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IMDbPro

Charlie Kaufman(I)

  • Writer
  • Producer
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000454
Charlie Kaufman
Oscar-winner writer Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK follows the life of regional theater director Caden Cotard (Phillip Seymour Hoffman).
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Avid reader Charlie Kaufman wrote plays and made short films as a young student. He moved from Massapequa, New York to West Hartford, Connecticut in 1972 where he attended high school. As a comedic actor, he performed in school plays and, after graduation, he enrolled at Boston University but soon transferred NYU to study film. Charlie worked in the circulation department of the Star Tribune, in Minneapolis, in the late 1980s and moved to Los Angeles in 1991, where he was hired to write for the TV sitcom Get a Life (1990). He went on to write comedy sketches and a variety of TV show episodes. Between writing assignments, he wrote the inventive screenplay Being John Malkovich (1999), which created Hollywood interest and the attention of producer Steve Golin. Charlie works at home in Pasadena, California, where he lives with his wife Denise and children.
BornNovember 19, 1958
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornNovember 19, 1958
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000454
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 109 wins & 116 nominations total

    Photos23

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    Known for

    Jessie Buckley in I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
    I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    6.5
    • Writer
    • 2020
    Anomalisa (2015)
    Anomalisa
    7.2
    • Writer
    • 2015
    Synecdoche, New York (2008)
    Synecdoche, New York
    7.5
    • Writer
    • 2008
    Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
    Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
    8.3
    • Writer
    • 2004

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Writer



    • Later the War
      • Writer
      • Pre-production
    • The Memory Police
      • Writer
      • Pre-production



    • Angela Bassett, Golda Rosheuvel, Paul Walter Hauser, Jacob Tremblay, Aparna Nancherla, and Natasia Demetriou in Orion and the Dark (2024)
      Orion and the Dark
      6.3
      • written by
      • 2024
    • Jessie Buckley in I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
      I'm Thinking of Ending Things
      6.5
      • written for the screen by
      • 2020
    • Anomalisa (2015)
      Anomalisa
      7.2
      • written by
      • 2015
    • How and Why (2014)
      How and Why
      6.3
      TV Movie
      • written by
      • 2014
    • Synecdoche, New York (2008)
      Synecdoche, New York
      7.5
      • written by
      • 2008
    • Carolyn Lawrence in Moral Orel (2005)
      Moral Orel
      8.1
      TV Series
      • story (uncredited)
      • 2006
    • Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
      Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
      8.3
      • screenplay
      • story
      • 2004
    • Sam Rockwell in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
      Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
      7.0
      • screenplay
      • 2002
    • Nicolas Cage in Adaptation. (2002)
      Adaptation.
      7.7
      • screenplay
      • 2002
    • Human Nature (2001)
      Human Nature
      6.4
      • written by
      • 2001
    • John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
      Being John Malkovich
      7.7
      • written by
      • 1999
    • Thomas Haden Church, Debra Messing, Nadia Dajani, and Greg Germann in Ned and Stacey (1995)
      Ned and Stacey
      7.0
      TV Series
      • written by
      • 1996–1997
    • The Dana Carvey Show (1996)
      The Dana Carvey Show
      7.3
      TV Series
      • writer
      • written by
      • 1996
    • Courteney Cox, Bronson Pinchot, Perry King, Alex McKenna, and Shanna Reed in The Trouble with Larry (1993)
      The Trouble with Larry
      6.2
      TV Series
      • written by
      • 1993
    • The Edge (1992)
      The Edge
      7.3
      TV Series
      • writer
      • written by
      • 1992–1993

    Producer



    • Gemma Chan and André Holland in The Actor (2025)
      The Actor
      5.5
      • executive producer
      • 2025
    • Sook-Yin Lee, Tom Mercier, and Britt Lower in Darkest Miriam (2024)
      Darkest Miriam
      5.9
      • executive producer
      • 2024
    • Eva H.D. in Jackals & Fireflies (2023)
      Jackals & Fireflies
      6.6
      Short
      • producer
      • 2023
    • Jessie Buckley in I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
      I'm Thinking of Ending Things
      6.5
      • producer
      • 2020
    • Thomas Haden Church, Debra Messing, Nadia Dajani, and Greg Germann in Ned and Stacey (1995)
      Ned and Stacey
      7.0
      TV Series
      • producer
      • 1996–2017
    • Anomalisa (2015)
      Anomalisa
      7.2
      • producer
      • 2015
    • How and Why (2014)
      How and Why
      6.3
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 2014
    • Synecdoche, New York (2008)
      Synecdoche, New York
      7.5
      • producer
      • 2008
    • Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
      Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
      8.3
      • executive producer
      • 2004
    • Nicolas Cage in Adaptation. (2002)
      Adaptation.
      7.7
      • executive producer
      • 2002
    • Human Nature (2001)
      Human Nature
      6.4
      • producer
      • 2001
    • John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)
      Being John Malkovich
      7.7
      • executive producer
      • 1999
    • Misery Loves Company
      5.9
      TV Series
      • co-producer
      • 1995

    Additional Crew



    • Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show (2017)
      Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show
      7.7
      • additional material
      • 2017
    • Courteney Cox, Bronson Pinchot, Perry King, Alex McKenna, and Shanna Reed in The Trouble with Larry (1993)
      The Trouble with Larry
      6.2
      TV Series
      • story editor
      • 1993

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos10

    Say Something Awful
    Clip 0:52
    Say Something Awful
    Massive Theater Piece
    Clip 1:28
    Massive Theater Piece
    Massive Theater Piece
    Clip 1:28
    Massive Theater Piece
    Massive Theater Piece
    Clip 0:48
    Massive Theater Piece
    In and Around Synecdoche, NY  Incredibly Complicated
    Clip 1:31
    In and Around Synecdoche, NY Incredibly Complicated
    I Follow You
    Clip 0:50
    I Follow You
    Everybody Here
    Clip 0:45
    Everybody Here

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Height
      • 5′ 4½″ (1.64 m)
    • Born
      • November 19, 1958
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Spouse
      • Denise? - present (1 child)
    • Parents
        Helen Kaufman
    • Other works
      Published his first book "Antkind: A Novel. New York: Random House ISBN 9780399589683
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Portrayal
      • 5 Interviews
      • 9 Articles

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      On February 11, 2003, Charlie Kaufman was nominated for a Academy Award, along with his fictional twin brother Donald Kaufman, for the screenplay of Adaptation (2002). This is one of the few times in Oscar history that a nomination has been bestowed upon a fictional human being.
    • Quotes
      I don't know what the hell a third act is.
    • Trademarks
        Scripts usually feature reluctant protagonists who start out in the story as downtrodden or self-doubtful, frustrated with life or love or their professions.

    FAQ10

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