Anyone who’s ever sat through a Quentin Tarantino film knows the feeling: the dialogue crackles, the violence hits hard, and you leave with a line stuck in your head for days. But the man behind the camera has a story just as layered as his films.
Number of films directed: 10 · Academy Awards won: 2 · Estimated net worth: $160 million · Year of birth: 1963 · Nationality: American · Films in IMDb Top 250: 5
Quick snapshot
- Tarantino is American, born March 27, 1963 in Knoxville, TN (IMDb)
- He has directed 10 feature films (1992–2019) (IMDb)
- Pulp Fiction is his most acclaimed film (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) (Rotten Tomatoes)
- The Hateful Eight is often his lowest rated (74% on Rotten Tomatoes) (Rotten Tomatoes)
- He won two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay (Biography.com)
- He is married to Daniella Pick since 2018 (Biography.com)
- Whether Uma Thurman has fully forgiven Tarantino for the Kill Bill car accident (Biography.com)
- Exact net worth (estimates range from $120M to $160M) (Biography.com)
- Whether Tarantino will actually stop after his 10th film (IMDb)
- Specific details of the reported feud with Robert De Niro (Wikipedia)
- 1992 – Reservoir Dogs premieres at Sundance (IMDb)
- 1994 – Pulp Fiction wins Palme d’Or and Oscar for screenplay (IMDb)
- 2003-2004 – Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (IMDb)
- 2019 – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Biography.com)
- 2020 – Announces retirement after 10th film (Wikipedia)
- Tarantino has not yet made his 10th and final film (IMDb)
- He has stated he will retire from directing after 10 movies (Wikipedia)
- Uncertainty remains about the project’s subject and release date (Biography.com)
Tarantino’s biography and filmography are well-documented, but a closer look at his 10 films reveals clear patterns in critical reception and box office performance.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Quentin Jerome Tarantino |
| Born | March 27, 1963 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, producer, actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | Daniella Pick (m. 2018) |
| Number of films directed | 10 |
| Highest-grossing film | Django Unchained ($425 million) |
| Most acclaimed film | Pulp Fiction (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) |
| Net worth | Approximately $160 million |
What is Quentin Tarantino’s nationality?
Where was Quentin Tarantino born?
Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 27, 1963 (IMDb). His father, Antonio Tarantino, is of Italian-American descent, and his mother, Connie McHugh, is of Irish and Cherokee ancestry. He spent most of his childhood in Los Angeles after his mother moved there following a divorce.
Tarantino’s Southern roots and L.A. upbringing gave him a unique cultural lens that permeates his films — from the country music in Django Unchained to the Valley-girl dialogue in Pulp Fiction.
What is his ethnic background?
His father is Italian-American, and his mother has Irish and Cherokee ancestry, making him a mixed-ethnicity American (Wikipedia). He identifies as American and has never emphasized a hyphenated identity.
How did his early life influence his films?
Tarantino worked at a video rental store, Video Archives, where he absorbed vast amounts of film knowledge (Biography.com). This self-taught education is reflected in the cinematic references that fill his scripts.
Tarantino’s biography is inseparable from his filmography — the video-store clerk who became a master of pop-culture collage.
What is considered Tarantino’s best movie?
Which Tarantino film is most critically acclaimed?
Pulp Fiction (1994) holds a 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and won the Palme d’Or at Cannes (Rotten Tomatoes). It is widely considered his masterpiece and has been named to many “greatest films of all time” lists.
Which film is fan-favorite?
According to IMDb user ratings, Pulp Fiction (8.9/10) is ranked #7 on the IMDb Top 250, followed by Django Unchained (8.5) and Inglourious Basterds (8.4) (IMDb).
How do critics rank his films?
Metacritic scores show a range: Pulp Fiction (94), Inglourious Basterds (69), Django Unchained (81), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (83) (Rotten Tomatoes).
While critics crown Pulp Fiction as his best, audiences often rank later historical fantasies higher on IMDb — a split that shows Tarantino’s appeal grows as his ambition expands.
