Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970) is an American filmmaker. Born in Los Angeles, Anderson developed an interest in filmmaking from a young age. An alumnus of the Sundance Institute, Anderson made his feature film debut with Hard Eight in 1996. He found critical and commercial success with Boogie Nights (1997), set during the Golden Age of Porn, and received further accolades with Magnolia (1999), an ensemble piece set in the San Fernando Valley, and Punch-Drunk Love (2002), a romantic comedy-drama film.
Anderson's 2007 film There Will Be Blood, about an oil prospector during the Southern California oil boom, achieved major critical and commercial success and was often cited as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. This was followed by The Master in 2012 and Inherent Vice in 2014. Anderson's eighth film, Phantom Thread, was released in 2017.
Anderson's films are often characterized by their depiction of flawed and desperate characters, explorations of themes such as dysfunctional families, alienation and loneliness, a bold visual style that utilizes moving camera and long takes, as well as memorable use of music. He is noted for his frequent collaborations with actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Daniel Day-Lewis, cinematographer Robert Elswit, costume designer Mark Bridges, and composers Jon Brion and Jonny Greenwood.