Neil Jordan
An Irish storyteller who paints with a dark, dreamlike palette, moving seamlessly from literary fiction to haunting, visually sumptuous films.
Born 1950 (age 76)·Irish filmmaker and writer·Birthday: February 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Neil Jordan began as a writer of finely crafted, atmospheric short stories, winning major prizes before he ever looked through a camera lens. This literary foundation is the bedrock of his filmmaking, which is less concerned with plot than with mood, moral ambiguity, and the haunting space where fantasy bleeds into reality. His debut, 'Angel,' announced a unique voice, but it was 'The Company of Wolves' that fully unleashed his gothic imagination. Jordan possesses a rare dual citizenship in Hollywood and independent cinema, directing the mainstream hit 'Interview with the Vampire' with the same personal touch he brought to the deeply Irish 'The Butcher Boy.' His Oscar-winning screenplay for 'The Crying Game' remains a landmark in narrative surprise. Throughout, he has maintained a parallel career as a novelist, ensuring that his visual poetry is always anchored in the power of the written word.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Neil was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Neil Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Neil's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for 'The Crying Game' in 1993.
- Directed 'The Butcher Boy,' which won the Best Director award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1998.
- His first collection of stories, 'Night in Tunisia,' won the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979.
- Founded his own production company, Company of Wolves, to maintain creative control over his projects.
Did You Know?
He was a member of a band called 'The Vampires' with fellow Irish writer Peter Sheridan in his youth.
He initially turned down the offer to direct 'Interview with the Vampire,' but was persuaded after meeting with star Tom Cruise.
He wrote the original story for the 2012 vampire film 'Byzantium,' directed by his frequent collaborator, daughter Daisy Jordan.
He is a skilled painter and has had his artwork exhibited.
“I'm always attracted to the story that hasn't been told.”
