Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Quentin Tarantino
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Quentin Tarantino made an impact.
Quentin Tarantino is a highly influential American filmmaker, actor, and author known for his distinctive style characterized by graphic violence, extensive dialogue, profanity, and pop culture references. His work has garnered a dedicated fan base and widespread critical acclaim, with some considering him the most influential director of his generation. He's earned numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes. His films have collectively grossed over $1.9 billion worldwide.
1977: Setting of 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth'
The film 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth', written and produced by Quentin Tarantino but directed by David Fincher, is set in 1977 as a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
1986: First Hollywood Job
In 1986, Tarantino was employed in his first Hollywood job, working as a production assistant on Dolph Lundgren's exercise video, Maximum Potential.
1987: My Best Friend's Birthday
In 1987, Quentin Tarantino co-wrote and directed My Best Friend's Birthday. It was left uncompleted, but some of its dialogue was included in True Romance.
November 19, 1988: Broadcast of The Golden Girls episode
On November 19, 1988, Quentin Tarantino played an Elvis impersonator in "Sophia's Wedding: Part 1", an episode in the fourth season of The Golden Girls.
January 1992: Release of Reservoir Dogs at Sundance
In January 1992, Tarantino's crime thriller Reservoir Dogs was released and screened at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews.
1992: Release of Reservoir Dogs
In 1992, Quentin Tarantino's career began with the release of the independent crime film Reservoir Dogs, which he wrote, directed and acted in.
1992: Eddie Presley role
In 1992, Tarantino had a minor acting role in Eddie Presley.
1993: Sale and Disowning of Natural Born Killers Script
In 1993, Quentin Tarantino sold his script for Natural Born Killers. It was rewritten, and he received only a story credit. He later disowned the film.
1993: Release of True Romance
In 1993, Tarantino's screenplay True Romance was optioned and the film was eventually released.
1994: Uncredited Rewrite on It's Pat
In 1994, Quentin Tarantino did an uncredited rewrite on the film It's Pat.
1994: Minor Acting Roles
In 1994, Tarantino had minor acting roles in The Coriolis Effect, Sleep With Me, and Somebody to Love.
1994: Pulp Fiction Release and Awards
In 1994, Tarantino wrote, directed, and acted in Pulp Fiction. He received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, shared with Roger Avary, and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for the film.
1994: Success of Pulp Fiction
In 1994, Tarantino's second film, Pulp Fiction, was a major success, winning awards such as the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
1995: Uncredited work on Crimson Tide
In 1995, Quentin Tarantino did an uncredited rewrite on the film Crimson Tide.
1995: Rolling Thunder Pictures formed
In 1995, Quentin Tarantino formed Rolling Thunder Pictures with Miramax to release independent and foreign films.
1995: Minor Acting Roles
In 1995, Tarantino had minor acting roles in All-American Girl and Destiny Turns on the Radio.
1995: Four Rooms and Desperado
In 1995, Tarantino participated in the anthology film Four Rooms and had a supporting role in Desperado.
1996: From Dusk till Dawn writing assignment and acting role
In 1996, One of Tarantino's first paid writing assignments was for From Dusk till Dawn, which Rodriguez directed later in 1996, re-teaming with Tarantino in another acting role, alongside Harvey Keitel, George Clooney and Juliette Lewis.
1996: Uncredited work on The Rock
In 1996, Quentin Tarantino did an uncredited rewrite on the film The Rock.
1996: From Dusk till Dawn
In 1996, Quentin Tarantino wrote and starred in the action horror film From Dusk till Dawn.
1996: Minor Acting Roles
In 1996, Tarantino had minor acting roles in Girl 6 and starred in Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair video game.
1997: Approached by Major Studios
In 1997, Following the success of Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino was approached by major film studios and offered projects that included Speed and Men in Black, but he instead retreated to Amsterdam to work on his script for Pulp Fiction.
1997: Jackie Brown release
In 1997, Tarantino's third feature film, Jackie Brown, an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch, was released to positive reviews.
1997: Release of Jackie Brown
In 1997, Tarantino's third film as director, Jackie Brown, which paid homage to blaxploitation films, was released.
1998: Broadway Debut in Wait Until Dark
In 1998, Tarantino made his major Broadway stage debut as an amoral psycho killer in a revival of the 1966 play Wait Until Dark, which received unfavorable reviews.
2001: Tarantino produces US release of Iron Monkey
In 2001, Quentin Tarantino produced the US release of the Hong Kong martial arts film Iron Monkey, which grossed over $14 million worldwide.
2002: Portrayal of McKenas Cole in Alias
From 2002, Tarantino portrayed villain McKenas Cole in the ABC television series Alias.
2003: Release of Kill Bill: Volume 1
In 2003, Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed Kill Bill: Volume 1, the martial arts film.
2004: Tarantino brings Hero to the US
In 2004, Quentin Tarantino brought the Chinese martial arts film Hero to the US. It opened at number one at the box office and earned $53.5 million.
2004: Release of Kill Bill: Volume 2
In 2004, Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed Kill Bill: Volume 2, completing the two-volume martial arts film.
