Todd Solondz was born in Newark, New Jersey. He began his career in the film industry as a young man, working as a messenger for the Writers' Guild of America. During this time, he wrote several screenplays.
Solondz's first color film with sync sound was the short "Schatt's Last Shot" (1985). The film was a student project made at NYU, where Solondz was a student. It is still screened at the university.
Solondz's first feature was Fear, Anxiety & Depression (1989),a film about a writer writing a play and sending it to Samuel Beckett.
His second feature, Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995),was a critical success. The film won awards at Sundance, Berlin, and other festivals for its portrayal of adolescence and suburban life.
Solondz's third feature, Happiness (1998),was a controversial film that explored themes of sexuality and mortality. The film was dropped by its original distributor due to its controversial content, but was later picked up by another company.
Solondz's next film, Storytelling (2001),was about the artistic process and explored themes of fiction and non-fiction. The film was divided into two halves, "Fiction" and "Non-Fiction," and featured a racialy charged sex scene that was initially deemed too explicit for an R rating.
Solondz's next film, Palindromes (2004),was also controversial, featuring a protagonist played by eight people of differing size, race, and gender.
Throughout his career, Solondz has established himself as a unique and engaging filmmaker, known for his provocative and often controversial work.
