Morgan Spurlock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Morgan Spurlock
Spurlock at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival world premiere of Mansome
Born	Morgan Valentine Spurlock November 7, 1970 Parkersburg, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	May 23, 2024(2024-05-23) (aged 53) New York, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Film director, television producer, screenwriter, playwright
Years active	1994–2017
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Spouse(s)	Priscilla Sommer ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2003)​ Alex Jamieson ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2011)​ Sara Bernstein ​ ​ (m. 2016; sep 2024)​
Children	2

Morgan Valentine Spurlock (born November 7, 1970 – died May 23, 2024) was an American documentary filmmaker, writer, and television producer. He was known for making films that explored different parts of society and culture. He directed many films, including the famous documentary Super Size Me (2004). This film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.

Spurlock also directed other popular films like Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? (2008), POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011), and One Direction: This Is Us (2013). He was also involved in TV shows, like 30 Days and Morgan Spurlock Inside Man on CNN.

Early Life and Education

Morgan Spurlock was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, on November 7, 1970. He grew up in Beckley, West Virginia. His parents, Ben and Phyllis Spurlock, raised him in the Methodist faith. His mother was an English teacher.

He went to Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley. After high school, he studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He earned a degree in film in 1993.

Career Highlights

Morgan Spurlock started his career as a playwright, writing plays for the theater. He won awards for his play The Phoenix in 1999 and 2000. In 2004, he helped start a production studio called Warrior Poets. This studio produced many of his later films.

He also created a show for MTV called I Bet You Will. This show started online as short videos where regular people did funny stunts for money. For example, someone might eat a whole jar of mayonnaise or a "worm burrito." The show became very popular, and MTV decided to air it on TV, with Spurlock as the host.

Spurlock was inspired by many other documentary films. He believed that documentaries could tell important stories about real life.

Super Size Me

Spurlock at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival

Morgan Spurlock's most famous documentary is Super Size Me, which came out on May 7, 2004. He got the idea for the film after hearing about a lawsuit against McDonald's. Two teenage girls blamed the fast food chain for their health problems.

In the film, Spurlock decided to do an experiment. For 30 days, he ate only McDonald's meals, three times a day. He also had a special rule: if he was offered the "super-size" option, he had to take it, but he couldn't ask for it himself. He also tried to move less, to be more like the average American.

During the experiment, Spurlock said he gained 25 pounds (about 11 kg). He also reported having liver problems and feeling sad. His doctors watched him closely and noted the effects of his high-calorie diet.

After the film, it took him over a year to get back to his normal weight. His then-girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson, helped him recover with a special "detox diet."

Super Size Me was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Spurlock also won an award for the film's script.

Some people, like filmmaker Tom Naughton, later questioned Spurlock's exact calorie counts in Super Size Me. Naughton made his own film, Fat Head, where he ate fast food but tracked everything he ate.

Other Documentaries and TV Shows

Spurlock's next big documentary was Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?, which came out in 2008. In this film, he traveled around the world to explore the fight against terrorism and try to understand different viewpoints.

He also directed The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!, a special TV show about the famous cartoon.

In 2011, Spurlock released POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. This film was all about how companies use product placement and advertising. What's interesting is that the film itself was paid for by product placement!

He also worked with famous creators like Joss Whedon and Stan Lee on Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011). This documentary looked at the lives of fans who attend the huge Comic-Con convention.

From 2013 to 2016, Spurlock hosted and produced the CNN series Morgan Spurlock Inside Man. In this show, he would dive into different topics and experience them firsthand.

He also helped distribute A Brony Tale (2014), a documentary about fans of the My Little Pony cartoon.

30 Days TV Series

Morgan Spurlock created a TV series called 30 Days, which aired on FX. In each episode, a person (sometimes Spurlock himself) would live for 30 days in a very different way than they were used to.

For example, in one episode, Spurlock and his fiancée lived for 30 days earning only minimum wage. They had to manage their money carefully and live in a tough neighborhood. In another episode, Spurlock spent 25 days in a jail to understand what life was like for inmates.

The show explored many different social issues, like poverty, religion, and different lifestyles. The series ran for three seasons, ending in 2008.

Other Projects

• Spurlock had a small role in the film Drive Thru (2007).
• He hosted a show called 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die on Current TV.
• He directed an episode of ESPN's 30 for 30 sports documentary series called "The Dotted Line," which looked at sports agents.
• He also directed I, Caveman for the Science Channel's Curiosity series. In this show, people tried to live in the wild using only Stone Age tools.
• In 2011, Spurlock gave a TED talk about advertising.
• He also directed the 3D concert film One Direction: This Is Us (2013), starring the popular boy band One Direction.
• In 2005, he wrote a book called Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America, which was a follow-up to Super Size Me.

Later Career and Passing

In 2017, Spurlock released a sequel to his famous film, called Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!. This film looked at how the fast food industry had changed.

Morgan Spurlock passed away on May 23, 2024, at the age of 53, due to complications from cancer.

Filmography

Films

Television

Images for kids

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  Morgan Spurlock with Highland Titles in Scotland during filming Morgan Spurlock's New Britannia

See also

In Spanish: Morgan Spurlock para niños