Dave Filoni facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dave Filoni
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Filoni in 2010
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David Filoni
June 7, 1974 |
| Alma mater | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Employer | Lucasfilm |
| Title | Executive vice president and chief creative officer of Lucasfilm |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Convery |
David Filoni (born June 7, 1974) is an American director, producer, and writer. He is currently the chief creative officer at Lucasfilm. He is well-known for his work on many popular animated and live-action Star Wars shows.
Before joining Lucasfilm, Filoni directed several episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Later, George Lucas hired him to help create the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Filoni also directed and wrote many episodes of this show, including its movie. He then created Star Wars Rebels, where he was a supervising director and executive producer.
Filoni is also the creator and executive producer of the live-action show Ahsoka. He is an executive producer for other Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Skeleton Crew. He also created and produced animated series such as Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and Tales of the Jedi. In 2023, he became the chief creative officer at Lucasfilm.
Contents
Early Life and Education
David Filoni was born on June 7, 1974, in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. His father loved opera and classical music. This helped Filoni appreciate classical music too. He even suggested using an organ in Grand Admiral Thrawn's music theme in Star Wars Rebels.
Filoni's grandfather and uncle were pilots. His uncle specialized in fixing old planes. Filoni has said this influenced his ideas for the show Star Wars Resistance.
He finished high school at Mt. Lebanon High School in 1992. He then graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1996.
Starting His Career
Before working on Star Wars, Filoni was a storyboard artist and assistant director. He worked on shows like King of the Hill, Teamo Supremo, and Kim Possible. He then directed many early episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender for Nickelodeon.
Working on Star Wars
Filoni is a huge Star Wars fan. He especially loves the character Plo Koon. He even dressed up as the Jedi Master for the movie premiere of Revenge of the Sith.
George Lucas offered Filoni a job to help create a new Star Wars animated series. Filoni later shared that he thought it was a prank at first!
Filoni's office is full of Plo Koon items. He has a bust of Plo Koon's head and a model of his ship. He also has a replica of Plo Koon's lightsaber on his desk. He even has his own Plo Koon costume on display. Filoni is known for helping to develop popular characters like Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex.
Directing and Producing Star Wars Shows
In 2008, Filoni directed the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated movie. He was also the supervising director for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series.
He became an executive producer for Star Wars Rebels, which started in 2014. He was also the supervising director for the first two seasons. He returned as supervising director for the fourth season.
In 2019, Jon Favreau asked Filoni to work on The Mandalorian. This was a new live-action Star Wars TV series for Disney+. Filoni is an executive producer for the show. He also directed the first episode of the first season. He has also been an executive producer for other connected Star Wars shows. These include The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew.
In April 2023, it was announced that Filoni would write and direct a new Star Wars movie. This film will connect the stories from these live-action shows.
Promotions at Lucasfilm
In 2020, Lucasfilm promoted Filoni to executive producer and executive creative director. This news was made public in May 2021. In November 2023, he was promoted again to Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm. This means he helps guide all the creative projects at the studio.
Voice Acting Roles
Filoni has also lent his voice to several characters. He voiced the bounty hunter Embo and the droid CH-33P ("Cheep") in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In Star Wars Rebels, he voiced the astromech droid Chopper throughout the entire series. He also voiced other small roles like a Rebel Crewman and Stormtroopers.
Live-Action Acting Roles
Filoni made his first live-action acting appearance in The Mandalorian. He played an X-Wing pilot named Trapper Wolf. He has appeared as this character in several episodes of the show.
