Linklater, Richard Stuart, 1960–, American screenwriter, director, and actor, b. Houston. He dropped out of college and worked on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, then moved to Austin (1983), where he took film study courses, cofounded (1985) the Austin Film Society, and made his first film, It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988). His next film, Slacker (1991), explored disaffected youth; Dazed and Confused (1993) featured offbeat students on the last day of high school in 1976. Before Sunrise (1995) was the first of his “Before” trilogy, which examines a couple's relationship from first meeting into marriage; Before Sunset (2004) returned its themes but with a more mature outlook, and Before Midnight (2013) takes up where Before Sunset left off. School of Rock (2003) is the story of an out-of-work musician who becomes a prep school music teacher. Bernie (2011), a black comedy, is about the murder of a wealthy widow in E Texas. Boyhood (2014; Golden Globe, best drama and best director) is a coming-of-age story of a young boy over 12 years in real time. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) focuses on a freshman college baseball player on the weekend before classes start. Last Flag Flying (2017) reveals the experiences, changes, and relationships of Vietnam War buddies who escort home the body of a son killed in Iraq.
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