Judd Apatow, a more modern director, is known as one of America’s best comedic film makers of all time. Born in Syosset, New York on December 6, 1967 to Tamara and Maury Apatow. His mother worked for her father, Bob Shad, managing his record labels, while his father, Maury, worked as a real estate developer. Judd has two siblings, an older brother, Robert and younger sister, Mia. When Apatow was twelve, his parents divorced, causing all three siblings to go separate ways; Robert went to live with their maternal grandparents, Mia with her mother and Judd lived mostly with his father.
Obsessed with comedy as a kid, Apatow was first exposed to stand up comedy during a summer while his mother worked at a comedy club. While attending Syosset high school, he got a job washing dishes at the Long Island East Side Comedy Club, where he got his comic start. At the age of 17 he was doing his own stand up acts, even being listed as an “associate editor” of Laugh Factory Magazine in the September 1985 issue. During this time, he also worked at his school’s radio station, where he hosted “Club Comedy” and would call and interview comedians like Howard Stern, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, and Weird Al. After graduating high school in 1985, he enrolled in University of Southern California, to study screenwriting. He hosted numerous on campus comedy events, introducing performers with short acts of his own, while also performing at the Improv in Hollywood and volunteering at benefit concerts for HBO’s “Comic Relief”, where he would eventually start producing.
During his second year of college, he dropped out and got an apartment with fellow Improv performer, Adam Sandler. While Apatow was searching for jobs in comedy, his manager, Jimmy Miller, introduced him to to comedian Gary Shandling. This encounter resulted in Apatow being hired to write for the Grammy Awards that year, which Shandling was hosting. After trying to do stand up himself for years, Apatow came to the realization that he was better at writing scripts for others to perform. This realization might have been the best decision he could have made, because it put his career into high speed, as he spent the majority of the 90’s very busy with work. In 1992, he became co-creator and executive producer of friend Ben Stiller’s “The Ben Stiller Show” on Fox. The critically acclaimed show received an Emmy Award, but was cancelled in 1993. That same year he went on to “The Jerry Sanders Show” as a writer, where he went on to be executive producer and directed an episode in the shows last season, in 1998. Apatow was nominated for six Emmy’s during his time on the Sander’s show. In 1995, he co-wrote the film “Heavyweights” and was asked to re-write the script for 1996’s “The Cable Guy”. He also did uncredited re-writes for Jim Carrey films “Liar, Liar” and “Bruce Almighty” as well as Adam Sandler’s film 1998’s “The Wedding Singer”. In 1999, he served as executive producer for the award winning series “Freaks and Geeks”, writing and directing various episodes. In 1999, he also founded Apatow Productions. After this, he created multiple series’ and pilots that were not picked up, but this was only the start of something better that the twenty-first century had in store for this creative genius.
In 2004, Apatow produced box office hit “Anchorman, The Legend of Ron Burgundy”, directed by McKay, and co-produced the 2013 sequel. In 2005, along with producing film “Kicking and Screaming”, he made his big-screen directorial debut, which he also wrote and produced, with “The 40 Year-Old Virgin”. The film about a lonely, 40 year-old man experimenting with his sexuality for the first time, was a box office success earning nearly $110 million domestic box office and $68 million overseas. The film was number one, while it also won 10 awards, earning Apatow a nomination for Best Original Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. While on the set of 2006’s “Talladega Nights. The Ballard of Ricky Bobby” which he co-produced, he was also writing a new film, the next film that he would direct. Also a huge success, was 2007’s “Knocked Up” which grossed $219 million worldwide. With “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” and this film, about a one-night stand turned pregnancy, gave Apatow the reputation for creating films about men coming to terms with growing up, as biography.com perfectly put it. In between “Knocked Up” and his 2009 film “Funny People” which he directed, Apatow kept busy producing box office hits such as “Superbad” (2007), “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Step Brothers” and “Pineapple Express” (2008). After “Funny People” made its debut, other famous productions included “Get Him to the Greek” (2010), his raunchiest film, “Bridesmaids”, “Wanderlust” (2011). In 2012, he became executive producer of the tv series “Girls” and also directed and produced the film “This is 40”. “This is 40” is about a Californian family stars Paul Rudd as the lead, who is married to Leslie Mann’s character. The on screen couple play the parents of Apatow’s own two daughters, Maude and Iris Apatow. The film seemed to be an autobiographical look at middle-aged life. Apatow’s latest directed film is the always real, Amy Schumer. Schumer’s character is a commitment-phobic, working woman who takes a shot at dating when she meets a nice guy. Apatow seemed to be going back to his reputation of films where the leads come to turns with adulthood. Aside from producing and directing, Apatow has had his hand in books. In 2010, Apatow released a book “I Found This Funny: My Favorite Pieces of Humor and Some That May Not Be Funny at All”, which is compilation of some of Apatows favorite authors and includes various styles of writing. In 2015 he published one of New York Times Best Sellers “Sick in the Head: Conversations about life and comedy”. Itunes calls it “a hilarious, insightful and deeply personal look at what makes comedians tick, he gives his fellow comedy nerds a generations-spanning backstage peek at some of America’s greatest humorists.” Taking a look at Apatow’s work, it is apparent that he tends to stick with a group of actors in his work that include Paul Rudd, Adam Sandler, Steve Carell, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel. He also frequently works with producers Barry Mendel and Shauna Robertson.
Apatow is not the only one in the family to become a Hollywood celeb. During the production of “The Cable Guy” in 1996, Apatow met actress Leslie Mann. The following year, the two married in Los Angeles. Mann has been cast in numerous film’s produced by her husband such as Freaks and Geeks, Knocked Up, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Funny People, Drillbit Taylor and This is 40. The pair have two daughters, Maude and Iris, who have also starred in films Knocked Up, Funny People and This is 40 as Leslie’s daughters. His maternal grandmother, Molly, co-starred in the film This is 40 as well, playing Paul Rudd’s grandmother. The family currently resides in Pacific Palisades, California.
Judd Apatow’s realization in the early 90’s was one of the best decisions of his career. Stepping off the main stage and leaving his work for other’s to use has turned him into one of the most successful filmmakers in Hollywood. I chose to research him, because I think that his work is relatable and hilarious. He typically has a few characters in every film that the audience can relate to, no matter the age. Not to mention his most common group of actors have always been some of my favorites in Hollywood. Apatow leaves his fans laughing and wondering what he will do next.
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