Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Directing for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, and won the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for his film Elephant. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

His early career was devoted to directing television commercials in the Pacific Northwest. In his films, he has dealt with themes concerning homosexuality and other marginalized subcultures.

His filmography as writer and director includes an adaptation of Tom Robbins' novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which features a diverse cast (Keanu Reeves, Roseanne Barr, Uma Thurman, and k.d. lang, with cameos by William S. Burroughs and Heather Graham, among others); and My Own Private Idaho, also starring Reeves as well as River Phoenix.

He wrote the screenplays for most of his early movies, and wrote one novel, Pink. A book of his photography has also been published, called 108 Portraits.

Gus Green Van Sant, jr. ist ein US-amerikanischer Filmregisseur, Filmproduzent, Fotograf und Musiker. Er gilt als Spezialist für Filme über unangepasste Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene wie der 1989 entstandene Drugstore Cowboy, einem Roadmovie über kriminelle jugendliche Drogenabhängige und My Private Idaho (1991), der von der Freundschaft eines Strichers zum Sohn des Bürgermeisters handelt.

Gus Van Sant Jr. (Louisville, 24 de julho de 1952) é um cineasta e roteirista norte-americano. Com o dinheiro que ganhou, ele dirigiu o filme independente Mala Noche em 1985. O filme contém alguns temas da obra de Van Sant que depois retornariam, como a homossexualidade (Van Sant é abertamente gay), , o posicionamento (Portland (Oregon)) e uma abordagem do absurdo. Mala Noche foi bem recebido pelos críticos e foi nomeado melhor filme independente do ano pela Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Desde então, ele dirigiu vários filmes.