Paul Schrader, the renowned screenwriter of Taxi Driver (1976),and his brother, a renowned filmmaker in their own right, were born in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Growing up, their family, adhering to the strict tenets of the Dutch Calvinist religious sect, imposed a ban on moviegoing, deeming it a form of "worldly amusement" prohibited by the church.
As a result, Paul Schrader's introduction to the world of cinema was delayed until his college years in the 1960s. It was during this period that he finally had the opportunity to experience the magic of movies.
Later, Schrader found himself living in Japan during the 1960s and 1970s, where he taught American literature to Japanese students. This experience would later influence his work as a screenwriter.
Schrader's first foray into filmmaking was the 1974 film The Yakuza, which he co-wrote with his brother Paul.
