Biography

Tim Pope is a British director renowned for his highly imaginative, visually distinctive music videos and his defining contribution to the look of alternative music in the 1980s and 1990s. He rose to prominence through his long-running collaboration with The Cure, crafting iconic videos such as 'Close to Me', 'Lullaby' and 'Just Like Heaven', where surrealism, wit, and a playful darkness became his signature.

Alongside The Cure, Pope worked with a wide range of influential artists across genres. His credits include videos for David Bowie, Queen, Soft Cell, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The The, The Psychedelic Furs, Talk Talk, Paul Weller, Paul McCartney,  Hall & Oates, Neil Young, The Bangles and The Cars, among others - helping to shape the visual identity of an era.

Beyond music videos, Pope has directed a feature film, The Crow: City of Angels (1996), as well as documentaries and commercials. His work is marked by a strong sense of visual storytelling, often blending theatricality with emotional depth, and continues to influence generations of directors working across music, film, and advertising.

He is currently casting a movie, The Photographer's Assistant, working on commercials and a cinema documentary project for The Cure to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

His memoir, I Shoot Rock Stars - The Wild Adventures of a Music Video Director, will be published by Wildfire Books/Headline in the UK on August 13 2026. and in the US by Diversion Books on September 1.

Portrait by @vella.andy