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IMDbPro

M. Night Shyamalan

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeter
8083
M. Night Shyamalan in The Last Airbender (2010)
Has Dave Bautista met his greatest match yet in the form of 8-year-old Kristen Cui? 'Knock at the Cabin' pits the young actress against Bautista in a fight for the fate of the world, so the action hero explains to IMDb how he takes on such a showdown. Then, Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge divulge how they portrayed the roles of parents to Kristen behind-the-scenes and on-camera. Plus, writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan compares his different approaches to directing child actors, including Cui, Haley Joel Osment in 'The Sixth Sense,' and Abigail Breslin in 'Signs.' And of course, Jonathan, Ben, Kristen, and Night sound off about the iconic disco track from KC and the Sunshine Band, "Boogie Shoes" and what the song means to the film and to them.
Play clip4:02
Why M. Night Shyamalan Put on His "Boogie Shoes" for 'Knock at the Cabin'
21 Videos
99+ Photos
Born in Puducherry, India, and raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots.

He is the son of Jayalakshmi, a Tamil obstetrician and gynecologist, and Nelliate C. Shyamalan, a Malayali doctor. His passion for filmmaking began when he was given a Super-8 camera at age eight, and even at that young age began to model his career on that of his idol, Steven Spielberg. His first film, Praying with Anger (1992), was based somewhat on his own trip back to visit the India of his birth. He raised all the funds for this project, in addition to directing, producing and starring in it. Wide Awake (1998), his second film, he wrote and directed, and shot it in the Philadelphia-area Catholic school he once attended--even though his family was of a different religion, they sent him to that school because of its strict discipline.

Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense (1999), which was a commercial success and later nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Shyamalan team up again with Bruce Willis in the film Unbreakable (2000), released in 2000, which he also he also wrote and directed.

His major films include the science fiction thriller Signs (2002), the psychological thriller The Village (2004), the fantasy thriller Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), After Earth (2013), and the horror films The Visit (2015) and Split (2016).
BornAugust 6, 1970
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornAugust 6, 1970
IMDbProStarmeter
8083
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars

Photos109

Lauren Ambrose and M. Night Shyamalan in Servant (2019)
Norm MacDonald, M. Night Shyamalan, and Adam Eget in Norm Macdonald Has a Show (2018)
Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and M. Night Shyamalan in Conan (2010)
Bruce Willis and M. Night Shyamalan in Conan (2010)
Bruce Willis and M. Night Shyamalan in Glass (2019)
M. Night Shyamalan in The Sixth Sense (1999)
John Erick Dowdle, M. Night Shyamalan, and Drew Dowdle in Devil (2010)
John Erick Dowdle, M. Night Shyamalan, and Drew Dowdle in Devil (2010)
John Erick Dowdle, M. Night Shyamalan, and Drew Dowdle in Devil (2010)
M. Night Shyamalan, Jackson Rathbone, Nicola Peltz Beckham, and Noah Ringer in The Last Airbender (2010)
M. Night Shyamalan in The Last Airbender (2010)
M. Night Shyamalan, Shaun Toub, and Dev Patel in The Last Airbender (2010)

Known for

Bryce Dallas Howard in Lady in the Water (2006)
Lady in the Water
5.5
  • Producer
  • 2006
Signs (2002)
Signs
6.8
  • Producer
  • 2002
The Village (2004)
The Village
6.6
  • Producer
  • 2004
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Sixth Sense
8.2
  • Director(directed by)
  • 1999

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Producer

  • Untitled M. Night Shyamalan Project
    • Pre-production
  • Caddo
    • Post-production
  • Labor of Love
    • In Development
  • Rupert Grint, Dave Bautista, and Abby Quinn in Knock at the Cabin (2023)
    Knock at the Cabin
  • Lauren Ambrose, Rupert Grint, Toby Kebbell, and Nell Tiger Free in Pigeon (2023)
    Servant
  • Old (2021)
    Old
    • (produced by)
  • Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and James McAvoy in Glass (2019)
    Glass
    • (produced by)
  • James McAvoy in Split (2016)
    Split
    • (produced by)
  • Wayward Pines (2015)
    Wayward Pines
  • The Visit (2015)
    The Visit
  • Will Smith and Jaden Smith in After Earth (2013)
    After Earth
  • Tak Fujimoto, John Erick Dowdle, Sam Mercer, Brian Nelson, M. Night Shyamalan, Martin Whist, Elliot Greenberg, and Fernando Velázquez in Devil (2010)
    Devil
  • Noah Ringer in The Last Airbender (2010)
    The Last Airbender
    • (produced by)
  • Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    The Happening
  • Bryce Dallas Howard in Lady in the Water (2006)
    Lady in the Water
  • The Village (2004)
    The Village
  • Signs (2002)
    Signs
  • Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis in Unbreakable (2000)
    Unbreakable

