Paul Thomas Anderson Height, Age, Girlfriends, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Nickname(s)	• P.T. • P.T.A.
Profession	Filmmaker
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5′ 10½″ (179 cm)
Eye Colour	Moss Green
Hair Colour	Brown
Career
Debut	Film: Hard Eight (1996)
Awards, Honours	1997 • New Generation Award for the films 'Boogie Nights' and 'Hard Eight' at the 23rd Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2000 • Golden Bear for the film 'Magnolia' at the 50th Berlin International Film Festival 2002 • Best Director award for the film 'Punch-Drunk Love' at the 55th Cannes Film Festival 2007 • Best Picture and Best Director awards for the film 'There Will Be Blood' at the 33rd Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards • Best Picture and Best Director awards for 'There Will Be Blood' at the 42nd National Society of Film Critics Awards 2008 • Silver Bear for Best Director for 'There Will Be Blood' at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival 2012 • Best Director award for the film 'The Master' at the 38th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards • Silver Lion for Best Director and FIPRESCI Prize for 'The Master' at the 69th Venice International Film Festival 2014 • Best Adapted Screenplay award for the film 'Inherent Vice' at the 86th National Board of Review Awards • Robert Altman Award for 'Inherent Vice' at the 30th Film Independent Spirit Awards 2017 • Best Director award for the film 'Phantom Thread' at the 38th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards • Best Original Screenplay award for 'Phantom Thread' at the 89th National Board of Review Awards • Best Screenplay award for 'Phantom Thread' at the 83rd New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2021 • Best Original Screenplay award for 'Licorice Pizza' at the 34th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards • Best Director award for 'Licorice Pizza' at the 93rd National Board of Review Awards • Best Screenplay award for 'Licorice Pizza' at the 87th New York Film Critics Circle Awards • Capri Producer Award for 'Licorice Pizza' at the Capri Hollywood International Film Festival 2022 • Best Original Screenplay award for the film 'Licorice Pizza' at the 75th British Academy Film Awards 2025 • Best Adapted Screenplay award for the film 'One Battle After Another' at the 46th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards • Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay awards for 'One Battle After Another' at the 38th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards • Best Film and Best Director awards for 'One Battle After Another' at the 51st Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards • Best Film and Best Director awards for 'One Battle After Another' at the 97th National Board of Review Awards • Best Picture and Best Director awards for 'One Battle After Another' at the 60th National Society of Film Critics Awards • Best Film award for 'One Battle After Another' at the 91st New York Film Critics Circle Awards • Best Screenwriter award for 'One Battle After Another' at the 25th AARP Movies for Grownups Awards • Best Director award for 'One Battle After Another' at the Capri Hollywood International Film Festival • Best Feature award for 'One Battle After Another' at the 35th Gotham Film Awards 2026 • Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay awards for 'One Battle After Another' at the 31st Critics' Choice Awards • Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy awards for 'One Battle After Another' at the 83rd Golden Globes • Best Adapted Screenplay award for 'One Battle After Another' at the 9th Astra Film Awards • Best Film and Best Direction awards for 'One Battle After Another' 15th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Awards • Outstanding Directing – Feature Film award for 'One Battle After Another' at the 78th Directors Guild of America Awards
Personal Life
Date of Birth	26 June 1970 (Friday)
Age (as of 2025)	55 Years
Birthplace	Studio City, Los Angeles, United States
Zodiac sign	Cancer
Signature
Nationality	American
Hometown	Studio City, Los Angeles
School	• The Buckley School, New York • John Thomas Dye School, Los Angeles • Campbell Hall School, Los Angeles • Cushing Academy, Massachusetts • Montclair College Preparatory School, Los Angeles
College/University	• Santa Monica College (attended briefly) • Emerson College, Boston, Massachusetts (attended for two semesters) • New York University (attended for two days)
Educational Qualification	High School Graduate
Religion	Christianity (Catholicism)
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Affairs/Girlfriends	• Fiona Apple (singer-songwriter) (1997-2000) • Estella Warren (actor, fashion model) (2000) (rumoured) • Maya Rudolph (actor, comedian) (2001 - Present)
Family
Children	Son- 1 • Jack (born in 2011) Daughter(s)- 3 • Pearl (born in 2005) • Lucille (born in 2009) • Minnie (born 2013)
Parents	Father- Ernie Anderson (television actor, voice-over artist, announcer) (deceased) Mother- Edwina Anderson (née Gough) (actor) (deceased)
Siblings	Brother(s)- • Stephen Anderson (half-brother) • Michael Anderson • Richard Anderson (half-brother) Sister(s)- • Amanda Anderson • Kathryn Anderson • Elizabeth Anderson
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	$70-80 million (as of 2025-2026)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Paul Thomas Anderson

