Terrence Malick

Terrence Malick
Malick at the 1993 Viennale
Born	Terrence Frederick Malick (1943-11-30) November 30, 1943 (age 73) Ottawa, Illinois, United States
Alma mater	Harvard University Magdalen College, Oxford AFI Conservatory
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, producer
Years active	1969–present
Spouse(s)	Jill Jakes (1970–1976) Michèle Morette (1985–98) Alexandra Wallace (1998–present)

Terrence Frederick Malick (/ˈmælɪk/; born November 30, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.

Malick began his career as part of the New Hollywood film-making wave with the films Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978), before a lengthy hiatus. He returned to directing with films such as The Thin Red Line (1998) and The Tree of Life (2011), being awarded the Golden Bear at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival and the Palme d'Or at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, respectively.

Malick's films have been noted for exploring themes such as individual transcendence, nature, and conflicts between reason and instinct. They are typically marked by broad philosophical and spiritual overtones, the use of meditative voice-overs from individual characters, and an emphasis on cinematography and experimental post-production techniques over plot and character development. The stylistic elements of the director's work have inspired divided opinions among film scholars and audiences.

Terrence Malick was born in Ottawa, Illinois. He is the son of Irene (née Thompson; 1912–2011) and Emil A. Malick (1917–2013), a geologist. His paternal grandparents were Assyrian Christian immigrants from Syria and Lebanon. Malick attended St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, while his family lived in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Malick had two younger brothers: Chris and Larry. Larry Malick was a guitarist who went to study in Spain with Andrés Segovia in the late 1960s. In 1968, Larry intentionally broke his own hands due to pressure over his musical studies. Their father Emil went to Spain to help Larry, but his son died shortly after, apparently committing suicide. The early death of Malick's younger brother has been explored and referenced in his films The Tree of Life (2011) and Knight of Cups (2015).