Catherine Hardwicke (born
Helen Catherine Hardwicke;
[According to the State of Texas. Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com] October 21,
1955) is an American
production designer and
film director. Her works include the
independent film Thirteen, the Biblically-themed
The Nativity Story, and the vampire film,
Twilight. The opening weekend of
Twilight was the biggest opening ever for a female director.
Biography
Early life
Hardwicke was born in
Cameron, Texas,
the daughter of Jamee Elberta (née Bennett) and John Benjamin Hardwicke. She grew up in
McAllen,
Texas and was raised in the
Presbyterian religion.
While at
UCLA film school during the 1980s, Hardwicke made an award-winning short,
Puppy Does the Gumbo.
Career
Hardwicke began her career as an
architect.
She spent most of the 1990s as a production designer, working on such films as
Tombstone (1993),
Tank Girl (1995),
2 Days in the Valley (1996),
The Newton Boys (1998), and
Three Kings (1999). The following year she collaborated with director/screenwriter
Cameron Crowe and actor/producer
Tom Cruise on
Vanilla Sky (2001). The later two films are notable for their original use of color-manipulation techniques to complement the narrative.