• Paul Thomas Anderson grew up in the Studio City neighbourhood of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.

• His father, Ernie Anderson, was the longtime voice of ABC and also played a late-night horror host in Cleveland called Ghoulardi.

• His relationship with his mother was difficult, but he shared a close bond with his father.

• His father strongly supported his creative interests and encouraged him to pursue writing or directing.

• Paul named his production company after Ghoulardi as a tribute to his father.

• He has three siblings and also has five half-siblings from his father’s earlier marriage.

• His interest in filmmaking began at a very young age, and he never seriously considered any career other than directing films.

• He made his first film when he was only eight years old.

• In 1982, his father bought him a Betamax video camera, which allowed him to start making films regularly.

• He later experimented with shooting on 8 mm film but found video to be more practical and easier to work with.

• During his teenage years, Anderson began writing his own material and experimenting with a Bolex 16 mm camera.

• After years of practising with basic projects, he finally created what he considered his first proper film while he was a senior at Montclair Prep. He paid for this project using money he earned by cleaning animal cages at a pet store.

• The project resulted in a 30-minute mockumentary titled The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), which was inspired by the life of porn star John Holmes.
  

  A poster of ‘The Dirk Diggler Story’ (1988)

• This story later became the foundation for Boogie Nights (1997), which was developed as a full-length feature adaptation of The Dirk Diggler Story.

• Paul Thomas Anderson first studied at Santa Monica College before moving on to Emerson College, where he spent two semesters majoring in English.

• During his time at Emerson College, he was taught by writer David Foster Wallace, who influenced his thinking and approach to storytelling.

• Anderson briefly enrolled at New York University but left after just two days.

• Soon after, he began working professionally as a production assistant on television shows, feature films, music videos, and game shows.

• His early industry work took place in both Los Angeles and New York City.

• Paul later became frustrated with film school, believing it turned creativity into homework, and decided to learn by making a film instead.

• As a substitute for film school, he committed to making a 20-minute short film on his own terms. Using a modest budget of $10,000, Anderson directed ‘Cigarettes & Coffee’ in 1993.
  

  Paul Thomas Anderson during the making of ‘Cigarettes & Coffee’

• The money for ‘Cigarettes & Coffee’ came from a mix of gambling winnings, his girlfriend’s credit card, and college funds his father had saved for him. The short film connected multiple storylines through a single $20 bill.

• ‘Cigarettes & Coffee’ was selected for the Shorts Program at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival.

• Paul was encouraged by the film’s reception to expand it into a full-length feature, which led to his invitation to the 1994 Sundance Feature Film Program; he was mentored there by filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones.

• While at Sundance, Anderson secured a deal with Rysher Entertainment to direct his first feature film, initially titled ‘Sydney.’ After production was completed, the studio reedited the film without Anderson’s approval.

• Paul submitted his original cut of ‘Sydney’ to the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened in the Un Certain Regard section.

• To release his preferred cut, Paul raised $200,000 with help from Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, and Gwyneth Paltrow nd retitled the film ‘Hard Eight.’ The film’s critical success launched his career.

• In 1997, he directed and co-produced the film ‘Boogie Nights,’ which achieved both critical acclaim and box office success.
  
  

• His other works include ‘Magnolia’ (1999), ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ (2002), ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007), Phantom Thread (2017), and ‘One Battle After Another’ (2025).
  

  A poster of the film ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007)