Richard Linklater

Directing

Richard Linklater

Born July 30, 1960 · Houston, Texas, USA (age 65)

Richard Linklater (/ˈlɪŋkleɪtər/; born July 30, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making films that deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. In 2015, Linklater was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. His films include the comedies Slacker (1990) and Dazed and Confused (1993); the Before trilogy of r…

Known For

Before SunriseBefore Sunrise · 1995
Before Sunrise
8.01995
MovieDramaRomance
An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet intimacy grows between them, knowing it may be their only night together.
Good Will HuntingGood Will Hunting · 1997
Good Will Hunting
8.21997
MovieDrama
Will Hunting is a headstrong, working-class genius who is failing the lessons of life. After one too many run-ins with the law, Will's last chance is a psychology professor, who might be the only man who can reach him.
The School of RockThe School of Rock · 2003
The School of Rock
7.12003
MovieComedyFamily
Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his straight-A students the finer points of rock 'n' roll and the power of sticking it to the man. But as the school’s stern principal closes in and the Battle of the Bands looms, Dewey must risk everything to prove that rock 'n' roll can change lives.
SlackerSlacker · 1990
Slacker
6.71990
MovieDramaComedy
Austin, Texas, is an Eden for the young and unambitious, from the enthusiastically eccentric to the dangerously apathetic. Here, the nobly lazy can eschew responsibility in favor of nursing their esoteric obsessions. The locals include a backseat philosopher who passionately expounds on his dream theories to a seemingly comatose cabbie, a young woman who tries to hawk Madonna's Pap test to anyone who will listen and a kindly old anarchist looking for recruits.
Nouvelle VagueNouvelle Vague · 2025
Nouvelle Vague
7.22025
MovieComedyDrama
After writing for Cahiers du cinéma, a young Jean-Luc Godard decides making films is the best film criticism. He convinces producer Georges de Beauregard to fund a low-budget feature, and creates a treatment with fellow New Wave filmmaker François Truffaut about a gangster couple. The result? Breathless, one of the first features of the Nouvelle Vague era of French cinema.
Before SunsetBefore Sunset · 2004
Before Sunset
7.82004
MovieDramaRomance
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
Hit ManHit Man · 2024
Hit Man
6.82024
MovieComedyRomance
A mild-mannered professor moonlighting as a fake hit man in police stings ignites a chain reaction of trouble when he falls for a potential client.
Dazed and ConfusedDazed and Confused · 1993
Dazed and Confused
7.31993
MovieComedyDrama
The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.

