Who Is Kathryn Bigelow? Age, Biography and Wiki
Kathryn Bigelow was born on November 27, 1951, making her 73 years old in 2025. She is an acclaimed American film director, producer, and screenwriter, known for her groundbreaking work in the film industry. Bigelow rose to fame with her unique storytelling and ability to tackle complex themes, especially those surrounding war and male-female dynamics. She made history in 2010 by becoming the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director for her film "The Hurt Locker."
| Occupation | Film Producer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | November 27, 1951 |
| Age | 73 Years |
| Birth Place | San Carlos, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Country | U.S |
Popularity
Kathryn Bigelow's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Kathryn Bigelow stands at an impressive height of 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) and has maintained a weight of approximately 145 lbs (66 kg). While specific body statistics are not publicly disclosed, Bigelow's dedication to fitness and a healthy lifestyle is evident in her robust and graceful appearance.
The commercial failure of Strange Days was followed by a stream of commercial and critical flops for Bigelow. Her films The Weight of Water and K-19: The Widowmaker received negative reviews from critics and little attention from the general public. With her independently produced film The Hurt Locker she made a commercial and critical comeback.
This film was her transition into political and historical film. The Hurt Locker, which follows members of a bomb squad serving in the Iraq War, was Bigelow's first venture into pseudo-documentary style film, abandoning the aesthetic stylization found in Strange Days and Near Dark.
The film utilizes the genre's tendency to use quick cuts, shaky camera, and rapid zooms. It also breaks with the conventional narrative structures of her previous films, following a more unorganized and experimental narrative structure.
Her next film, Zero Dark Thirty, is widely seen as a direct extension of The Hurt Locker, going further in-depth of historical analysis and addressing issues of geopolitics and American foreign policy. The film was criticised for its depiction of the CIA's torture practices.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
As of 2025, Kathryn Bigelow has been known to be single after her previous marriage to filmmaker James Cameron, which lasted from 1989 to 1991. Since then, she has maintained a private lifestyle regarding her relationships, leading to speculation and curiosity about her current dating status. Although reports suggest she may be dating, details about a current boyfriend or partner remain under wraps.
In 1993, she directed an episode of the TV series Wild Palms and appeared in one episode as Mazie Woiwode (uncredited). Bigelow's 1995 film Strange Days was written and produced by her ex-husband James Cameron. Despite some positive reviews, the film was a commercial failure.
Furthermore, many attributed the creative vision to Cameron, diminishing Bigelow's perceived influence on the film. She directed three episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street in 1997 and 1998. Based on Anita Shreve's novel of the same name, Bigelow's 2000 film The Weight of Water is a portrait of two women trapped in suffocating relationships.
In 2002, she directed K-19: The Widowmaker, starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, about a group of men aboard the Soviet Union's first nuclear-powered submarine. The film fared poorly at the box office and was received with mixed reactions by critics.
Net Worth and Salary
Kathryn Bigelow's estimated net worth in 2025 stands at around $40 million, a testament to her successful career in Hollywood. Her earnings are primarily derived from directing, producing, and screenwriting. With blockbuster hits like "Zero Dark Thirty," "K-19: The Widowmaker," and the critically acclaimed "Point Break," her film projects have contributed significantly to her financial success.
Career, Business, and Investments
Kathryn Bigelow's career spans over four decades, marking her as one of the most influential directors in contemporary cinema. Beginning her journey in the late 70s, she broke barriers in a male-dominated industry with her unique vision and storytelling abilities. Besides directing films, Bigelow has been involved in various business ventures, including owning production companies.
Her film portfolio showcases an array of genres, emphasizing intense narratives and remarkable cinematography. Bigelow continues to be active in the industry with upcoming projects, hinting at a promising future.
She served as executive producer of Triple Frontier, a film that she was originally going to direct. She gave up directing duties to J. C. Chandor to focus on other projects. Bigelow also directs commercials.
She is represented internationally by commercial production company SMUGGLER, where she has directed commercials for the Army National Guard, Budweiser and AT&T, some of which were broadcast during the Super Bowl.
In 2022, Bigelow was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for Apple's "Hollywood In Your Pocket".
Social Network
Kathryn Bigelow maintains a relatively low profile on social media. While she has a presence on platforms like Twitter and Instagram, she primarily utilizes these accounts to promote her work and share insights on her projects. She is followed by a dedicated fan base who admire her contributions to film and advocacy for women's representation in Hollywood.
Blue Steel starred Jamie Lee Curtis as a rookie police officer who is stalked by a psychopathic killer, played by Ron Silver. As with Near Dark, Eric Red co-wrote the screenplay.
The film, originally bankrolled for $10 million, was shot on location in New York due to financial considerations and because Bigelow does not "like movies where you see a welfare apartment and it's the size of two football fields." Bigelow followed Blue Steel with the cult classic Point Break (1991), which starred Keanu Reeves as an FBI agent who
poses as a surfer to catch the "Ex-Presidents", a team of surfing armed robbers led by Patrick Swayze who wear Reagan, Nixon, LBJ and Jimmy Carter masks when they hold up banks.
Point Break was Bigelow's most profitable 'studio' film, taking approximately $80 million at the global box office during the year of its release, and yet it remains one of her lowest rated films, both in commercial reviews and academic analysis.
Critics argued that it conformed to some of the clichés and tired stereotypes of the action genre and that it abandoned much of the stylistic substance and subtext of Bigelow's other work.
Education
Kathryn Bigelow pursued her education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a bachelor's degree in painting. Later, she attended the AFI Conservatory, where she honed her skills in filmmaking. Her diverse educational background has greatly influenced her approach to storytelling in cinema.
Bigelow's early creative endeavors were as a student of painting. She enrolled at San Francisco Art Institute in the fall of 1970 and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in December 1972. While enrolled at SFAI, she was accepted into the Whitney Museum of American Art's Independent Study Program in New York City.
For a while, Bigelow lived as an impoverished artist, staying with painter Julian Schnabel in performance artist Vito Acconci's loft. She had a minor role in Richard Serra's video Prisoner's Dilemma (1974). Bigelow teamed up with Philip Glass on a real-estate venture in which they renovated distressed apartments downtown and sold them for a profit.
