Helen Catherine Hardwicke (born October 21, 1955) is an American film
director, production designer, and screenwriter. Her directorial work
includes Thirteen (2003), which she co-wrote with Nikki Reed, the
film's co-star, Lords of Dogtown (2005), The Nativity Story (2006),
Twilight (2008), Red Riding Hood (2011), Plush (2013), Miss You
Already (2015), and Miss Bala (2019).Hardwicke was born in Cameron,
Texas on October 21, 1955, the daughter of Jamee Elberta (née
Bennett) and John Benjamin Hardwicke. She has a brother, Jack, and a
sister, Irene Hardwicke Olivieri, who became an artist. She grew up in
McAllen on the U.S.â€"Mexico border, where her family owned and
operated a farm along the Rio Grande, and was raised as a
Presbyterian. She said the border area was wild: in high school, "her
principal was stabbed three times. A friend's father was shot in the
back, and another friend was murdered. And yet life could be wonderful
at the same time. 'It was a Huck Finn life, too,' she said." Growing
up in McAllen, Hardwicke describes it as "wild". As a child she did
not attend many movies and explains, "I didn’t go to many movies.
Let's be honest: It was a cultural wasteland. At the time, you could
not go to a significant museum unless you drove three hours to Corpus
Christi or four to San Antonio". However, there were other ways to
have fun such as sneaking over to the bars and nightclubs of Mexico
before she was even a legal adult. Speaking on her early life
Hardwicke says, "It was a wonderful childhood. I'm dying to make a
movie about it".She graduated from McAllen High School and went to the
University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a degree in
architecture. Among her post-graduation projects was designing the
solar townhouse complex built around a man-made lake on the 20-acre
site, complete with waterfalls and swimming pools. The property was
owned by her father.
director, production designer, and screenwriter. Her directorial work
includes Thirteen (2003), which she co-wrote with Nikki Reed, the
film's co-star, Lords of Dogtown (2005), The Nativity Story (2006),
Twilight (2008), Red Riding Hood (2011), Plush (2013), Miss You
Already (2015), and Miss Bala (2019).Hardwicke was born in Cameron,
Texas on October 21, 1955, the daughter of Jamee Elberta (née
Bennett) and John Benjamin Hardwicke. She has a brother, Jack, and a
sister, Irene Hardwicke Olivieri, who became an artist. She grew up in
McAllen on the U.S.â€"Mexico border, where her family owned and
operated a farm along the Rio Grande, and was raised as a
Presbyterian. She said the border area was wild: in high school, "her
principal was stabbed three times. A friend's father was shot in the
back, and another friend was murdered. And yet life could be wonderful
at the same time. 'It was a Huck Finn life, too,' she said." Growing
up in McAllen, Hardwicke describes it as "wild". As a child she did
not attend many movies and explains, "I didn’t go to many movies.
Let's be honest: It was a cultural wasteland. At the time, you could
not go to a significant museum unless you drove three hours to Corpus
Christi or four to San Antonio". However, there were other ways to
have fun such as sneaking over to the bars and nightclubs of Mexico
before she was even a legal adult. Speaking on her early life
Hardwicke says, "It was a wonderful childhood. I'm dying to make a
movie about it".She graduated from McAllen High School and went to the
University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a degree in
architecture. Among her post-graduation projects was designing the
solar townhouse complex built around a man-made lake on the 20-acre
site, complete with waterfalls and swimming pools. The property was
owned by her father.
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