Biography

David Paul Cronenberg, CC, OOnt, FRSC (born March 15, 1943 in Toronto, Ontario) is widely regarded as Canada's most influential and internationally celebrated filmmaker. Cronenberg has made a significant impact on genre cinema in Canada. Nicknamed "The Baron of Blood" and "The King of Venereal Horror," he has pushed boundaries with his controversial horror movies. His unique style of "body horror" films, including "Shivers" (1975), "The Brood" (1979), "Scanners" (1981), "Videodrome" (1983), "The Fly" (1986), "Dead Ringers" (1988), "Naked Lunch" (1991), and "Crash" (1996), have captivated audiences with their thought-provoking exploration of the complex relationship between sex, technology, and violence. Cronenberg's contributions to the film industry have been recognized with numerous awards and honours, including being a Companion of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres de France, and a member of Canada's Walk of Fame. He has received 10 Genie Awards and has been honoured at prestigious international film festivals, as well as receiving lifetime achievement awards from the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, the Canadian Screen Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Venice Film Festival. Cronenberg has been married twice: first to sound recordist Margaret Hindson, from 1970 to 1977, with whom he had one daughter, Cassandra Cronenberg (born 1972); then to cinematographer Carolyn Zeifman, from 1979 until her death in 2017, with whom he had one son, Brandon Cronenberg (born 1980), and one daughter, Caitlin Cronenberg (born 1984).