Robert Eggers Biography

Robert Houston Eggers is an American filmmaker born in New York City. Growing up, he lived with his mother, Kelly Houston, and he did not know his biological father.

Robert moved around quite a lot as a child. He and his mother moved to Laramie, Wyoming, where she met and married Walter Eggers. The two of them would have twin sons named Max and Sam, who also went on to become filmmakers.

His stepfather, Walter, was an English literature professor at the University of Wyoming. In 1990, the family moved to Lee, New Hampshire, after Walter became a provost at the University of New Hampshire.

Robert would eventually move back to New York to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in 2001. It was here that he gained an interest in designing and directing for theater. He eventually developed an interest in filmmaking after directing and designing short films.

Robert's feature film directorial debut was The Witch (2015), starring Anya Taylor-Joy. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was eventually acquired by A24. The film was a nominee for the Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic, at Sundance, and Robert won the Directing Award, Dramatic.

He next directed The Lighthouse (2019), starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. The film received numerous awards from a variety of critic groups, as well as the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Robert’s third film was The Northman (2022), a Nordic revenge film starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Ethan Hawke.

In 2024, Robert released Nosferatu (2024), a remake of the classic 1922 silent film. The film starred Lily-Rose Depp as the lead and it is currently Robert's highest-grossing film.

The development of Nosferatu (2024) was almost a decade in the making. Robert was reportedly tapped to write and direct the film in 2015. Robert was hesitant, as he felt he was not at a point in his career where he should be directing a film of this importance.

Robert holds the original silent film in high regard. He watched it as a child, and in high school he put on a play version of Nosferatu, which was seen by a local theater owner in New Hampshire. Robert was invited to direct a more professional version of the play and credits this moment with setting the course for the rest of his career.

Robert believes that the long road to his version of the film allowed him to build his clout and technical abilities so he could create the film he envisioned.

Robert is married to Alexandra Shaker, a clinical psychologist he has known since childhood. They have a son named Houston.

Filmography:

Nosferatu (2024)
The Northman (2022)
The Lighthouse (2019)
The Witch (2015)