an actor.
Liters of film blood: In addition to the ingenious dialogues and bizarre characters, Tarantino’s films are notorious for their orgies of violence. In none of his works does the blood bubble as much as in “Kill Bill”, more than 2000 liters of fake blood are said to have flowed in the two-parter. Most of it may have been used for the scene in the first part where the bride (Thurman) slaughters the madmen 88.
His trademarks: In addition to recurring actors such as Samuel L. Jackson or Michael Madsen, there are numerous trademarks that appear in Tarantino films. These include items such as Chevrolets, Red Apple cigarettes, Big Kahuna burgers, silver tape, and various role names. Stylistic devices such as the “Mexican standoff” (confrontation between two armed parties) or the “trunk shot” (a camera shot from inside a trunk) are often used in Tarantino’s films.
Tarantino Darling Waltz: The cult director gave the Austrian actor Christoph Waltz a double Oscar triumph. For the role of Hans Landa in “Inglourious Basterds”, the Viennese was honored with the Oscar for best supporting actor in 2010. Three years later, Waltz received another Goldman for his supporting role in “Django Unchained”. He is only the second actor to win an Oscar in two films by the same director.

Christoph Waltz (l.) und Jamie Foxx in “Django Unchained”
Picture: (REUTERS)
Is Tarantino really breaking up? Fans should now look forward to his next film with mixed feelings. It has been known for a long time that Tarantino wants to break up followingwards. He has been living in Israel with his wife, the singer Daniella Pick, for several years. In 2022 he became a father for the second time. “I’ve been doing all this for 30 years,” the director confirmed his plans in a recent interview. He doesn’t want to become an old man who has lost touch with the present. “It’s time to end the show.”

Quentin Tarantino with his 39-year-old wife Daniella Pick
Bild: (APA/AFP/FREDERIC J. BROWN)