2004: Cannes Film Festival Jury President
In 2004, Tarantino served as president of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, where Volume 2 of Kill Bill was screened out of competition.
May 2005: Directing "Grave Danger" for CSI
In May 2005, Tarantino co-wrote and directed "Grave Danger", the fifth season finale of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, earning him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
2006: Hostel opens at number one
In 2006, Hostel, another "Quentin Tarantino presents" production, opened at number one at the box office with a $20.1 million opening weekend. Tarantino also presented The Protector in 2006.
2006: Tarantino helps produce Freedom's Fury
In 2006, while negotiating with Lucy Liu for Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino helped produce the Hungarian sports documentary Freedom's Fury about the Blood in the Water match at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
2007: Release of Death Proof
In 2007, Quentin Tarantino made the exploitation-slasher film Death Proof, which was part of Grindhouse.
2007: Tarantino produces Hostel: Part II
In 2007, Quentin Tarantino was a producer of the film Hostel: Part II.
October 2008: Filming of Inglourious Basterds
In October 2008, filming began on Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, provisionally titled "Inglorious Bastards".
2008: Tarantino produces Hell Ride
In 2008, Quentin Tarantino produced Hell Ride, a revenge biker film directed by Larry Bishop.
August 2009: Release of Inglourious Basterds
In August 2009, Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds was released to positive reviews, achieving the highest box office gross in the US and Canada for its release weekend. Tarantino received his second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
2009: Release of Inglourious Basterds
In 2009, Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds, an alternate account of World War II, was released.
2011: Production begins on Django Unchained
In 2011, production started on Django Unchained, a film set in the Southern United States about the revenge of a former slave. Quentin Tarantino desired to produce a Spaghetti Western, which he named "a southern", to address America's history with slavery through genre films.
2012: Release of Django Unchained
In 2012, Quentin Tarantino released Django Unchained, a slave revenge Spaghetti Western which earned him his second Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
November 2013: Tarantino announces new Western film
In November 2013, Quentin Tarantino announced that he was working on a new Western film, which would not be a sequel to Django Unchained.
2013: Most Studied Director
In 2013, a survey revealed that Quentin Tarantino was the most-studied director in the United Kingdom, ahead of Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
January 11, 2014: The Hateful Eight title revealed
On January 11, 2014, it was revealed that Tarantino's new Western film would be titled The Hateful Eight.
January 2015: Filming of The Hateful Eight commences
In January 2015, filming for The Hateful Eight went ahead as planned with a new script draft.
2015: Release of The Hateful Eight
In 2015, Quentin Tarantino's eighth film, The Hateful Eight, a revisionist Western thriller, was released.
July 2017: Tarantino's next film about Manson Family murders reported
In July 2017, reports surfaced that Quentin Tarantino's next project would be a film based on the Manson Family murders.
February 2018: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood title and cast announced
In February 2018, the title of Tarantino's film was announced as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Leonardo DiCaprio was cast as Rick Dalton, Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, and Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate. Also, in wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations, Tarantino severed ties to The Weinstein Company and Miramax.
July 2019: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood theatrically released
In July 2019, Sony Pictures theatrically released Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which received critical acclaim. The film premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it was in competition for the Palme d'Or.
2019: Release of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
In 2019, Quentin Tarantino's ninth film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a comedy-drama set in the late 1960s, was released.
2020: Two-Book Deal with HarperCollins
In 2020, Quentin Tarantino signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins, leading to the publication of his first novel and a book on cinema.
June 2021: Announcement of Podcast with Roger Avary
In June 2021, Quentin Tarantino announced plans to start a podcast with Roger Avary, named after Video Archives, a video rental store where they worked. The podcast would feature them examining films that could have been rented at the store.
June 2021: Publication of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" Novelization
In June 2021, Quentin Tarantino published his first novel, a novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It received positive reviews from The New York Times and The Guardian.
2021: Publication of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novelization
In 2021, Quentin Tarantino's debut novel, a novelization of his film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", was published.
July 19, 2022: Premiere of Video Archives Podcast
On July 19, 2022, the Video Archives podcast, hosted by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, premiered. The podcast features the directors and guests discussing films that could have been available at their former video rental store.
November 1, 2022: Publication of Cinema Speculation
On November 1, 2022, Quentin Tarantino's second book, Cinema Speculation, about films of the New Hollywood era and inspired by film critic Pauline Kael, was published.
November 2022: Tarantino announces eight-episode television series
In November 2022, Quentin Tarantino announced plans to shoot an eight-episode television series in 2023, although no details were provided.
March 2026: Production of The Popinjay Cavalier
By March 2026, Quentin Tarantino began production on the play The Popinjay Cavalier, which is set to debut at the West End theatres in early 2027.
2026: Production of The Adventures of Cliff Booth
In 2026, Quentin Tarantino wrote and produced the film The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood set in 1977, but chose David Fincher to direct it.
2027: Debut of The Popinjay Cavalier
In early 2027, the play The Popinjay Cavalier is set to debut at the West End theatres, with production beginning in March 2026.
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