Knoxville-native director Tarantino works hometown into films

Director Quentin Tarantino was born March 27, 1963, in Knoxville.

He left the city at age 4, moving with his mother to California, but in 1973 Tarantino returned to Knoxville for a brief while, attending fifth grade in South Clinton.

Despite the relatively minimal time in Knoxville, East Tennessee nevertheless made an impact on him that has found its way into his work – from the characters to the settings to the music.

For instance, he made his “Inglourious Basterds” character Lt. Aldo Raine from Maynardville, and Tarantino worked with actor Brad Pitt, who portrayed Raine in the 2009 film, to use an accent appropriate for someone from the mountains of East Tennessee.

In a 2007 interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel, Tarantino said when he returned to live East Tennessee in 1973 he was fascinated by all of the kung fu movies that played in Knoxville, a fascination that manifested its way into many of his action films, notably in “Kill Bill: Volume 1” (2003) and “Kill Bill: Volume 2” (2004).

More on Tarantino's Knoxville roots: Quentin Tarantino's film career started at South Clinton Drive-In

Tarantino has said he will stop directing films after his 10th movie – a declaration he reaffirmed in November 2016, at the Adobe Max creativity conference in San Diego.

That would mean he only has two more chances to work Knoxville and Tennessee into the storylines.