Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
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Dayton and Faris in 2006
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| Born | Jonathan Dayton July 7, 1957 Alameda County, California, U.S. Valerie Faris October 20, 1958 Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television |
| Occupation | Film directors, music video directors |
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Notable work
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Little Miss Sunshine Ruby Sparks Battle of the Sexes |
| Children | 3 |
Jonathan Dayton (born July 7, 1957) and Valerie Faris (born October 20, 1958) are a husband-and-wife team who direct and produce movies and music videos. They are from the United States. They began their careers by directing music videos for famous bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Together, they have directed several well-known films, including Little Miss Sunshine (released in 2006), Ruby Sparks (2012), and Battle of the Sexes (2017). They also directed episodes for TV series such as the Netflix comedy Living with Yourself (2019) and the Hulu series Fleishman Is In Trouble (2022).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jonathan Dayton was born in Alameda County, California. He grew up in Grass Valley, California. After finishing high school, he went to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the late 1970s.
Valerie Faris was born in Los Angeles. Her father was a film editor, and her mother was a supervising painter. Valerie met Jonathan while they were both students at UCLA. She was studying dance at the time.
Their Creative Journey
As a team, Dayton and Faris have directed and produced many different types of projects. These include music videos, documentaries, commercials, and feature films.
Directing Music Videos
They have directed music videos for many popular bands. Some of these include Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, and R.E.M.. Their music video for "Tonight, Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins won six MTV Video Music Awards in 1996. Another very successful video they directed was for the song "More Than Words" by Extreme in 1990.
They also directed short comedy sketches for the HBO TV series Mr. Show between 1995 and 1998.
Starting a Production Company
In 1998, Jonathan and Valerie started their own production company called Bob Industries. Through this company, they directed commercials for many big brands. These included Hewlett-Packard, Volkswagen, Sony, GAP, Target, IKEA, Apple Computer, and ESPN.
One of their famous commercials was for the Volkswagen Cabrio in 1999. It was called Milky Way. The commercial used the song "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake. This helped bring Nick Drake's music back into the spotlight.
Directing Feature Films
Around this time, they started getting offers to direct movies. They decided to work on the film Little Miss Sunshine in 2001. The movie was released in 2006. It won the Audience Award at the 2006 Sydney Film Festival. It also received a standing ovation at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. When directing this movie, they encouraged actors to improvise. This helped the actors connect more naturally with their characters.
Their next film was Ruby Sparks, which came out in 2012. After that, Dayton and Faris directed Battle of the Sexes. This movie was about the famous tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Emma Stone played Billie Jean King, and Steve Carell played Bobby Riggs. The film was released in 2017.
Personal Life
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris got married after meeting in college. They then started working together as creative partners. They have three children.
Film and TV Work
Directors
- Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
- Ruby Sparks (2012)
- Battle of the Sexes (2017)
- Living with Yourself (2019, 8 episodes)
- Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022, 3 episodes)
- Stick (2025, 2 episodes)
Producers
- The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
- Gift (Jane's Addiction) (1993)
Music Video Work
Directors
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Executive Producers
Producers
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Awards and Recognition
Dayton and Faris have received many awards and nominations for their work.
- They were nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for Little Miss Sunshine.
- They also received a BAFTA nomination for Little Miss Sunshine.
- They won an Independent Spirit Award for directing Little Miss Sunshine.
- They won Best Director at the Tokyo International Film Festival for Little Miss Sunshine.
- Their music video for "By the Way" by Red Hot Chili Peppers won Best Rock Video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.
- They won Director of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards in 2000.
- Their video for "Californication" won Best Direction at the MTV Video Music Awards.
- The video for "Freak On A Leash" was nominated for 9 MTV Video Music Awards and won a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Video.
- Their video for "Tonight Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins won 6 MTV Video Music Awards.
- They won Best Alternative Video for The Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" at the MTV Video Music Awards.
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Dayton y Valerie Faris para niños
