About This Quiz
For decades, David Fincher has brought a dark vision to Hollywood. His films feature ominous overtones (and sometimes violent gore) that haunt audiences long after the movies end. How much do you know about this famous director's work?Fincher was born in Denver, Colorado in 1962. Even as a child, Fincher knew that he wanted to be in the filmmaking business.
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Fincher spent his formative years in California, where he lived near George Lucas. He and his friends witnessed Lucas in action as he directed movies.
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For his 8th birthday, Fincher received the gift of a Super 8 video camera. He immediately set about finding new ways to capture the world around him.
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Fincher's mother was a mental health nurse and his father was a writer. It's easy to see how their occupations influenced their son's work.
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The movie (Fincher's first big film) was nominated for the award for best visual effects. It lost to a film called "Death Becomes Her."
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Fincher and Brad Pitt have frequently worked together since the 1990s. Together, they've made films that have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Fincher didn't work on "Superman III," but he was part of numerous other major Hollywood productions. He honed his directing skills by making music videos.
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Fincher likes to make his audiences comfortable. He once said, "Some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything's okay. I don't make those kinds of movies."
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Fincher was hired to direct the Rick Springfield documentary titled "The Beat of the Live Drum" in 1985. During this time he also directed many commercials for large companies.
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At the tender age of 30, Fincher took control of "Alien 3," which was released in 1992. The film was financially successful but received very mixed reviews.
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Set in Missouri, the movie follows the story of a man whose wife suddenly disappears. The movie was a huge blockbuster for Fincher.
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Fincher was no stranger to edgy material, even from a young age. For the American Cancer Society, he created a clip in which a fetus smokes a cigarette.
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In the 1960s and 70s, a serial killer roamed California. The movie follows law enforcement who are trying to catch the murderer before he strikes again.
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Fincher didn't direct "Like A Prayer." But he did direct four Madonna videos, including the visually arresting "Vogue."
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Fincher created one version of "Zodiac" that ran more than three hours. Under pressure from the studio, he cut the version to "only" two hours and forty minutes.
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Fincher agreed with many critics -- the movie wasn't any good. But he blamed studio interference for turning the film's creation into a disaster.
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Fincher so despised the directing process of "Alien 3" that he said he'd rather get sick with colon cancer than repeat the turbulence of the movie directing process.
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In the autumn of 1995, Fincher released "Seven," a gritty film about a serial killer. The movie helped turn Fincher into a Hollywood celebrity.
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Both "Gone Girl" and "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" were based on popular novels. "The Social Network," however, was based on the phenomenon of social networking and Facebook.
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Fincher directed The King of Pop's "Who Is It?" in 1993. The song was part of Jackson's "Dangerous" album, which was released in 1991.
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"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has a love story intertwined in its plot, but Fincher says in the end, the movie is really about the concept of dying.
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Sean Penn starred alongside Michael Douglas in "The Game." The movie got great reviews and made a fair amount of money, propelling Fincher towards even bigger gigs.
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"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was nominated for a whopping 13 awards, including best director. It won three of the awards, but Best Director went to Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire."
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In the early 1990s, Fincher was married to Donya Fiorentino, with whom he had one daughter. Phelix Fincher was born in 1994.
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Fincher's "Fight Club" was expected to be a huge hit, but it was a disappointment for the studio. After the film was released on DVD, it found a massive audience and much more lucrative commercial success.
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Nicole Kidman was meant to play the part but had to withdraw after suffering a knee injury. Instead, the role went to Jodie Foster, and Fincher heavily altered the film's approach to match the star's style and mannerisms.
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In 2005, Fincher directed "Only" for Nine Inch Nails. The video featured groundbreaking visual effects.
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"Zodiac," released in 2007, was Fincher's first foray into all-digital shooting (with the exception of a few slow-motion scenes shot with film). The movie received outstanding reviews from most critics.
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2010's "The Social Network" won three Academy Awards. The movie's storyline followed the development and legal conflicts behind Facebook.
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Pitt wasn't in "Gone Girl." The movie was released in 2014 and became Fincher's most financially successful film, with more than $330 million in box office receipts.
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