Here's Why Quentin Tarantino Owes His Whole Career To A Bizarre TV Bit-Part

Hit movies such as Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill brought Quentin Tarantino worldwide fame. But before he made it big, the director had a brief appearance in a sitcom, and it paved the way for his future rise to stardom. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s quite a departure from his own visceral extravaganzas. 

Thanks to Tony Tarantino’s career as an actor, his son Quentin had cinematography in his blood. It was Tarantino Jr.’s grandmother, though, who really brought his love of film to the fore. Once she took the then-four-year-old to watch a John Wayne movie, and that was it: the future director was well and truly hooked.

Tarantino’s mother Connie McHugh once informed magazine Entertainment Weekly that elements of his unique directing style had appeared early on. “He wrote me sad Mother’s Day stories,” she revealed. “He’d always kill me and tell me how bad he felt about it. It was enough to bring a tear to a mother’s eye.”

Thankfully, instead of matricide Tarantino channeled his energies in a much healthier direction. A movie rental store called Video Archives hired him. There he met like-minded film buff Roger Avary and the two indulged their shared passion by writing screenplays. Tarantino’s access to a range of films probably played a contribution to his signature references, too. 

Those in the know won’t need reminding that Tarantino loves to recreate scenes from other films. Or “steal” from them, as he told Empire magazine in 1994. But did you know that he has an interest in acting, too? That’s right, the renowned director often steps out from behind the camera for some on-screen appearances.