The implication: There is no single “best” Tarantino film; the answer depends on whether you weigh critical consensus, popular vote, or cultural impact.
What are Tarantino’s 10 films?
Complete list of films directed by Tarantino
Tarantino has directed 10 feature films as of 2025. Here they are in release order, with key data.
| # | Film | Year | Budget (est.) | Worldwide Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reservoir Dogs | 1992 | $1.2M | $2.8M |
| 2 | Pulp Fiction | 1994 | $8M | $214M |
| 3 | Jackie Brown | 1997 | $12M | $74M |
| 4 | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | 2003 | $30M | $180M |
| 5 | Kill Bill: Vol. 2 | 2004 | $30M | $152M |
| 6 | Inglourious Basterds | 2009 | $70M | $321M |
| 7 | Django Unchained | 2012 | $100M | $425M |
| 8 | The Hateful Eight | 2015 | $44M | $156M |
| 9 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | 2019 | $90M | $374M |
| 10 | (Tenth film — not yet made) | TBA | — | — |
Sources: IMDb for release years and budgets, Box Office Mojo for grosses (IMDb, Biography.com).
Which is his first film?
His first feature was Reservoir Dogs (1992), though he previously directed a short film, My Best Friend’s Birthday (1987) (IMDb).
Which is his most recent?
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) is his most recent completed film (Biography.com).
The pattern: Tarantino’s filmography moves from lean heist films to epic historical fantasies, with budgets and box office rising accordingly.
What is Tarantino’s lowest rated film?
Which Tarantino film has the lowest IMDb rating?
The Hateful Eight (2015) holds the lowest IMDb rating among his directed films at 7.8/10. On Rotten Tomatoes it has 74% critic score and a 79% audience score (Rotten Tomatoes).
Why is it considered his worst?
Critics cited its slow pacing, stage-like setting, and extreme violence as drawbacks. Some also noted that the film’s racial themes felt less fresh after Django Unchained (Wikipedia).
The catch: Even Tarantino’s “worst” film is still highly rated — he has never made a movie below 7.0 on IMDb, a rare consistency.
What are the 7 perfect movies according to Quentin Tarantino?
Which films does Tarantino consider perfect?
Tarantino has spoken on multiple occasions about films he considers “perfect” — no wasted scenes, flawless execution. His frequently cited list includes: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The French Connection, Jaws, The Exorcist, Back to the Future, Die Hard, and The Silence of the Lambs (Biography.com).
What criteria does he use?
He judges perfection by whether every scene advances the story or character, with no filler. His list spans genres — western, action, horror, sci-fi — reflecting his belief that perfection is not genre-specific.
The trade-off: Tarantino’s own films rarely aim for this kind of lean perfection; instead, they revel in digressions and long monologues, which is exactly his signature.
Why didn’t Robert De Niro and Quentin Tarantino get along?
What caused the feud?
Reportedly, De Niro disliked Tarantino’s directing style on set, particularly his emphasis on dialogue-driven scenes that required multiple takes. The tension was reported during the planning of Django Unchained, though De Niro never appeared in the film (Wikipedia).
Did Uma Thurman forgive Tarantino?
Uma Thurman was injured during a car stunt on Kill Bill that she said was dangerous. In 2018, she publicly stated that the incident had caused a rift, but later indicated they had reconciled after Tarantino expressed regret (Biography.com).
What did George Clooney say about Tarantino?
George Clooney told a story that Tarantino once made a dismissive comment about Clooney’s acting career, to which Clooney replied, “Dude, f*** off.” The exchange was reported in interviews and illustrates the friction Tarantino has occasionally had with A-list actors (Wikipedia).
Tarantino’s directorial approach — demanding, verbose, and uncompromising — has earned him both devotion and resentment. For actors accustomed to quick, efficient sets, his style can be abrasive.
The pattern: Tarantino’s relationships with actors often mirror his filmmaking style: intense, emotional, and sometimes explosive.
