Andrew Dominik (born 7 October 1967) is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He has directed the crime film '' Chopper'' (2000), the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

drama film ''

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' is a 2007 American epic revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik. Based on Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name, the film dramatizes the relationship be ...

'' (2007), the

neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...

crime film ''

Killing Them Softly ''Killing Them Softly'' is a 2012 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by Andrew Dominik, starring Brad Pitt. It is based on George V. Higgins's 1974 novel '' Cogan's Trade.'' The story follows Jackie Cogan, a hitman who is hir ...

'' (2012), and the biographical psychological drama ''

Blonde Blond () or blonde (), also referred to as fair hair, is a human hair color characterized by low levels of eumelanin, the dark pigment. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can be ...

'' (2022). He has also directed the documentary film ''

One More Time with Feeling ''One More Time with Feeling'' is a 2016 British documentary film directed by Andrew Dominik. It documents the recording of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' sixteenth studio album, '' Skeleton Tree'', in the aftermath of the death of Nick Cave's 15 ...

'' (2016) and two episodes of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' Mindhunter'' in 2019.

Early life and career

Born in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, New Zealand, Andrew Dominik has lived in Australia since he was two years old. He graduated from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

's Swinburne Film School in 1988. In the early 1990s, Dominik began collaborating with Australian film producer Michele Bennett on music videos and commercials in Sydney.

Career

2000–2012: Early career and acclaim

His career in films began in 2000 when he directed '' Chopper'' based on notorious Australian criminal Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read, starring

Eric Bana Eric Martin Andrew Banadinović (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana (), is an Australian actor. He began his career in the sketch-comedy series '' Full Frontal'' before gaining notice in the comedy drama '' The Castle'' (199 ...

and

Simon Lyndon Simon Lyndon is an Australian actor and director. Early life and education Simon Lyndon was born in Lewisham, London in 1971 and migrated to Australia with his family in 1981. He grew up in Fremantle, Western Australia. Simon attended John ...

. ''Chopper'' received generally positive reviews, and Bana in particular was widely praised for his intense portrayal of Chopper. The

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Cinema of Australia, Australian film indu ...

awarded the film with Best Director (Dominik), Best Actor (Bana), and Best Supporting Actor (Lyndon). His next film was ''

'', starring

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...

and

Casey Affleck Casey Affleck (born Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt; August 12, 1975) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Casey Affleck, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film ...

, based on the novel of the same name which he came across in a second-hand bookstore. The film explores the peculiar relationship between

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...

and his eventual assassin Robert Ford. Pitt was a big fan of Dominik's first feature ''Chopper'', and had hoped to collaborate with the filmmaker in the future, especially when Pitt had the chance to work with ''Chopper'' star Eric Bana in ''

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

''. Pitt contacted the director, and with a big star interested to lead his new film, Dominik was therefore able to get

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

to finance the production. Principal shooting in Canada was completed in 2005, though ''The Assassinations 2006 release was delayed to a fall 2007 release, largely due to studio interference with the film's editing process. Dominik and Pitt were pulling for a less quick-paced and more contemplative cut of the film while the studio wanted "less contemplation and more action". There were reportedly more than a dozen edited versions of the film at one time fighting to be the final cut, the longest version being over four hours. The disputes during post-production lasted for over a year before a final version was settled upon. Over an hour of scenes were deleted for the theatrical version, but Dominik remarked he was still very proud of the theatrical version of the film. The film garnered two

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominations: Best Cinematography (

Deakins Deakins is a surname, and may refer to: * James Deakins, fictional character on ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' * Joanne Deakins (born 1972), British backstroke swimmer * Lucy Deakins (born 1971), American actress * Peter Deakins, British archite ...

) and Best Supporting Actor (Affleck). Dominik reteamed with

in their second collaboration (after ''The Assassination of Jesse James'') in a thriller/dark comedy based on George V. Higgins' Boston-set crime novel ''

Cogan's Trade ''Cogan's Trade'' is a 1974 crime novel by George V. Higgins. The novel was Higgins's third novel centered on crime in Boston neighborhoods, following '' The Friends of Eddie Coyle'' and ''The Digger's Game''. In ''Cogan's Trade'', Cogan is a h ...

