Timothy Walter Burton
10 min read
Reading time
1,853
Words
Published
63
Film credits
12
Books
13
Awards
Tim Burton made his feature directorial debut with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1985, a surprise hit that launched his Hollywood career. He later defined a gothic-pop aesthetic with Edward Scissorhands 1990 and won a Golden Globe for Sweeney Todd 2007. His films have earned multiple Academy Awards for art direction, and he has collaborated frequently with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Tim Burton — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Tim Burton by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Tim Burton — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Growing up in Burbank, California, Tim Burton drew cartoons and watched old Vincent Price films. He was born on August 25, 1958 to Jean Rae Erickson, who owned a cat-themed gift shop, and Bill Burton, a parks department employee. He won an anti-litter poster contest in ninth grade. He attended Burbank High School and later California Institute of the Arts, joining Disney as an animator after graduation.
Burton started at Disney as an animator on The Fox and the Hound 1981 and The Black Cauldron 1985. He made the short Vincent 1982, narrated by Vincent Price, which won awards. His live-action short Frankenweenie 1984 impressed Paul Reubens, leading to Pee-wee’s Big Adventure 1985. He then directed Beetlejuice 1988, Batman 1989, and Edward Scissorhands 1990, the latter his first collaboration with Johnny Depp. Other notable films include Ed Wood 1994, Sleepy Hollow 1999, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2005, and Sweeney Todd 2007.
Burton married Lena Gieseke in 1989; they divorced in 1991. He then became engaged to actress Lisa Marie, who he later called his muse. In October 2001, he began a relationship with Helena Bonham Carter after meeting on Planet of the Apes; they have two children, Billy-Ray born 2003 and Nell born 2007. The couple lived in adjoining houses connected by a hallway. Burton has a phobia of chimpanzees and usually dresses in black to avoid matching colors.
Burton’s films have won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, including Batman 1989, Sleepy Hollow 1999, Sweeney Todd 2007, and Alice in Wonderland 2010. He received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival. The Museum of Modern Art held a major retrospective of his work in 2009-2010. His influence is seen in television series like Wednesday 2022. Burton’s distinctive gothic style and frequent collaborations with Johnny Depp define his legacy.
The complete filmography of Tim Burton — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Tim Burton — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Tim Burton's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Tim Burton — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
You Don’t Know Whether Chimps Are Going to Kill You or Kiss You. They’re Very Open on Some Levels and Much More Evil in a Certain Way.
Anybody Who Knows Me Knows I Would Never Read a Comic Book. and I Certainly Would Never Read Anything Written by Kevin Smith.
In Hollywood, They Think Drawn Animation Doesn’t Work Anymore, Computers Are the Way. They Forget That the Reason Computers Are the Way Is That Pixar Makes Good Movies. so Everybody Tries to Copy Pixar. They’re Relying Too Much on the Technology and Not Enough on the Artists. the Fact That Disney Closed Down Its Cel Animation Division Is Frightening to Me. Someday Soon, Somebody Will Come Along and Do a Drawn Animated Film, and It’ll Be Beautiful and Connect with People, and They’ll All Go, ‘Oh, We’ve Got to Do That!’ It’s Ridiculous.
I’ve Always Been Misrepresented. You Know, I Could Dress in a Clown Costume and Laugh with the Happy People but They’d Still Say I’m a Dark Personality.
I’ve Always Loved the Idea of Fairy Tales, but Somehow I Never Managed to Completely Connect with Them. What Interests Me Is Taking Those Classic Images and Themes and Trying to Contemporize Them a Bit. I Believe Folk Tales and Fairy Tales Have Some Sort of Psychological Foundation That Makes That Possible.
I Always Liked Strange Characters.
If You’ve Ever Had That Feeling of Loneliness, of Being an Outsider, It Never Quite Leaves You. You Can Be Happy or Successful or Whatever, but That Thing Still Stays Within You.
One Person’s Craziness Is Another Person’s Reality.
Big Fish Is About What’s Real and What’s Fantastic, What’s True and What’s Not True, What’s Partially True and How, in the End, It’s All True.
Little-known facts about Tim Burton — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
As a child, Burton dreamed of being in a monster costume wrecking Tokyo, but since he couldn’t be Godzilla, he decided to become an animator.
Johnny Depp is godfather to Burton’s son Billy Ray Burton.
Nearly everywhere he goes, Burton carries a pocket-size sketchbook and a small watercolor kit.
He began a relationship with Helena Bonham Carter in October 2001 after meeting on the set of Planet of the Apes.
Steven Spielberg considered Burton to direct Gremlins 1984, but he declined because he had never directed a feature-length film.
Burton has a phobia of chimpanzees.
He usually dresses in black because he doesn’t like spending too much time matching colors.
Burton has made eight films with Johnny Depp: Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, and Dark Shadows.
He received a lifelong ban from Comic Con after the release of Batman 1989 due to deviations from the comic canon.
He credits his former fiancée, Lisa Marie, as his muse, and she appears or is paid homage in several of his films.
Among his cinematic influences are Mario Bava, Vincent Price, Roger Corman, and Barbara Steele.
Burton named Ed Wood 1994 as his favorite film of his own.
He was at one point attached to direct a 3D stop-motion adaptation of The Addams Family.
Four of his films won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction: Batman 1989, Sleepy Hollow 1999, Sweeney Todd 2007, and Alice in Wonderland 2010.
He was thirty-one when Batman 1989 was released, making him the youngest director of a Batman film at that time.
He played water polo and swam for Burbank High School in California.
From November 22, 2009 to April 26, 2010, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a retrospective of his work featuring over 700 items.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Tim Burton.
Celebrities similar to Tim Burton — same craft, ranked by reach.
🌍 United States of America
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇪🇸 Spain
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇫🇷 France
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇺🇸 United States
