David Cronenberg

David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. As a principal originator of the body horror genre, Cronenberg's films often explore visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and the intertwining of the psychological, physical, and technological. His best known works include sci-fi horror films such as Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), The Fly (1986), and more recently, collaborations with Viggo Mortensen in films like A History of Violence (2005), Eastern Promises (2007), A Dangerous Method (2011) and Crimes of the Future (2022). His unique vision and daring storytelling earned Cronenberg critical acclaim and controversy, with the Village Voice calling him "the most audacious and challenging narrative director in the English-speaking world". Cronenberg was born in Toronto, Ontario, on March 15, 1943 to a "middle-class progressive Jewish family" showing early interest not just in film but in reading science fiction magazines and comics. As an avid reader from a young age, Cronenberg was influenced by authors like Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick, which reflected in his body of work. An interesting aspect of Cronenberg’s career is his penchant for his home country, having filmed nearly all of his films in his home province Ontario, making him a staunchly Canadian filmmaker.