''. The film was renamed ''

''. Shooting began in January 2011 and wrapped in May 2011. The film competed for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

at the

2012 Cannes Film Festival The 65th Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti was the president of the jury for the main competition. French actress Bérénice Bejo hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. Austrian filmma ...

. and was released through the

Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and film distribution, distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob Weinstein, Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10 ...

2016–present

In 2016, Dominik completed ''

'', a documentary about his friend

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

and the emotional consequences of the tragic death of Cave's son. The film premiered at the 2016 Venice Film Festival. The critical aggregator website Metacritic awarded the film a score of 91, indicating "universal acclaim". Dominik joined

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

for season 2 of

series '' Mindhunter'', which debuted in late 2019. Dominik directed two episodes. In 2022, Dominik completed ''

'', based on

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels ''Black ...

's fictional

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

memoir of the same name, which was scheduled to start shooting in January 2011 but the project was put on hold when he announced ''

''. In 2014

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...

was in talks to play Monroe. In late 2019, Cuban actress

Ana de Armas Ana Celia de Armas Caso (; born 30 April 1988) is a Cuban and Spanish actress. She began her career in Cuba with a leading role in the romantic drama '' Una rosa de Francia'' (2006). At the age of 18, she moved to Madrid, Spain, and starred in ...

was cast in the lead role. ''Blonde'' had its world premiere at the 79th Venice Film Festival on 8 September 2022, and was released in the United States on 16 September 2022, before its streaming release on 28 September 2022, by

. It is rated

NC-17 The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion picture ...

for its graphic sexual content and is the first NC-17 film released through a streaming service. In 2025, Dominik finished production on a documentary for

Apple Original Films Apple TV+ is a global on-demand Internet streaming media provider, owned and operated by Apple Inc., that features a number of original programs that includes original series, specials, miniseries, documentaries, and films distributed under A ...

called '' Bono: Stories of Surrender'', about the making of the U2 singer and songwriter

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

. The film will premiere globally on May 30 on

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

Unrealised projects

In 2003,

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

approached Dominik and offered him to direct an adaptation of

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio screenwriter, magazine Editing, editor and scriptwriter for comics. He is best remembered for his science fiction, including ''Th ...

's 1953 novel ''

The Demolished Man ''The Demolished Man'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Alfred Bester, which was the first Hugo Award winner in 1953. An inverted detective story, it was first serialized in three parts, beginning with the January 1952 issue of '' ...

'', but as time passed, the project eventually became stuck in

development hell Development hell, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic ...

when there were disagreements about the screenplay. By 2003, Dominik had also written an adapted screenplay for ''

The Killer Inside Me ''The Killer Inside Me'' is a 1952 novel by American writer Jim Thompson published by Fawcett Publications. In the introduction to the anthology ''Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s'', it is described as "one of the most blistering an ...

'', an acclaimed noir novel by Jim Thompson, and was at one point considered to direct it, but dropped out.

Michael Winterbottom Michael Winterbottom (born 29 March 1961) is an English film director. He began his career working in British television before moving into features. Three of his films—''Welcome to Sarajevo'', ''Wonderland (1999 film), Wonderland'' and ''24 ...

eventually directed the 2010

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. In 2007, Dominik wrote a screenplay adaptation of

Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...

's '' Cities of the Plain''; however, in 2008, Dominik said plans for it fell through. In a 2008 interview, Dominik stated that he has interest in adapting Jim Thompson's '' Pop. 1280''. In 2010, Dominik was writing a script for an American remake of the 2006 French thriller ''

Tell No One ''Tell No One'' () is a 2006 French thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. Written by Canet and Philippe Lefebvre and starring François Cluzet, the film won four categories at ...

''. It was unclear if he intended to direct the film. In 2014, it was announced that Dominik would write a 3D remake of ''

Shaolin Temple Shaolin Monastery ( zh, labels=no, c=少林寺, p=shàolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin kung fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak o ...