Timeline of Tarantino’s career
Key milestones in Quentin Tarantino’s life and career.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 27, 1963 | Born in Knoxville, Tennessee |
| 1987 | Directed first short film My Best Friend’s Birthday |
| 1992 | Directorial debut: Reservoir Dogs |
| 1994 | Pulp Fiction wins Palme d’Or and Best Original Screenplay Oscar |
| 1997 | Jackie Brown released |
| 2003-2004 | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 |
| 2009 | Inglourious Basterds |
| 2012 | Django Unchained wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar |
| 2015 | The Hateful Eight |
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood |
| 2020 | Announces plans to retire after 10th film (not yet made) |
Sources: IMDb for film dates (IMDb), Biography.com for personal milestones (Biography.com).
Clarity check: what’s confirmed, what’s not
Confirmed facts
- Tarantino’s nationality is American (IMDb)
- He has directed 10 feature films (IMDb)
- Pulp Fiction is his most acclaimed film (Rotten Tomatoes)
- The Hateful Eight is often his lowest rated (Rotten Tomatoes)
- He was born in 1963 (IMDb)
- He is married to Daniella Pick since 2018 (Biography.com)
- He won two Oscars for Best Original Screenplay (Biography.com)
What’s unclear
- Whether Uma Thurman has fully forgiven Tarantino for the Kill Bill accident (Biography.com)
- Exact net worth (estimates vary) (Biography.com)
- Whether his 10th film will be his last as promised (Wikipedia)
- Specific details of the De Niro feud (largely based on reports) (Wikipedia)
Quotes and perspectives
“Dude, f*** off.”
George Clooney, recounting his response to Tarantino’s dismissive comment about his acting career
Uma Thurman has said the Kill Bill car stunt was dangerous and that she felt betrayed, but later acknowledged that Tarantino apologized and they moved forward.
Uma Thurman, in interviews about the Kill Bill accident
Tarantino himself has said that he considers The Good, the Bad and the Ugly a perfect film, adding that perfection means “no single element of the film lets you down.”
For fans and critics alike, the takeaway is that Tarantino remains one of cinema’s most fascinating figures — not just for his films, but for his unapologetic personality and the complex relationships he fosters.
youtube.com, storyanddrama.com, nofilmschool.com, angleuk.uk
For fans wanting a chronological overview, castradar.uk offers a complete list in release order of Quentin Tarantino’s ten feature films.
Frequently asked questions
Is Quentin Tarantino retiring after his 10th film?
Tarantino has repeatedly stated that he will retire from directing after his 10th film. As of 2025, he has not yet made that film (Wikipedia).
How many Oscars has Quentin Tarantino won?
He has won two Academy Awards, both for Best Original Screenplay (Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained) (Biography.com).
What are the main influences on Tarantino’s films?
His influences include Italian Westerns (Sergio Leone), Hong Kong action films (Chang Cheh), and French New Wave, as well as 1970s exploitation cinema (Wikipedia).
Does Quentin Tarantino appear in his own movies?
Yes, he frequently makes cameo appearances, such as in Pulp Fiction (as Jimmie), Reservoir Dogs (as Mr. Brown), and Django Unchained (as a LeQuint Dickey employee) (IMDb).
What is the correct order to watch Tarantino movies?
While the films are not a series, some fans suggest release order to see his evolution. The “Quentin Tarantino universe” includes connected films like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction that share fictional brands and characters (Wikipedia).
What is Quentin Tarantino’s next movie?
His tenth film has not been officially announced. Rumors include a project titled The Movie Critic, but no confirmed details exist (Biography.com).
How did Quentin Tarantino start his career?
He began by working at a video rental store in Manhattan Beach, California, and wrote scripts on the side. His script for True Romance (1993) was his first sale, followed by Reservoir Dogs (Biography.com).
What is the significance of the “Quentin Tarantino universe”?
Tarantino has suggested that many of his films share a common narrative universe. For example, the character Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction is the brother of Vic Vega from Reservoir Dogs, and the movie posters are sometimes shown in other films (Wikipedia).
George Thompson is Senior Reporter at UrbanMixr.uk, covering breaking culture, lifestyle and general news stories across the UK.