Filmography
Live-action Projects
| Title | Year | Credited as | Role | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | Art department |
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| The WIN Awards | 2005 | No | No | No | Yes | animation director | |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | 2015 | No | No | No | Yes | Screaming Jakku villager (voice) |
concept artist |
| Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | 2016 | No | No | No | No | Chopper (voice) | Special thanks |
| The Mandalorian | 2019–2023 | Yes | Yes | Executive | No | Trapper Wolf | live-action debut, second unit director |
| Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian | 2020–2023 | No | No | Executive | Himself | documentary | |
| The Book of Boba Fett | 2021–2022 | Yes | Yes | Executive | No | ||
| Disney Gallery: The Book of Boba Fett | 2022 | No | No | Executive | No | Himself | documentary |
| Obi-Wan Kenobi | 2022 | No | No | No | No | Special Thanks to, Executive Creative Counsel | |
| Ahsoka | 2023–present | Yes | Yes | Executive | No | Chopper (voice) | creator |
| Skeleton Crew | 2024–present | No | No | Executive | No | ||
| The Mandalorian and Grogu | 2026 | No | Yes | Yes | TBA | Embo (voice) / Trapper Wolf | |
Animated Projects
| Title | Year | Credited as | Voice role | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Animation department |
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| King of the Hill | 1997–1999 | No | No | No | Yes | character & storyboard artist / assistant director | |
| Mission Hill | 1999–2002 | No | No | No | Yes | storyboard artist / assistant director | |
| The Oblongs | 2001 | No | No | No | Yes | retakes / assistant director | |
| Teamo Supremo | 2002 | No | No | No | Yes | storyboard artist | |
| Kim Possible | 2003 | No | No | No | Yes | storyboard artist & revisions | |
| Fillmore! | 2003 | No | No | No | Yes | storyboard artist | |
| Lilo & Stitch: The Series | 2003–2004 | No | No | No | Yes | storyboard artist | |
| Dave the Barbarian | 2004–2005 | No | No | No | Yes | storyboard artist | |
| American Dragon: Jake Long | 2005 | No | No | No | Yes | storyboard artist | |
| Avatar: The Last Airbender | 2005 | Yes | No | No | Yes | storyboard artist / character designer | |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | 2008 | Yes | No | No | Yes | development artist | |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | 2008–2014, 2020 | Supervising | Yes | Yes | Yes | Embo / Various | development artist |
| Star Wars Rebels | 2014–2018 | Supervising | Yes | Yes | Yes | Chopper / Various | co-creator / storyboard artist |
| Star Wars Forces of Destiny | 2017–2018 | Additional | Additional | Yes | Yes | Chopper / Stormtrooper | storyboard artist |
| Lego Star Wars: All-Stars | 2018 | No | No | No | No | Chopper | |
| Star Wars Resistance | 2018–2020 | No | Story | Yes | No | Bo Keevil / Various | creator / developer |
| Star Wars: The Bad Batch | 2021–2024 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Chopper | creator / developer |
| Zen - Grogu and Dust Bunnies | 2022 | No | No | No | No | Special Thanks | |
| Star Wars Tales | 2022–present | Supervising | Yes | Yes | No | creator | |
| Star Wars: Visions | 2023 | No | No | No | No | Special Thanks | |
| Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures | 2023–present | No | No | No | No | Executive creative advisor | |
| Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord | 2026 | TBA | TBA | Yes | Yes | Also developer | |
Directing and Writing Episodes
| Title | Se. | Ep. | Name | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar: The Last Airbender | 1 | 1 | "The Boy in the Iceberg" | Yes | No | |
| 2 | "The Avatar Returns" | Yes | No | |||
| 6 | "Imprisoned" | Yes | No | |||
| 10 | "Jet" | Yes | No | |||
| 13 | "The Blue Spirit" | Yes | No | |||
| 14 | "The Fortuneteller" | Yes | No | |||
| 17 | "The Northern Air Temple" | Yes | No | |||
| 20 | "The Siege of the North, Part 2" | Yes | No | |||
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Theatrical film | Yes | No | |||
| 1 | 2 | "Rising Malevolence" | Yes | Add. | Teleplays by Steven Melching | |
| 3 | "Shadow of Malevolence" | No | Add. | Teleplays by Steven Melching | ||
| 4 | "Destroy Malevolence" | No | Add. | Teleplays by Steven Melching | ||
| 9 | "Cloak of Darkness" | Yes | No | |||
| 2 | 22 | "Lethal Trackdown" | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Drew Z. Greenberg | |
| 3 | 1 | "Clone Cadets" | Yes | No | ||
| 21 | "Padawan Lost" | Yes | No | |||
| 22 | "Wookiee Hunt" | Yes | No | |||
| 4 | 14 | "A Friend in Need" | Yes | No | ||
| 5 | 2 | "A War on Two Fronts" | Yes | No | ||
| 20 | "The Wrong Jedi" | Yes | No | |||
| 7 | 2 | "A Distant Echo" | No | Yes | Co-written with Matt Michnovetz & Brent Friedman | |
| 5 | "Gone with a Trace" | No | Yes | Co-written with Charles Murray | ||
| 6 | "Deal No Deal" | No | Yes | Co-written with Charles Murray | ||
| 7 | "Dangerous Debt" | No | Yes | Co-written with Charles Murray | ||
| 8 | "Together Again" | No | Yes | Co-written with Charles Murray | ||
| 9 | "Old Friends Not Forgotten" | No | Yes | |||
| 10 | "The Phantom Apprentice" | No | Yes | |||
| 11 | "Shattered" | No | Yes | |||
| 12 | "Victory and Death" | No | Yes | |||
| Star Wars Rebels | Shorts | 1 | "The Machine in the Ghost" | Yes | No | |
| 4 | "Property of Ezra Bridger" | Yes | No | |||
| 1 | 10 | "Path of the Jedi" | Yes | No | ||
| 15 | "Fire Across the Galaxy" | Yes | No | |||
