David Cronenberg, a renowned filmmaker, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1943 to a journalist and editor father, Milton Cronenberg, and a piano player mother, Esther (Sumberg).
From an early age, Cronenberg demonstrated a strong inclination towards literature, writing and publishing eerie short stories, and music, playing classical guitar until he was 12 years old.
He pursued a degree in Literature at the University of Toronto, switching from the science department, and later gained recognition in the horror genre with films such as Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977),following an apprenticeship in independent film-making and Canadian television programs.
Cronenberg's popularity grew with the release of Scanners (1981),a telepathy-based horror film, and The Brood (1979),a controversial and autobiographical film. He further solidified his reputation with Videodrome (1983),a thought-provoking critique of contemporary aesthetics and reality-morphing television.
The director continued to explore themes of tech-induced mutation and the dichotomy between body and mind in films such as The Dead Zone (1983) and The Fly (1986),both based on mass-entertainment materials.
Cronenberg's work gained international acclaim with films like Dead Ringers (1988) and Naked Lunch (1991),which showcased his auteur status. His later films, Crash (1996) and eXistenZ (1999),made profound statements on modern humanity and society, and were well-received at the Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals.
In his final two film projects, Spider (2002) and A History of Violence (2005),Cronenberg shifted his focus from his signature teratologic and oneiric expressionism to a more psychological exploration of human contradictions and idiosyncrasies.
