Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater (/ˈlɪnkleɪtər/; born July 30, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making films which deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Silver Bear, a César Award, and five Academy Award nominations.

His films include the comedies Slacker (1990) and Dazed and Confused (1993); the romance films Before trilogy (1995–2013); the music-themed comedy School of Rock (2003); the adult animated films Waking Life (2001), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (2022); the coming-of-age drama Boyhood (2014); the comedy film Everybody Wants Some!! (2016); the action romantic comedy Hit Man (2023); and the biographical films Blue Moon (2025) and Nouvelle Vague (2025).

Many of Linklater's films are noted for their loosely structured narratives. The Before trilogy and Boyhood both feature the same actors filmed over an extended period of years. In 2015, Linklater was named to the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Slacker and Before Sunrise have been inducted into the National Film Registry.