History of Quentin Tarantino in Timeline
Quentin Tarantino is a highly influential American filmmaker, actor, and author known for his distinctive style. His films often feature graphic violence, extensive dialogue laced with profanity, and numerous pop culture references, which have garnered him a cult following and widespread acclaim. He's been recognized as one of the most influential directors of his generation. Tarantino's work has achieved both critical and commercial success, earning him multiple awards, including two Academy Awards, and generating over $1.9 billion in worldwide box office revenue.
1960: Reference to the film Psycho
In 1960, the original film Psycho was released, Tarantino considers the 1983 film Psycho II to be superior.
March 27, 1963: Quentin Tarantino's Birth
On March 27, 1963, Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Connie McHugh and Tony Tarantino.
1977: Setting of The Adventures of Cliff Booth
The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is set in 1977.
1983: Preference for Psycho II
In 1983, Tarantino expressed that he considers the 1983 film Psycho II to be superior to the original 1960 film Psycho.
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, alongside Video Archives colleague Roger Avary.
1987: Directing My Best Friend's Birthday
In 1987, Quentin Tarantino co-wrote and directed My Best Friend's Birthday. The film was left uncompleted, but some of its dialogue was later included in True Romance.
1987: Appreciation for Ishtar
In 1987, Tarantino appreciates Elaine May's 1987 film Ishtar, despite its reputation as a box-office flop.
November 19, 1988: Appearance on The Golden Girls
On November 19, 1988, Tarantino played an Elvis impersonator in "Sophia's Wedding: Part 1", an episode in the fourth season of The Golden Girls. The residuals from this role helped support him during the preproduction of Reservoir Dogs.
January 1992: Release of Reservoir Dogs
In January 1992, Tarantino's crime thriller Reservoir Dogs, which he wrote, directed, and acted in, was released and screened at the Sundance Film Festival. The film received a positive response from critics.
1993: Natural Born Killers Script Sale
In 1993, Tarantino sold his script for Natural Born Killers, resulting in him only receiving a story credit after the rewrite. He later disowned the film, which resulted in enmity and a "tell-all" book titled Killer Instinct by Jane Hamsher, who called Tarantino a "one-trick pony".
1993: True Romance Film Release
In 1993, Tarantino's screenplay True Romance was optioned and the film was eventually released.
1994: Feud with Denzel Washington
In 1994, Tarantino had an on-set feud with Denzel Washington during the filming of Crimson Tide due to "Tarantino's racist dialogue added to the script".
1994: Palme d'Or Win for Pulp Fiction
In 1994, Tarantino won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Pulp Fiction.
1994: Pulp Fiction Success
In 1994, Tarantino wrote, directed, and acted in Pulp Fiction, receiving the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with Roger Avary. He also received a nomination in the Best Director category. He won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the film grossed over $200 million.
1995: Dating Mira Sorvino
From 1995 to 1998, Tarantino dated actress Mira Sorvino and was her date at the 68th Oscars ceremony.
1995: Participation in Four Rooms and Desperado
In 1995, Tarantino participated in the anthology film Four Rooms and had a supporting role in Desperado, directed by Robert Rodriguez.
1995: Interview with his father
In 1995, an interview with his biological father, Tony Tarantino, someone he had never met, was included in a biography by Jami Bernard, which he considered "pretty tasteless".
1996: From Dusk till Dawn Writing and Acting
In 1996, Tarantino wrote From Dusk till Dawn, which Robert Rodriguez directed. Tarantino also acted in the film, alongside Harvey Keitel, George Clooney and Juliette Lewis.
October 1997: Assault and Lawsuit
In October 1997, Quentin Tarantino physically assaulted Don Murphy at the AGO restaurant in West Hollywood, California. Murphy subsequently filed a $5 million lawsuit against Tarantino, which concluded with Tarantino being ordered to pay Murphy $450.
1997: Release of Jackie Brown
In 1997, Tarantino's third feature film, Jackie Brown, was released, an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch. The film is a homage to blaxploitation films and received positive reviews.
1997: Oscars Incident with Journalist
In 1997, during the Oscars ceremony, Tarantino grabbed Mira Sorvino from Chris Connelly, an MTV News host, and insulted him. Tarantino was angered by an article stemming from a 1995 biography with his estranged father.
March 1998: Separation from Mira Sorvino
In March 1998, Mira Sorvino released a statement announcing her separation from Tarantino, stating they "still love each other very much" but made a "mutual decision to go their separate ways."
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 for his performance.
2003: Relationship with Sofia Coppola
From 2003 to 2005, Tarantino was in a romantic relationship with filmmaker Sofia Coppola.
2003: Release of Kill Bill: Volume 1
In 2003, Kill Bill: Volume 1, written and directed by Tarantino, was released. The film is the first part of a highly stylized "revenge flick."
2004: Release of Kill Bill: Volume 2
In 2004, Kill Bill: Volume 2, written and directed by Tarantino, was released. Tarantino considers both volumes of Kill Bill to be a single film.
2004: Cannes Film Festival Jury President
In 2004, Quentin Tarantino served as president of the jury at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
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. He received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for this episode.
2005: End of Relationship with Sofia Coppola
From 2003 to 2005, Tarantino was in a romantic relationship with filmmaker Sofia Coppola, they broke up in 2005.
2005: Icon of the Decade Award
In 2005, Tarantino was awarded the honorary Icon of the Decade at the 10th Empire Awards.
2005: Included on Time 100 List
In 2005, Tarantino was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
2007: Release of Death Proof
In 2007, Tarantino directed the exploitation slasher film Death Proof, which was released as part of Grindhouse, a double feature with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror. While box-office sales were low, the film received mostly positive reviews.
