Ten Things You Never Knew About Tim Burton

Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Batman Returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mars Attacks!... the list of classic Tim Burton movies is a lengthy and extensive one. And this week another potential hit joins his impressive movie canon - an updated 3D Alice In Wonderland. But how much do you really know about the London-based film director? Here are ten quick facts about Mr B.

1. Timothy William Burton was born on August 25, 1958 in Burbank, California. His mother Jean ran a gift shop, while his father Will was a baseball player.

2. Burton might not look like a great sportsman, but he was an accomplished water polo player in his youth and he also swam for Burbank High School back in California.

3. According to IMDB, Burton was the original director tipped to helm The Fly in 1986, with Michael Keaton in the lead. Michael Cronenberg took over, offering Jeff Goldblum the famous starring role.

4. Back in 1997, another film that Burton was linked to was an updated version of Superman. The Californian was attached to work on the project with Nicolas Cage rumoured to be his favoured red pants-wearing superhero.

5. Burton is apparently a big fan of Al Pacino's performance as 'Big Boy' Caprice in Dick Tracy and planned to use the actor in a Batman movie. However, the director moved away from the franchise after 1992's Batman Returns.

6. We can't find any actual proof, but there are lots of rumours online that Burton very much likes infamous softcore movie helmer Russ Meyer - the man behind Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Supervixens.

7. Burton's adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a box office success, but it didn't go ahead without a hitch. He had plenty of disagreements with Warner Bros, who wanted Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka to be "a father figure". "Willy Wonka is not a father figure! If that's your idea of a father figure, yikes. Willy Wonka's a weirdo," he reflected.

8. He may be portrayed as an odd and reclusive figure by the media, but Burton insists that he is a misunderstood character. "I've always been misrepresented. You know, I could dress in a clown costume and laugh with the happy people but they'd still say I'm a dark personality," he said.

9. Burton's professional and personal relationship with Johnny Depp is one of the most famous and profitable Hollywood partnerships of all time. Writing about his passion for the director, Depp wrote in the book Burton on Burton: "What more can I say about him? He is a brother, a friend, my son's godfather. He is a unique and brave soul, someone that I would go to the ends of the earth for, and I know, full and well, he would do the same for me."

10. Burton may be famous for overseeing dark, gothic films, but he actually started out his career as an animator at the cuddly Hollywood institution that is Disney. His first film with the company was the rather sweet Fox and the Hound in 1981.