Director

  • Untitled M. Night Shyamalan Project
    • Pre-production
  • Labor of Love
    • In Development
  • Rupert Grint, Dave Bautista, and Abby Quinn in Knock at the Cabin (2023)
    Knock at the Cabin
  • Lauren Ambrose, Rupert Grint, Toby Kebbell, and Nell Tiger Free in Pigeon (2023)
    Servant
  • Old (2021)
    Old
  • Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and James McAvoy in Glass (2019)
    Glass
  • James McAvoy in Split (2016)
    Split
  • Andra Day in Andra Day: Rise Up (Inspiration Version) (2016)
    Andra Day: Rise Up (Inspiration Version)
  • The Visit (2015)
    The Visit
  • Wayward Pines (2015)
    Wayward Pines
  • Will Smith and Jaden Smith in After Earth (2013)
    After Earth
  • Noah Ringer in The Last Airbender (2010)
    The Last Airbender
  • Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    The Happening
  • Bryce Dallas Howard in Lady in the Water (2006)
    Lady in the Water
  • The Village (2004)
    The Village
  • Signs (2002)
    Signs
  • Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis in Unbreakable (2000)
    Unbreakable

Writer

  • Untitled M. Night Shyamalan Project
    • Pre-production
  • Labor of Love
    • In Development
  • Rupert Grint, Dave Bautista, and Abby Quinn in Knock at the Cabin (2023)
    Knock at the Cabin
  • Old (2021)
    Old
  • Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and James McAvoy in Glass (2019)
    Glass
  • James McAvoy in Split (2016)
    Split
  • The Visit (2015)
    The Visit
  • After Hours (2010)
    After Hours
    • (credit only)
  • Will Smith and Jaden Smith in After Earth (2013)
    After Earth
  • Tak Fujimoto, John Erick Dowdle, Sam Mercer, Brian Nelson, M. Night Shyamalan, Martin Whist, Elliot Greenberg, and Fernando Velázquez in Devil (2010)
    Devil
  • Noah Ringer in The Last Airbender (2010)
    The Last Airbender
  • Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    The Happening
  • Bryce Dallas Howard in Lady in the Water (2006)
    Lady in the Water
  • The Village (2004)
    The Village
  • Signs (2002)
    Signs
  • Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis in Unbreakable (2000)
    Unbreakable
  • Michael J. Fox in Stuart Little (1999)
    Stuart Little
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos21

Why M. Night Shyamalan Put on His "Boogie Shoes" for 'Knock at the Cabin'
Clip 4:02
Why M. Night Shyamalan Put on His "Boogie Shoes" for 'Knock at the Cabin'
A Guide to the Films of M. Night Shyamalan
Clip 2:22
A Guide to the Films of M. Night Shyamalan
'Glass' Cast Connections: Finding a Lost Thread of 'Split' in 'Unbreakable'
Clip 5:31
'Glass' Cast Connections: Finding a Lost Thread of 'Split' in 'Unbreakable'
IMDb's Most Anticipated Movies of 2019
Clip 3:44
IMDb's Most Anticipated Movies of 2019
Devil
Clip 0:38
Devil
The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of JAWS
Clip 0:47
The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of JAWS
The Shark is Still Working: Steven Spielberg on the fate of the Orca
Clip 0:51
The Shark is Still Working: Steven Spielberg on the fate of the Orca
The "Servant" Cast Made an Ariana Grande Music Video on Their Creepy Set
Interview 2:07
The "Servant" Cast Made an Ariana Grande Music Video on Their Creepy Set
"Servant" Blends Cooking Shows & a Rubber Baby to Perfectly Ruin Thanksgiving
Interview 3:37
"Servant" Blends Cooking Shows & a Rubber Baby to Perfectly Ruin Thanksgiving
The Visit
Interview 2:05
The Visit
The Last Airbender
Interview 0:45
The Last Airbender
In Theatres July 23
Trailer 0:31
In Theatres July 23

Personal details

Edit
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • August 6, 1970
    • Mahé, Pondicherry, India
    • March 7, 1993 - present (3 children)
    • Saleka Shyamalan
    • Jayalakshmi Shyamalan
  • Other works
    TV commercial for American Express (USA) (2006)
  • Publicity listings
    • 7 Interviews
    • 20 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Became the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood when Disney gave him $5 million to write Signs (2002).
  • Quotes
    I play for a living...Success is tied to a feeling of magic, which I can protect.
    • Frequently uses Philadelphia as the backdrop in his movies. As seen in the films Wide Awake (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002) and The Village (2004).
    • The Village
      (2004)
      $10,700,000 (Story rights ($7,200,000); Writing services ($300,000); Producing ($3,000,000); Directing ($221,000).).

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