2007: Included on Top 100 Living Geniuses List
In 2007, Tarantino was included on The Daily Telegraph list of "Top 100 Living Geniuses".
August 2009: Release of Inglourious Basterds
In August 2009, Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds was released. For the film, Tarantino received his second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
2009: Feud with David Letterman
In 2009, Quentin Tarantino was scheduled to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman. Prior to this, Letterman had interviewed a former girlfriend of Tarantino, joking about their relationship. This led to Tarantino angrily phoning Letterman, threatening him, and eventually grudgingly apologizing at his publicist's urging before the show.
2009: Meeting Daniella Pick
In 2009, Tarantino met Daniella Pick in Israel while promoting Inglourious Basterds.
2011: Honorary César Award
In 2011, Tarantino was given an Honorary César by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma.
2012: Lifetime Achievement Award at Rome Film Festival
In 2012, Tarantino received a lifetime achievement award from the Rome Film Festival.
2013: Most-Studied Director in the UK
In 2013, a survey revealed that Tarantino was the most-studied director in the United Kingdom.
2013: Interview Defiance
In 2013, during an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Channel 4 News while promoting Django Unchained in the UK, Tarantino reacted angrily to questions about movie violence and real-life violence. He refused to answer, stating he was "shutting [his] butt down" and declaring, "I'm not your slave and you're not my master. You can't make me dance to your tune. I'm not a monkey."
October 2015: Attended Anti-Police Brutality Rally
In October 2015, Tarantino attended a rally in New York protesting police brutality, calling attention to "police brutality and its victims" and stating, "when I see murder I cannot stand by."
2015: Support for Obama and Black Lives Matter
In 2015, Tarantino voiced support for Barack Obama as his favorite president and for the Black Lives Matter movement.
June 30, 2017: Engagement to Daniella Pick
On June 30, 2017, Tarantino became engaged to Israeli singer Daniella Pick.
2017: Weinstein Scandal
In 2017, Tarantino remarked on his "sad" view of his past relationship with Weinstein, saying he once looked up to him for fostering his career and describing him as "a fucked up father figure".
February 3, 2018: Uma Thurman accuses Weinstein, Tarantino Confonted Him
On February 3, 2018, Kill Bill actress Uma Thurman stated in an interview with The New York Times that Harvey Weinstein had sexually assaulted her. She also reported this assault to Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino stated he confronted Weinstein, as he had previously done when Weinstein made advances on his former partner, demanding an apology and banning Weinstein from contact with Thurman during the film's production.
November 28, 2018: Marriage to Daniella Pick
On November 28, 2018, Tarantino married Israeli singer Daniella Pick in a Reform Jewish ceremony in their Beverly Hills Home.
2019: Press Conference Indignation
In 2019, at the Cannes Film Festival's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood press conference, Tarantino responded indignantly to a journalist's question about Margot Robbie's limited lines, stating, "I just reject your hypothesis" with no further comment.
January 2020: Splitting Time Between Tel Aviv and Los Angeles
As of January 2020, Tarantino and Daniella Pick were splitting their time between Tel Aviv and Los Angeles, leading him to learn Hebrew.
February 22, 2020: Birth of First Child
On February 22, 2020, Tarantino and Daniella Pick's son was born in Israel.
June 2020: Officially Recognized Critic
In June 2020, Tarantino became an officially recognized critic on Rotten Tomatoes and has published over 30 film reviews, including director essays, on his New Beverly Cinema website.
2020: Book Deal with HarperCollins
In 2020, Tarantino signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins.
June 2021: Podcast Announcement
In June 2021, Tarantino announced plans to start a podcast with Roger Avary named after Video Archives, the video rental store they worked at.
June 2021: Declares Atheism
In June 2021, Tarantino declared that he was an atheist.
June 2021: Tarantino regrets Weinstein confrontation
In June 2021, Tarantino expressed regret on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast about not pressing Weinstein further regarding his misconduct. He stated that he was unaware of the extent of Weinstein's actions prior to the 2017 scandal and reflected on his past relationship with Weinstein, describing him as "a fucked up father figure."
June 2021: Publication of 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' Novelization
In June 2021, Tarantino published his first novel, a novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which received positive reviews.
July 3, 2022: Birth of Second Child
On July 3, 2022, Tarantino and Daniella Pick's second child, a daughter, was born in Israel.
July 19, 2022: Video Archives Podcast Premieres
On July 19, 2022, the Video Archives podcast, hosted by Tarantino and Roger Avary, premiered. The podcast features the directors and guests examining films that could have been rented at the Video Archives store.
November 1, 2022: Publication of 'Cinema Speculation'
On November 1, 2022, Tarantino published his second book titled Cinema Speculation, which is about films of the New Hollywood era, inspired by film critic Pauline Kael.
October 7, 2023: Visit to Israeli Military Base
On October 7, 2023, in response to the Hamas-led attack on Israel, Tarantino visited a military base in southern Israel to "boost the morale" of Israeli troops.
August 2024: Support for Kamala Harris
In August 2024, Tarantino expressed his intention to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election on Bill Maher's podcast Club Random.
2025: First Director to Sweep 'The Big Four' Critics Awards
For his work on Pulp Fiction, Tarantino became the first director to ever sweep "The Big Four" critics awards, as of 2025.
2026: Release of The Adventures of Cliff Booth
While Tarantino wrote and produced the 2026 film, The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood set in 1977, he chose not to direct it, instead he handed the project to David Fincher.
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