| Special | "The Ultimate Guide" | Yes | No | Co-directed with Steward Lee & Steven G. Lee | ||
| 2 | 3 | "The Lost Commanders" | Yes | No | Co-directed with Sergio Paez | |
| 7 | "Wings of the Master" | Yes | No | Co-directed with Sergio Paez | ||
| 21-22 | "Twilight of the Apprentice" | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Melching & Simon Kinberg | ||
| 3 | 12–13 | "Ghosts of Geonosis" | No | Yes | Co-written with Melching & Michnovetz | |
| 15 | "Trials of the Darksaber" | No | Yes | |||
| 20 | "Twin Suns" | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Henry Gilroy | ||
| 4 | 6 | "Flight of the Defender" | No | Yes | Co-written with Melching | |
| 7 | "Kindred" | No | Yes | Co-written with Gilroy | ||
| 9 | "Rebel Assault" | No | Yes | Co-written with Melching | ||
| 10 | "Jedi Night" | No | Yes | Co-written with Gilroy | ||
| 11 | "DUME" | No | Yes | Co-written with Christopher Yost | ||
| 12 | "Wolves and a Door" | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Bosco Ng | ||
| 13 | "A World Between Worlds" | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Steward Lee | ||
| 14 | "A Fool's Hope" | Yes | No | Co-directed with Saul Ruiz | ||
| 15–16 | "Family Reunion and Farewell" | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Ng & Paez Co-written with Gilroy, Kinberg, Melching & Kiri Hart |
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| Star Wars: Forсes of Destiny | Specials | 2 | "Volume 2" | No | Add. | Teleplays written by Jennifer Muro |
| 3 | "Volume 3" | Add. | Add. | Directed by Brad Rau Teleplays written by Muro |
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| Star Wars Resistance | 1 | 1–2 | "The Recruit" | No | Story | Teleplay written by Brandon Auman |
| The Mandalorian | 1 | 1 | "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian" | Yes | No | |
| 5 | "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger" | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2 | 5 | "Chapter 13: The Jedi" | Yes | Yes | ||
| 3 | 4 | "Chapter 20: The Foundling" | No | Yes | Co-written with Jon Favreau | |
| 7 | "Chapter 23: The Spies" | No | Yes | Co-written with Jon Favreau | ||
| Star Wars: The Bad Batch | 1 | 1 | "Aftermath" | No | Yes | Co-written with Jennifer Corbett |
| The Book of Boba Fett | 1 | 6 | "Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger" | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Favreau |
| Star Wars: Tales | Tales of Jedi | 1 | "Life and Death" | No | Yes | |
| 2 | "Justice" | No | Yes | |||
| 4 | "The Sith Lord" | No | Yes | |||
| 5 | "Practice Makes Perfect" | No | Yes | |||
| 6 | "Resolve" | No | Yes | |||
| Tales of the Empire | 1 | "The Path of Fear" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Amanda Rose Muñoz | |
| 2 | "The Path of Anger" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Amanda Rose Muñoz | ||
| 3 | "The Path of Hate" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Amanda Rose Muñoz | ||
| 4 | "Devoted" | No | Story | Teleplay written by Nicolas Anasatassiou | ||
| 5 | "Realization" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Matt Michnovetz | ||
| 6 | "The Way Out" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Matt Michnovetz | ||
| Tales of the Underworld | 1 | "A Way Forward" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Matt Michnovetz | |
| 2 | "Friends" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Matt Michnovetz | ||
| 3 | "One Warrior to Another" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Matt Michnovetz | ||
| 4 | "The Good Life" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Matt Michnovetz | ||
| 5 | "A Good Turn" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Matt Michnovetz | ||
| 6 | "One Good Deed" | No | Story | Teleplays written by Matt Michnovetz | ||
| Ahsoka | 1 | 1 | "Part One: Master and Apprentice" | Yes | Yes | |
| 2 | "Part Two: Toil and Trouble" | No | Yes | |||
| 3 | "Part Three: Time to Fly" | No | Yes | |||
| 4 | "Part Four: Fallen Jedi" | No | Yes | |||
| 5 | "Part Five: Shadow Warrior" | Yes | Yes | |||
| 6 | "Part Six: Far, Far Away" | No | Yes | |||
| 7 | "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" | No | Yes | |||
| 8 | "Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord" | No | Yes | |||
| 2 | 1 | TBA | TBA | Yes | ||
| 2 | TBA | TBA | Yes | |||
| 3 | TBA | TBA | Yes | |||
| 4 | TBA | TBA | Yes | |||
| 5 | TBA | TBA | Yes | |||
| 6 | TBA | TBA | Yes | |||
| 7 | TBA | TBA | Yes | |||
| 8 | TBA | TBA | Yes | |||
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 40th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Nominated |
| Outstanding Special Class Animated Program | Won | |||
| 2014 | 41st Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Won | ||
| 2015 | 42nd Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Special Class Animated Program | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | 69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Children's Program | Star Wars Rebels | Nominated |
| 2018 | 70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Star Wars Resistance | Nominated | |
| 2020 | 72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Nominated | ||
| 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Mandalorian | Nominated | |
| 2021 | 78th Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series – Drama | Nominated | |
| 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series ("Chapter 13: The Jedi") | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Dave Filoni para niños
