Julian Schnabel

American artist and filmmaker

Born: October 26, 1951

Famous Persons

Who is Julian Schnabel?

Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. Schnabel was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family, the son of Esta (née Greenberg) and Jack Schnabel. He moved with his family to Brownsville, Texas, in 1965. He received his B.F.A. at the University of Houston. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings"—with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been a proponent of independent arthouse cinema. After graduating, he sent an application to the Independent Study Program (ISP) at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. His application included slides of his work sandwiched between two pieces of bread.

Historical significance

Schnabel directed Before Night Falls, which became Javier Bardem's breakthrough Academy Award-nominated role, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which was nominated for four Academy Awards. For the latter, he won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and also received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director and the César Award for Best Director.

Sources and further reading

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MLA

“Julian Schnabel.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/julian-schnabel/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

APA

Julian Schnabel. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/julian-schnabel/

Chicago

“Julian Schnabel.” thisDay. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/julian-schnabel/.

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