Todd Phillips
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Todd Phillips (born December 20, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an Academy Award-nominated writer and a director.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Born in 1970 in Brooklyn, New York, Todd attended NYU Film School under his real name, Todd Bunzl, but dropped out just prior to graduating in order to focus on completing his first film, Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies. He was a regular at Tompkins Square Park and was there during the infamous riots.
He worked at an all night video store on St. Marks Place which specialized in explicit material and hard to find films.
While attending NYU, he was often found photographing punk rock bands at venues like ABC No Rio and CBGB's. He hung around with downtown filmmaker/photographer Richard Kern in the early 1990's.
[edit] Career
He started his career as a documentary filmmaker. His first feature length documentary, Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies, chronicled the life and death of punk rocker GG Allin. He made the film while still a Junior at NYU. It would go on to become the highest grossing student film at the time of its release.
In 1994 Phillips founded the New York Underground Film Festival as an alternative to established film festivals and to offer a festival venue for films like Hated. He also helped distribute a controversial documentary about NAMBLA, Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys, directed by Adi Sideman which premiered at the 1994 New York Underground Film Festival.
His career followed with Frat House a documentary about fraternities that he produced and directed with then-partner, Andrew Gurland. Frat House premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and would win the Grand Jury Prize for documentary features.
He met Ivan Reitman at the Sundance Film Festival and directed his first two features, Road Trip and Old School for Reitmans' Montecito Picture Company.
He worked on Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006); however, he resigned his position as director of the movie in early 2005, due to creative differences. Nevertheless, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his role in fashioning the story.
[edit] Trivia
Many of the situations in Old School were inspired by his experiences in making Frat House. Vince Vaughn plays Beanie, the same name as the guy in the opening scene of Frat House.
In 2005, he made the final table of an event of the World Poker Tour. He finished in 5th place and won $250,200.
He makes a cameo as the "I'm here for the gang bang" guy in Old School. Also makes a cameo as the guy who accosts Amy Smart in Road Trip. Phillips mentions in the audio commentary that the characters are the same.
[edit] Filmography as director
- Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies (1994)
- Frat House (1998)
- Road Trip (2000)
- Bittersweet Motel (2000)
- Old School (2003)
- Starsky & Hutch (2004)
- School for Scoundrels (2006)
