Todd Haynes is a prominent American filmmaker. He is the son of Sherry Lynne and Allen E. Haynes

Allen E. Haynes, his father, was a cosmetics importer, and Sherry Lynne, his mother, studied acting. His mother appeared briefly in I am Not There.

Todd Haynes is Jewish through his mother. Gwynneth Haynes of the band Sophe Lux is his younger sister.

In 2010, Haynes’s mother, Sherry, choked on a cheese sandwich and passed away. Within half an hour of her death, in Los Angeles, Haynes, who was in New York, had a stroke.

Haynes first attracted public recognition with his controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987), which follows the life and death of singer Karen Carpenter using Barbie dolls as characters. Superstar has since become a cult classic.

Far from Heaven (2002) earned Haynes recognition and a degree of mainstream success, earning him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Haynes directed and co-wrote the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011), for which he received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.