Jamie Babbit facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jamie Babbit
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| Born |
Jamie Merill Babbit
November 16, 1970 Shaker Heights, Ohio, U.S.
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| Education | Barnard College (BA) |
| Occupation | Director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Andrea Sperling
(divorced)Karey Dornetto
(m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
Jamie Merill Babbit (born November 16, 1970) is an American director, producer, and screenwriter. She is known for directing movies like But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), The Quiet (2005), and Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007). Jamie Babbit has also directed many episodes for popular TV shows. Some of these include Gilmore Girls, Malcolm in the Middle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Only Murders in the Building.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Jamie Babbit was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She grew up in Cleveland with her father, who was a lawyer and professor. Her mother passed away in 2006.
Jamie started acting at the Cleveland Play House when she was seven years old. Later, she became interested in managing plays and lighting. She went to Barnard College and studied West African topics. During her summer breaks, she also took film classes at New York University.
Career in Film and TV
After finishing college in 1993, Jamie Babbit got her first job. She worked as an assistant for the famous director Martin Scorsese on his film The Age of Innocence. After that, she was an intern on John Sayles's movie The Secret of Roan Inish. There, she met other new filmmakers like Karyn Kusama.
Jamie then worked as a script supervisor on a film called The Journey of August King. She said she didn't have much experience for this job but "lied her way into it." She also worked on Hide and Seek. In 1996, she met Andrea Sperling while working on If These Walls Could Talk. Later, Jamie became a script supervisor for David Fincher's film The Game. This job really helped her learn about directing.
Short Films
In 1996, Jamie Babbit directed a short comedy film called Frog Crossing with Ari Gold. It was about someone who protects frogs crossing a highway.
She then made another short comedy in 1999 called Sleeping Beauties. While working on The Game, she talked to David Fincher about her idea for a short film based on a fairy tale. He gave her film material, and his editor let her use an editing machine for free. The star of The Game, Michael Douglas, even helped her get costumes from Paramount. Because of this, she made Sleeping Beauties for only about $10,000.
Sleeping Beauties is based on the classic story Sleeping Beauty. It's about a young woman who works at a funeral home. She eventually falls in love with a photographer's assistant. This short film was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995. Her other short film, Stuck, also premiered at Sundance in 2002 and won an award.
Directing But I'm a Cheerleader
In 1999, Jamie Babbit directed her first full-length movie, But I'm a Cheerleader. This romantic comedy stars Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall. It's about a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a special camp. They think she likes girls and want her to change.
Jamie wanted to make a movie with characters that reminded her of herself and her friends. She felt there weren't many movies showing girls who liked other girls in a positive way. She also wanted it to be a comedy because most movies about this topic before hers were very serious.
In 2000, But I'm a Cheerleader won the Audience Award at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival in France. It also became a very popular "cult film" on DVD years later. In 2020, for the film's 20th anniversary, Jamie released her special director's cut version.
Directing The Quiet
Jamie Babbit's second movie was the thriller The Quiet, released in 2005. It stars Elisha Cuthbert and Camilla Belle. The story is about a deaf girl who moves in with her godparents and finds out their dark family secrets. The movie earned over $381,000 worldwide.
Directing Itty Bitty Titty Committee
Her next film was the comedy Itty Bitty Titty Committee, which came out in 2007. It's about a young woman who joins a group of women who fight for women's rights. The movie was nominated for an award at the Berlin International Film Festival and won an award at South by Southwest in 2007.
Directing Breaking the Girls
In 2011, Jamie Babbit started making Breaking the Girls, a thriller movie. It was released in 2012.
Working in Television
Jamie Babbit enjoys directing for television. She says it helps her keep her skills sharp. She also mentioned that TV directors have less overall responsibility than film directors. This allows her to focus more on working with the actors. Directing TV shows also helps her earn money while she works towards making more feature films.
Personal Life
Jamie Babbit lives in Los Angeles. She has two daughters named Finley and Ryder.
Filmography
Director
Film
- 1994: Discharge (short)
- 1996: Frog Crossing (short)
- 1999: Sleeping Beauties (short)
- 1999: But I'm a Cheerleader
- 2001: Stuck (short)
- 2004: A Memoir to My Former Self (short)
- 2005: The Quiet
- 2007: Itty Bitty Titty Committee
- 2012: Breaking the Girls
- 2015: Addicted to Fresno
- 2020: The Stand In
Television
- 1999–2001: Popular (8 episodes)
- 2001: Maybe It's Me (4 episodes)
- 2001: The Bernie Mac Show (2 episodes)
- 2001–2007: Gilmore Girls (18 episodes)
- 2002: Ed
- 2002–2003: Malcolm in the Middle (3 episodes)
- 2003: Miss Match
- 2003–2004 Nip/Tuck (3 episodes)
- 2004: Wonderfalls
- 2006: Alias
- 2006: Ugly Betty
- 2007–2008: The L Word (3 episodes)
- 2007: The Riches (2 episodes)
- 2007: Gossip Girl (1 episode: "Dare Devil")
- 2007: Notes from the Underbelly (2 episodes)
- 2008: Swingtown (2 episodes)
- 2009: Castle (1 episode)
- 2009: 90210 (2 episodes)
- 2009–2010: Drop Dead Diva (6 episodes)
- 2010: The Middle (3 episodes)
- 2010: United States of Tara (4 episodes)
- 2011: Mr. Sunshine (1 episode)
- 2012: Revenge (1 episode)
- 2014–2017: Girls (4 episodes)
- 2014: Married (2 episodes)
- 2014–2015: Looking (2 episodes)
- 2015–2017: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (4 episodes)
- 2015–2016: The Grinder (2 episodes)
- 2016: Supergirl (1 episode: "Childish Things")
- 2016–2018: Silicon Valley (8 episodes)
- 2017: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (3 episodes)
- 2017: Girlboss (3 episodes)
- 2017: The Orville (1 episode, "Cupid's Dagger")
- 2017: Ghosted (1 episode, "Sam")
- 2018: Santa Clarita Diet (1 episode, "Subspicous Objects")
- 2018: Sorry for Your Loss (1 episode, "I Want A Party")
- 2018: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2 episodes)
- 2019: Russian Doll (3 episodes)
- 2019: First Wives Club (1 episode)
- 2020: Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (2 episodes)
- 2021–2024: Only Murders in the Building (9 episodes)
- 2022: A League of Their Own (3 episodes)
- 2024: Shrinking
See also
- List of female film and television directors
- List of lesbian filmmakers
- List of LGBT-related films directed by women
