Todd Haynes

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Maverick, onetime New Queer Cinema director Todd Haynes was born on January 2, 1961, in Encino, California, and has had a controversial career.

His 1987 film, Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (which chronicles the life of American singer Karen Carpenter using Barbie dolls as actors) caused Richard Carpenter to sue him and was removed from distribution.

His 1991 debut, Poison, based on the writings of Jean Genet, and partly funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, was targeted by the American Family Association's, Rev. Donald Wildmon as inappropriately federally funded "filth". His second effort, 1995's Safe, confirmed him as a maverick director capable of dealing with more issues than his new queer cinema tag might indicate.

He also directed the glam rock inspired Velvet Goldmine (1998), and the Douglas Sirk inspired Far From Heaven (2002).

Haynes is a semiotics graduate of Brown University, and received an MFA from Bard College. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon.