Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow (born 6.12.1967)

Judd Apatow is an American film director, producer and screenwriter.

Judd Apatow: Childhood

Judd Apatow was born in Syosset, New York. He was raised in a Jewish family and has an older brother, Robert and a younger sister, Mia. His mother worked at a comedy club, whilst his father was a property developer.

When Judd was 12 years old, his parents divorced each other and Judd lived with his father, visiting his mother on weekends.

At school, Judd indulged his passion for comedy when he hosted a radio show called 'Club Comedy' on his high school radio station, at Syosset High School. Using his mother's comedy club contacts, he interviewed Howard Stern, John Candy, Jerry Seinfeld and Garry Shandling, for the show.

Judd Apatow: Comedy Career

Judd Apatow's stand up career started at the age of 17, when he was in his final year of high school. When he graduated, he moved to Los Angeles, where he enrolled on the screenwriting course at the University of Southern California. Whilst at university, he organised the campus comedy night, featuring the likes of Kevin Nealon.

After two years at university, Apatow dropped out and moved into a flat with fellow comedian Adam Sandler, who he had met at a comedy club called The Improv.

Apatow's stand-up career failed to take off so he started writing jokes for established comedians such as Roseanne Barr, as well as appearing on 1992's 15th Annual Young Comedians Special on HBO. After meeting Ben Stiller outside an Elvis Costello gig, Apatow worked as a producer on The Ben Stiller Show for the FOX network. The show won an Emmy award but nonetheless, Fox cancelled the show after a year.

Jimmy Miler, Judd's manager, landed him a gig writing for the Larry Sanders Show, where he worked for five years and earned himself six Emmy nominations.

The producers of the Jim Carrey-vehicle, Cable Guy, hired Apatow to re-write Lou Holtz's original script, though the film was not as successful as he had hoped that it would be. Additionally, in 1998, Apatow rewrote a section of Adam Sandler's The Wedding Singer, though it remains un-credited.

Between 1999 and 2002, Apatow produced the TV series Freaks and Geeks, which starred Seth Rogen and Undeclared, which also featured Rogen, as well as Loudon Wainwright.

2004 proved to be Judd Apatow's breakthrough year when he produced the highly successful and critically acclaimed comedy Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy. The film starred Will Ferrell and Steve Carell, who went on to star in Apatow's next movie, The 40-Year Old Virgin.

In 2007, Knocked Up, again starring Seth Rogen, was well received by critics and fans alike. He had written the script whilst he was working on the set of Talladega Nights (which also starred Will Ferrell).

Later on in 2007, Superbad was released. Produced by Judd Apatow, the film had been written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The film was originally intended as a vehicle for Rogen but in the end, they cast Michael Cera (who starred in Juno) and Jonah Hill as the lead characters. It wasn't until the success of Talladega Nights that Apatow was able to convince a studio to take on Superbad, or his other Rogen/Goldberg-penned movie, Pineapple Express.

In 2007, Judd Apatow worked as director on the spoof musician biopic Walk hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which starred John C. Reilly and Jenna Fischer. The film sent up previous biopics on artists such as Johnny Cash and Jim Morrison.

He then went on to produce the Owen Wilson vehicle Drillbit Taylor, which also starred his wife, Leslie Mann, though the reviews for the film were not as positive as his more recent ventures and financially, the film failed to rake back its investment.

Apatow finished 2008 by producing Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the film that starred Russell Brand as well as Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis. He also co-wrote You Don't Mess with the Zohan with Adam Sandler and Robert Smigel.

In 2009, Apatow worked as the producer on Year One a comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera, as well as Funny People, his third directorial outing.

Judd Apatow: Personal Life

Judd Apatow lived in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Leslie Mann and their two daughters, Maude and Iris.