'' with

Justin Lin Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese Americans, Taiwanese-American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. His films have grossed over $3 billion USD worldwide . He is best known for his directorial work on ...

set to direct. In 2017,

picked up ''War Party'', a Navy SEAL adventure film written by Dominik and Harrison Query with Tom Hardy attached to star and

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

set to produce under Dominik's direction. Around the time of ''

'', Dominik's name was also linked as screenwriter/director of a project called ''Sturlungar'', which was to be a television series for

Truenorth A cognitive computer is a computer that hardwires artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms into an integrated circuit that closely reproduces the behavior of the human brain. It generally adopts a neuromorphic engineering approach. ...

about the

Sturlungs The Sturlungs ( Icelandic: ) were a powerful family clan in 13th century Iceland, in the time of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Their story is partly told in '' Sturlunga saga'', and members of the clan were significant participants in the civil wa ...

, a powerful, wealthy family clan during the time of the

Icelandic Commonwealth The Icelandic Commonwealth, also known as the Icelandic Free State, was the political unit existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing () in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king with the Old Covenant in 1262. W ...

in 13th century

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. Leifur B. Dagfinnsson,

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a part-owner of Orlando City SC of Major League ...

, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson and Kristinn Thordarson were attached as executive producers.

Influences

In the 2012 ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...

'' poll of the greatest films of all time, Dominik chose: * ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American psychological epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr, is loosely inspired by the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkn ...

'' (1979) * ''

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...

'' (1973) * ''

Barry Lyndon ''Barry Lyndon'' is a 1975 epic historical drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel '' The Luck of Barry Lyndon'' by William Makepeace Thackeray. Narrated by Michael Hordern, and starring Ryan O'N ...

'' (1975) * '' Blue Velvet'' (1986) * ''

Marnie Marnie may refer to: People * Marni, a given name, including a list of people named Marni and Marnie * Helen Marnie (born 1978), Scottish singer-songwriter known mononymously as Marnie Arts and entertainment * ''Marnie'' (novel), a 1961 novel by ...

'' (1964) * ''

Mulholland Drive Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after pioneering Los Angeles civil engineer William Mulholland. The western rural portion in Los Angeles and Ventura counties is n ...

'' (2001) * '' The Night of the Hunter'' (1955) * ''

Raging Bull ''Raging Bull'' is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent and Nicholas Colasanto (in his final film role). The film ...

'' (1980) * ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

'' (1950) * ''

The Tenant ''The Tenant'' () is a 1976 French psychological horror thriller film directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay he co-wrote with Gérard Brach, based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Roland Topor. The film stars Polanski, Isabelle Adj ...

'' (1976)

Personal life

Dominik has one son. He was engaged to actress

Bella Heathcote Isabella Heathcote (born 27 May 1987) is an Australian actress. Following her film debut in ''Acolytes'' (2008), she had a recurring role as Amanda Fowler on the television soap opera ''Neighbours'' (2009). She gained further recognition for he ...

in 2017. They later called off their engagement.

Filmography

Film

Documentaries * ''

'' (2016) * '' This Much I Know to Be True'' (2022) * ''I Don't Work for Peanuts, I Work for God'' (2024) * '' Bono: Stories of Surrender'' (2025)

Television

Music video

* "Down in Splendour" (1990) – Straightjacket Fits * "

Fall at Your Feet "Fall at Your Feet" is a 1991 song by Crowded House, from their 1991 album, ''Woodface''. It is the only single from ''Woodface'' to be written solely by the group's leader Neil Finn, who co-wrote all other singles from the album with his brothe ...

" (1991) –

Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...

* "Cat Inna Can" (1993) – Straightjacket Fits

Awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dominik, Andrew 1967 births Living people 20th-century Australian screenwriters 21st-century Australian screenwriters Australian film directors Australian male screenwriters Australian television directors Film directors from Melbourne Mass media people from Wellington City New Zealand emigrants to Australia Writers from Melbourne Swinburne University of Technology alumni Australian music video directors