Biography for
Barry Sonnenfeld More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

Mini Biography

Barry Sonnenfeld was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from New York University of Film School in 1978. After "refining" his craft on several hardcore porn films, he started work as director of photography on the Oscar-nominated In Our Water (1982). Then Joel Coen and Ethan Coen hired him for Blood Simple. (1984). This film began his collaboration with the Coen Bros., who used him for their next two pictures, Raising Arizona (1987) and Miller's Crossing (1990). He also worked with Danny DeVito on his Throw Momma from the Train (1987) and Rob Reiner on When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and Misery (1990). Sonnenfeld got his first work as a director from Orion Pictures on The Addams Family (1991), a box-office success released in November 1991. Its sequel, Addams Family Values (1993), was not so successful at the box office, but he got critical acclaim for his fourth directorial effort, Get Shorty (1995). Produced by Jersey Films and based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, the film won a Golden Globe for best male performance. In 1996 Steven Spielberg asked him to direct Men in Black (1997). Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, the movie was a critical and financial smash. Producer Jon Peters then asked Sonnenfeld to direct Wild Wild West (1999), an adaptation of an old TV series. This was certainly NOT well received! He also directed the comedy Big Trouble (2002), after which he made his most successful film sequel, Men in Black II (2002).

Spouse

Trade Mark

Directs mainstream films that have an offbeat quality to them.

Frequently casts Siobhan Fallon.

Often shoots from below eye-level for comic effect.

Trivia

Was uninjured when a private jet he was travelling in collided with five empty 'planes after a rough landing in Van Nuys, California. [16 February 1999]

Started his career as a cinematographer in porn films. He's quoted in the January 26, 1998 Newsweek magazine (page 60) saying that he was depressed when he heard that Boogie Nights (1997) was being made (a film about making pornos) because he had wanted to make a movie about the time he shot 9 feature length pornos in nine days.

NYU Film School Assistant to Elliott Erwitt.

Lives in Long Island, NY.

Loves to eat smoked whitefish.

Was offered the job of directing Forrest Gump (1994), but declined. The job then went to Robert Zemeckis, who won an Academy Award for it.

Has a private bathroom designed to look like a public bathroom, complete with stalls and urinals in his house in New York.

One of his most embarrassing moments occurred when he was a teenager attending his first rock concert. His mom had the PA announcer say, "Barry Sonnenfeld, call your mother."

Nephew of Vaudeville and screen comedian Gus Schilling, whose voice likeness he inherited genetically.

Father of Chloe Sonnenfeld.

Has stated in many interviews that before making Men in Black he was considering doing a live-action film version of The Jetsons. With Jim Carrey playing George Jetson and Nicole Kidman playing Jane Jetson.

Was set to direct "Fun with Dick and Jane" (2005), but bowed out citing personal reasons.

Was at one time attached to direct The Heartbreak Kid (2007).

Personal Quotes

About Men in Black (1997): "It's basically a remake of The French Connection (1971) with aliens as a comedy."

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