Noah Baumbach facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Noah Baumbach
Baumbach in 2020
Born	(1969-09-03) September 3, 1969 (age 55) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Vassar College (AB)
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	1995–present
Spouse(s)	Jennifer Jason Leigh ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2013)​ Greta Gerwig ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	3
Parent(s)	Jonathan Baumbach (father)
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Noah Baumbach (born September 3, 1969) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making funny movies, often set in New York City. His films are inspired by other famous directors like Woody Allen. He often works with friends and fellow filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, Adam Driver, and his wife, Greta Gerwig.

Baumbach first became known for his early films like Kicking and Screaming (1995) and Mr. Jealousy (1997). His big breakthrough was The Squid and the Whale (2005), which earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

He started working with Greta Gerwig on Greenberg (2010). They continued to work together on popular films like Frances Ha (2013), Mistress America (2015), White Noise (2022), and the very successful Barbie (2023).

Some of his other notable films include Margot at the Wedding (2007), While We're Young (2014), and The Meyerowitz Stories (2017). His film Marriage Story (2019) was nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture and earned Baumbach another Best Original Screenplay nomination. For Barbie (2023), which he co-wrote with Greta Gerwig, he received his third screenplay nomination at the 96th Academy Awards. He also helped write The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) with director Wes Anderson.

Early Life and Education

Noah Baumbach was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Jonathan Baumbach, was a writer and film critic. His mother, Georgia Brown, was also a film critic and writer. His parents divorced when he was a teenager, and this experience inspired his 2005 film The Squid and the Whale.

Baumbach grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He knew from a young age that he wanted to be a filmmaker. Some of the movies that influenced him include The Jerk, Animal House, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

He graduated from Brooklyn's Midwood High School in 1987. He then earned his degree in English from Vassar College in 1991. While at Vassar, he was roommates with Jason Blum, who later produced Baumbach's first film, Kicking and Screaming. After college, Baumbach briefly worked as a messenger at The New Yorker magazine.

Filmmaking Career

Early Films in the 1990s

Baumbach made his first film as a writer and director in 1995. It was called Kicking and Screaming. This comedy was about four young men who finish college but don't want to grow up. The film was shown at the New York Film Festival.

Critics praised the film's smart dialogue. Roger Ebert, a famous film critic, said Baumbach had a "terrific ear" for conversation. Many reviews noted that the plot was simple, but this fit the characters' stage of life.

In 1997, Baumbach wrote and directed Mr. Jealousy. This movie was about a writer who becomes very jealous of his girlfriend. He even secretly attends therapy sessions of her ex-boyfriend to learn more about their past.

Collaborations and Breakthrough in the 2000s

Baumbach with collaborator Wes Anderson in 2006

In 2004, Baumbach began working with director Wes Anderson. They co-wrote the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

The next year, Baumbach released The Squid and the Whale (2005). This film was a comedy-drama based on his own childhood. It showed how his parents' divorce in the 1980s affected his family. The movie starred Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney as the parents.

The Squid and the Whale was a big success with critics. It won two awards at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Baumbach also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It won many other awards for its writing.

In 2007, Baumbach wrote and directed Margot at the Wedding. This comedy-drama starred his then-wife Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nicole Kidman, and Jack Black. The film is about a woman named Margot who visits her sister before her wedding.

Baumbach also co-wrote some short films for the TV show Saturday Night Live in 2008.

In 2009, he co-wrote the screenplay for Fantastic Mr. Fox with Wes Anderson. This animated film was based on a book by Roald Dahl and used stop-motion animation. Critics loved the film, and it was nominated for Best Animated Film at the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

Success in the 2010s

Dustin Hoffman, Baumbach, Emma Thompson, Ben Stiller, and Adam Sandler at the Cannes Film Festival screening of The Meyerowitz Stories in 2017

His film Greenberg was released in March 2010. It was nominated for the Golden Bear award at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.

In 2012, Baumbach directed Frances Ha, a comedic drama. He co-wrote the film with Greta Gerwig, who also played the main character. The movie was filmed in black-and-white and had a style similar to films by Woody Allen. Greta Gerwig was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role.

Baumbach (right) speaking after a screening of Marriage Story in November 2019.

Baumbach wrote and directed the 2014 comedy-drama While We're Young. It starred Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, and Amanda Seyfried. This film earned more money at the box office than all of Baumbach's previous films in the United States.

In 2015, he directed and co-wrote the comedy Mistress America, starring Greta Gerwig and Lola Kirke. That same year, he also co-directed De Palma, a documentary about filmmaker Brian De Palma.

In 2017, The Meyerowitz Stories was released on Netflix. The film was chosen to compete at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It focused on a complicated family and starred Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, and Emma Thompson. Critics gave the film very positive reviews, praising its look at family life and the strong performances by the actors.

In 2019, Baumbach wrote, produced, and directed Marriage Story. This film tells the story of a couple in show business whose marriage is breaking up, leading to an emotional divorce. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson played the main couple. The film was highly praised when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Many critics called it one of Baumbach's best works. It received six Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Laura Dern won an Oscar for her role as a lawyer in the film.

Recent Work in the 2020s

Baumbach's film White Noise was released in 2022. It was based on a 1985 novel by Don DeLillo. This film brought him together again with Greta Gerwig and Adam Driver. It premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.

In 2023, Baumbach teamed up with Greta Gerwig again to co-write the screenplay for her film Barbie. The movie starred Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Barbie was released on July 21, 2023, and was a huge success, earning over $1.4 billion worldwide. Baumbach and Gerwig received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and other major awards for their work on Barbie.

His next film, Jay Kelly, is described as a "coming-of-age story about adults." It will star George Clooney and Adam Sandler.

Influences

Baumbach has said that Woody Allen has been a very important influence on his work. He has mentioned films like Manhattan as inspirations. He also looks up to other directors like Ernst Lubitsch, Robert Altman, and Steven Spielberg. He enjoys screwball comedies from the 1930s and 40s, and films from the French New Wave. His favorite film of all time is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Personal Life

Noah Baumbach met actress Jennifer Jason Leigh in 2001. They married on September 2, 2005, and have a son named Rohmer. They divorced in September 2013.

Baumbach's creative and romantic relationship with actress, writer, and director Greta Gerwig began in late 2011. They met while working on the film Greenberg. They have two sons, born in March 2019 and February 2023. Baumbach and Gerwig got married in December 2023.

Filmography

Film

Executive producer

• She's Funny that Way (2014)

Acting roles

Television

Awards and Nominations

Noah Baumbach has been nominated for four Academy Awards for his films The Squid and the Whale (2005), Marriage Story (2019), and Barbie (2023).

He has also received nominations from other major awards, including the Golden Globe Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and Writers Guild of America Awards. He has been nominated for five Independent Spirit Film Awards and won two of them.

See Also

In Spanish: Noah Baumbach para niños