Movies

Before SunriseBefore Sunrise · 1995
Before Sunrise
8.01995
MovieDramaRomance
An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet intimacy grows between them, knowing it may be their only night together.
Good Will HuntingGood Will Hunting · 1997
Good Will Hunting
8.21997
MovieDrama
Will Hunting is a headstrong, working-class genius who is failing the lessons of life. After one too many run-ins with the law, Will's last chance is a psychology professor, who might be the only man who can reach him.
The School of RockThe School of Rock · 2003
The School of Rock
7.12003
MovieComedyFamily
Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his straight-A students the finer points of rock 'n' roll and the power of sticking it to the man. But as the school’s stern principal closes in and the Battle of the Bands looms, Dewey must risk everything to prove that rock 'n' roll can change lives.
SlackerSlacker · 1990
Slacker
6.71990
MovieDramaComedy
Austin, Texas, is an Eden for the young and unambitious, from the enthusiastically eccentric to the dangerously apathetic. Here, the nobly lazy can eschew responsibility in favor of nursing their esoteric obsessions. The locals include a backseat philosopher who passionately expounds on his dream theories to a seemingly comatose cabbie, a young woman who tries to hawk Madonna's Pap test to anyone who will listen and a kindly old anarchist looking for recruits.
Nouvelle VagueNouvelle Vague · 2025
Nouvelle Vague
7.22025
MovieComedyDrama
After writing for Cahiers du cinéma, a young Jean-Luc Godard decides making films is the best film criticism. He convinces producer Georges de Beauregard to fund a low-budget feature, and creates a treatment with fellow New Wave filmmaker François Truffaut about a gangster couple. The result? Breathless, one of the first features of the Nouvelle Vague era of French cinema.
Before SunsetBefore Sunset · 2004
Before Sunset
7.82004
MovieDramaRomance
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
Hit ManHit Man · 2024
Hit Man
6.82024
MovieComedyRomance
A mild-mannered professor moonlighting as a fake hit man in police stings ignites a chain reaction of trouble when he falls for a potential client.
Dazed and ConfusedDazed and Confused · 1993
Dazed and Confused
7.31993
MovieComedyDrama
The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.
Spy KidsSpy Kids · 2001
Spy Kids
5.82001
MovieFamilyAction
Carmen and Juni think their parents are boring. Little do they know that in their day, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez were the top secret agents from their respective countries. They gave up that life to raise their children. Now, the disappearances of several of their old colleagues forces the Cortez' return from retirement. What they didn't count on was Carmen and Juni joining the "family business."
Blue MoonBlue Moon · 2025
Blue Moon
6.62025
MovieMusicHistory
On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator, Richard Rodgers, celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical, “Oklahoma!”
Hitchcock/TruffautHitchcock/Truffaut · 2015
Hitchcock/Truffaut
7.22015
MovieDocumentary
Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and published in 1966.
A Scanner DarklyA Scanner Darkly · 2006
A Scanner Darkly
6.82006
MovieAnimationScience Fiction
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
BoyhoodBoyhood · 2014
Boyhood
7.52014
MovieDrama
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.
Everybody Wants Some!!Everybody Wants Some!! · 2016
Everybody Wants Some!!
6.42016
MovieComedy
A comedy that follows a group of friends as they navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.
SubUrbiaSubUrbia · 1997
SubUrbia
6.21997
MovieComedyDrama
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Before MidnightBefore Midnight · 2013
Before Midnight
7.52013
MovieRomanceDrama
It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. They now live in Paris with twin daughters but have spent a summer in Greece at the invitation of an author colleague of Jesse's. When the vacation is over and Jesse must send his teenage son off to the States, he begins to question his life decisions, and his relationship with Celine is at risk.
Bad News BearsBad News Bears · 2005
Bad News Bears
5.82005
MovieComedy
Morris Buttermaker is a burned-out minor league baseball player who loves to drink and can't keep his hands to himself. His long-suffering lawyer arranges for him to manage a local Little League team, and Buttermaker soon finds himself the head of a rag-tag group of misfit players. Through unconventional team-building exercises and his offbeat coaching style, Buttermaker helps his hapless Bears prepare to meet their rivals, the Yankees.
Apollo 10½: A Space Age ChildhoodApollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood · 2022
Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
7.02022
MovieAnimationComedy
A man narrates stories of his life as a 10-year-old boy in 1969 Houston, weaving tales of nostalgia with a fantastical account of a journey to the moon.
Waking LifeWaking Life · 2001
Waking Life
7.52001
MovieAnimationDrama
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
BrendaBrenda · 2026
Brenda
2026
MovieComedy
In 1994 New Orleans (right before the internet), two married weed dealers face a dilemma when their five-year-old son overhears their code name for marijuana and tries to solve the mystery of his parents’ imaginary friend. The movie shares a name with the code word: BRENDA.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do AmericaBeavis and Butt-Head Do America · 1996
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
6.61996
MovieAnimationComedy
Slacker duo Beavis and Butt-Head wake to discover their TV has been stolen. Their search for a new one takes them on a clueless adventure across America, during which they manage to accidentally become America's most wanted.
Shouting Down MidnightShouting Down Midnight · 2022
Shouting Down Midnight
1.02022
MovieDocumentary
Both cautionary tale and rallying cry, Shouting Down Midnight recounts how the Wendy Davis filibuster of 2013 galvanized a new generation of activists and reveals what is at stake for us all in the struggle for reproductive freedom.
BlazeBlaze · 2018
Blaze
6.32018
MovieDramaMusic
Inspired by the life of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw country movement that spawned the likes of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. The film weaves together three periods in Blaze's life, exploring his love affair with Sybil Rosen; his last, dark night on Earth; and the impact his songs and his death had on his fans, friends, and foes.
Me and Orson WellesMe and Orson Welles · 2008
Me and Orson Welles
6.42008
MovieDramaHistory
New York, 1937. A teenager hired to star in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar becomes attracted to a career-driven production assistant.

TV Shows

The Daily ShowThe Daily Show · 1996
The Daily Show
6.41996
SeriesComedy
The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.
Off Camera with Sam JonesOff Camera with Sam Jones · 2014
Off Camera with Sam Jones
5.02014
Series
Photographer and director Sam Jones sits down with the myriad professionals of television and movies, and other celebrities (great skateboarders, for example), to discuss their development before fame, their passions beyond their careers, and gives them a space to open up about their insight into their business and their own abilities. Filmed in black and white, with a few deep cushion chairs and sparse set, the show relies on Sam's ability to relate to the guests and their will to speak freely with him.
The Last Movie StarsThe Last Movie Stars · 2022
The Last Movie Stars
7.02022
SeriesDocumentary
A celebration of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s iconic careers and decades-long partnership. Director Ethan Hawke brings life and color to this definitive history of their love, lives, and philanthropy.
Overheard with Evan SmithOverheard with Evan Smith · 2010
Overheard with Evan Smith
2010
Series
Interviews with public figures.
My GenerationMy Generation · 2024
My Generation
1.02024
SeriesDocumentary
High-profile narrators Forest Whitaker, Ethan Hawke, Kristen Bell, Jenna Ortega and Azul Estrada guide viewers through generational histories via original interviews with those who witnessed major events firsthand.
God Save TexasGod Save Texas · 2024
God Save Texas
6.32024
SeriesDocumentary
Returning to their hometowns, Texas filmmakers Richard Linklater, Alex Stapleton, and Iliana Sosa chronicle the complex history of each city, while examining the toll that the prison system, oil business, and border laws have on those communities.
Directors TalksDirectors Talks · 2023
Directors Talks
2023
SeriesDocumentary
Up to SpeedUp to Speed · 2012
Up to Speed
8.02012
SeriesComedy
Tour guide, historian and flaneur "Speed" Levitch travels the nation visiting those monuments that rarely make it into travel guides, from the shoe gardens of San Francisco to the luckiest subway grate in New York City.
0505 · 2021
05
2021
SeriesDocumentary
Chronicling the Texas Longhorns' 2005 National Championship football season under Mack Brown.