Add/Update Information: Paul Schrader - Writer

An American writer, director, and film critic, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, to a family of Dutch origin. His father, Charles A. Schrader, was an executive director. In the early years of his life, he was greatly influenced by religious principles and the teachings of his parents, and he did not see any films until the age of seventeen when he was able to sneak away from home. In an interview, he said that the first film he saw was The Absent-Minded Professor in 1961. Schrader received his BA from Calvin College, then received his MA in film studies from UCLA Film School, based on the recommendation of the film critic Pauline Kael. Later, he became a film critic, wrote for newspapers and magazines, and in 1972 published his book Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, in which he studied the similarities between French director Robert Bresson, Yasujirō Ozu, and Carl Theodor Dreyer. He then published his essay Notes on Film Noir. He also co-wrote four films by director Martin Scorsese. He made his debut as a director in the film Blue Collar, which he co-wrote with his brother Leonard Schrader.