Photo: D.Ebner / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Don Hertzfeldt was born in Fremont, California, United States on August 1, 1976. Public records list Don Hertzfeldt as a film director, screenwriter and animator. That works out to 50 years old in 2026. Schooling on record includes Mission San Jose High School and University of California, Santa Barbara.
My Take
Don Hertzfeldt is one of the few animators who genuinely rewires how I think about the medium. With nothing but stick figures and hand-drawn lines he conjures mortality, memory, and cosmic loneliness more piercingly than most big-budget studios. A two-time Oscar nominee with a record nine shorts at Sundance, he proved that independent vision beats technical spectacle. Works like the World of Tomorrow series feel like doodles haunted by the whole universe. What I treasure is his refusal to chase polish; he trusts the idea itself. That's authorship in its purest, most stubborn form, and I find it endlessly inspiring.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Don Hertzfeldt
- Name (Japanese)
- ドン・ハーツフェルト
- Reading
- どん・はーつふぇると
- Born
- August 1, 1976 (age 50)
- Origin
- Fremont, California, United States
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / animator / cinematographer / writer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dragon
2. Background
- High school
- Mission San Jose High School
- University
- University of California, Santa Barbara
3. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.bitterfilms.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/don_hertzfeldt/
- Xhttps://x.com/donhertzfeldt
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%20Hertzfeldt
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q594400
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Don Hertzfeldt born?
Don Hertzfeldt was born on August 1, 1976 and is 50 years old.
Where is Don Hertzfeldt from?
Don Hertzfeldt is from Fremont, California, United States.
What does Don Hertzfeldt do?
Don Hertzfeldt works as film director, screenwriter, animator, cinematographer, writer.
Where did Don Hertzfeldt study?
Don Hertzfeldt attended University of California, Santa Barbara.
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