Biography for
Roland Emmerich Plus avec IMDbPro »

Date de naissance

10 November 1955, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany

Surnom

Das Spielbergle aus Sindelfingen (South German dialect for "Little Spielberg from Sindelfingen")

Mini Biographie

Emmerich began his career in his native Germany. In his youth, he pursued painting and sculpting. While enrolled in the director's program at film school in Munich, his student film Das Arche Noah Prinzip (1984) went on to open the 1984 Berlin Film Festival. The feature became a huge success and was sold to more than 20 countries.

IMDb Mini Biographie par: Anonymous

Caractéristique

Often features an object crashing into the camera (Independence Day (1996)).

Often features an insert or zoom-in shot of a villain's eyes widening when meeting demise (Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996)).

All of his major films have featured a couple kissing in front of a luminous background.

Often features the number "44" somewhere in his films in reference to his movie Moon 44 (1990).

Movies frequently feature a scene with rain.

Large-scale disaster films (Independence Day (1996), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 2012 (2009/I)).

Often uses a shot of a teacup and saucer rattling wildly to demonstrate a strong vibration.

Often uses extreme telephoto lenses with very deep focus in his shots so that all elements are in sharp focus.

Anecdotes

His movie Das Arche Noah Prinzip (1984) has been the most high budgeted film-school examination film (DEM 1,000,000) in Germany (1984).

He lists The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Earthquake (1974) (disaster movies) as his favourites.

Brother of Ute Emmerich

Frequently casts members of a particular group of actors in minor roles in his movies. This group includes John Storey, David Pressman, Erick Avari, Leon Rippy, Christopher John Fields, Derek Webster, Jack Moore and Steve Giannelli, among others. All of these actors appeared in at least three films directed by Emmerich, including Universal Soldier (1992), Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), Godzilla (1998), and The Patriot (2000). All of these films were produced by Centropolis Entertainment, the company co-founded by Emmerich.

President of jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2005

Emmerich was interested into doing Transformers (2007), but Dreamworks wanted Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay over him.

Turned down the offer to direct Die Another Day (2002).

Was originally considered to direct Spider-Man (2002).

Attended the School of Television and Film in Munich from 1977 to 1981.

Along with other celebrities, he raised money for women's rights in the developing world.

Supported Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 electoral campaign.

Since directing The Day After Tomorrow (2004), he has tried to focus the public's attention on the issue of global warming.

Donated $150,000 to the Outfest's Legacy Project, which is dedicated to the gay and lesbian film preservation, the largest gift in the festival's history (2006).

Citations personnelles

I'm making movies for the masses.

I came to film school in 1977 when directors like Fassbinder and Wenders were everybody's heroes. But it was also the time that Star Wars and Close Encounters came out, and these were the seminal movies for me. Everybody is always so careful about these things. I mean, I'm good friends with Wim Wenders, but it doesn't mean I have to like his movies. Some of them, I like. Most of them, I find boring. And I would tell him that to his face.

When you're not loved by the critics, it's very hard for anyone to say anything good about your movie. For me, it's more important that the audience enjoys it and embraces it, anyway. You get something that does well, but is criticized. So you say, 'OK, they just didn't get it. There's 1% or 2% who didn't like it. But there's 98% who did.

... all my movies are created because I'm fascinated by a subject. Sometimes I think there's just a certain obsession about it all - when you want to do something just for the sake of it. A lot of directors are like that. I'm just very fortunate that most of my movies get made.

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