Shawn Levy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shawn Levy
Levy in 2024
Born	Shawn Adam Levy (1968-07-23) July 23, 1968 (age 56) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Citizenship	Canada United States
Education	Yale University (BA) University of Southern California (MFA)
Occupation	Film director film producer screenwriter actor
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Serena Levy
Children	4

Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing and producing many popular movies and TV shows. His films have earned over $3.5 billion worldwide!

Shawn Levy started his career directing TV shows. In the 2000s, he became famous for directing comedies like Big Fat Liar (2002) and Cheaper by the Dozen (2003). He also directed the first three Night at the Museum movies.

More recently, he has been a main producer for the hit Netflix original series Stranger Things since 2016. He also directed some episodes of the show. Shawn Levy has worked a lot with actor Ryan Reynolds, directing movies like Free Guy (2021), The Adam Project (2022), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). Deadpool & Wolverine is his highest-earning film so far!

Shawn Levy's Early Life and Education

Shawn Levy was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in a Jewish family with two sisters. As a teenager, he went to St. George's High School in Montreal. He also trained at the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in New York.

He wanted to be an actor, so he studied performing arts at Yale University. He graduated in 1989. While at Yale, he became interested in directing. After college, he moved to Los Angeles to study film directing. He earned a special degree (MFA) from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1994.

Shawn Levy's Career in Film and TV

Starting Out: Acting and Directing

Shawn Levy began his career in the mid-1980s while still in school. He first acted in a low-budget horror film called Zombie Nightmare (1987). He also appeared in the 1988 film Liberace: Behind the Music.

While getting his directing degree, he continued acting. He had guest roles on TV shows like 21 Jump Street and a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210. Later, he also had small cameo roles, like in 30 Rock.

In the late 1990s, Levy mostly directed TV shows for teenagers. These included Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack and Animorphs. He was also the main director and producer for the Disney Channel show The Famous Jett Jackson (1998–2002) and its movie.

Levy in Moscow in 2011.

Directing Big Movies and Working with 20th Century Fox

Shawn Levy directed his first feature films in 1997, called Address Unknown and Just in Time. His first movie shown in theaters was the teen comedy Big Fat Liar in 2002. Then came the romantic comedy Just Married in 2003, which earned over $100 million.

For the rest of the 2000s, Levy directed successful family films. These included Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and The Pink Panther (2006). He also directed the very popular Night at the Museum series (2006–2014). The first Night at the Museum movie was one of the highest-earning films of 2006. During this time, he also produced other movies like What Happens in Vegas (2008).

In 2010, Levy directed and produced the comedy Date Night, starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. He then directed the science fiction drama Real Steel (2011), which starred Hugh Jackman. This film was produced by Steven Spielberg and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Shawn Levy and his company, 21 Laps, worked closely with 20th Century Fox for many years. They made many films together, including The Internship (2013) and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Outside of Fox, Levy also produced more serious films like the drama The Spectacular Now (2013) and the science fiction film Arrival (2016). For his work on Arrival, Levy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Stranger Things and Working with Netflix

Levy promoting Stranger Things at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2017, Netflix signed a big deal with Shawn Levy. Because of the huge success of Stranger Things, he agreed to create TV shows only for Netflix. In 2020, his company 21 Laps also made a new deal with Netflix.

Levy has been an executive producer for Stranger Things since 2016. He has also directed the third and fourth episodes of each of the show's four seasons. He directed the Netflix mini-series All the Light We Cannot See (2023).

He has directed several movies for Netflix starring Ryan Reynolds, including The Adam Project (2022). In 2022, it was announced that Levy would direct Deadpool & Wolverine for Marvel Studios, which became a huge hit. He is also in talks to direct a Star Wars movie after finishing Deadpool & Wolverine and the final season of Stranger Things.

In 2023, Shawn Levy received the Norman Jewison Award for his career achievements at the TIFF Tribute Awards.

Shawn Levy's Personal Life

Shawn Levy is married to Serena Levy, and they have four daughters. He became a U.S. citizen in 2008. After living in Los Angeles for many years, the Levy family moved to Manhattan in the early 2020s. They also have a family home in New Paltz, New York.

Filmography

Film

Producer only

Acting credits

Television

Executive producer only

• Last Man Standing (2011–2016)
• Cristela (2014)
• I Am Not Okay with This (2020)
• Dash & Lily (2020)
• Unsolved Mysteries (2020)
• Shadow and Bone (2021–2023)
• Lost Ollie (2022)
• The Perfect Couple (2024)

Acting roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Shawn Levy para niños