Todd Phillips facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Todd Phillips
Phillips in 2024
Born	Todd Philip Bunzl (1970-12-19) December 19, 1970 (age 54) New York City, U.S.
Education	New York University
Occupation	Film director producer screenwriter
Years active	1993–present

Todd Phillips (born Todd Philip Bunzl on December 19, 1970) is an American filmmaker. He is known for directing, producing, and writing many popular movies. Phillips started his career in 1993. In the 2000s, he directed comedies like Road Trip, Old School, and Starsky & Hutch. He became even more famous in the early 2010s for directing The Hangover film series. In 2019, he co-wrote and directed Joker, a movie based on the DC Comics character. This film won the top prize, the Golden Lion, at the 76th Venice International Film Festival. Joker also earned Phillips three Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture and Best Director.

Todd Phillips's Early Life

Phillips was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He grew up in Dix Hills, New York, on Long Island. He went to New York University Film School. However, he left before finishing because he couldn't afford to pay for school and make his first film at the same time.

Todd Phillips's Film Career

Todd Phillips started his career by making documentary films. His first documentary, Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies, was about a punk rock musician named GG Allin. Phillips made this film while he was still a student at NYU. It became one of the most successful student films of its time.

Documentaries and Early Comedies

Phillips then co-directed Frat House, a documentary about college fraternities. This film won an award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. His third documentary, Bittersweet Motel, followed the band Phish on their tours.

While at Sundance, Phillips met director and producer Ivan Reitman. Reitman helped Phillips start writing and directing comedy movies. This led to Phillips directing Road Trip (2000) and Old School (2003).

Phillips also wrote and directed Starsky & Hutch (2004), which starred Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. He also directed School for Scoundrels (2006). He worked on the story for the comedy film Borat (2006) and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for it.

The Hangover Series and Other Hits

In 2008, Phillips started his own film company, Green Hat Films. He then directed and produced The Hangover (2009). This movie was a huge success, earning $480 million worldwide. It became the highest-grossing comedy film with an R rating at that time. The Hangover won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy). Phillips made a lot of money from the film's success, calling it "my Star Wars".

In 2010, Phillips directed, produced, and co-wrote the comedy Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. This film was also a box office success.

Production for The Hangover Part II began in 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Phillips directed, produced, and co-wrote this sequel. When it was released in May 2011, it broke several records. It had the biggest midnight opening for an R-rated film and the highest-grossing opening day for a live-action comedy. The film earned over $581 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated comedy film of all time, a record later broken by the Deadpool movies.

He returned to direct, write, and produce The Hangover Part III, which came out in 2013. This film earned over $300 million, bringing the total earnings for The Hangover Trilogy to $1.4 billion.

In 2016, Phillips directed, produced, and co-wrote the crime film War Dogs, starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller.

Phillips winning the Golden Lion for the film Joker at the 76th Venice Film Festival

In 2019, Phillips directed, co-wrote, and co-produced Joker. This film tells an origin story for the DC Comics supervillain the Joker. The script was co-written with Scott Silver, and Joaquin Phoenix starred as the Joker. The film premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival and was released in October 2019. A sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, was released in 2024, also directed, co-written, and co-produced by Phillips.

Todd Phillips's Filmography

Feature Films Directed by Todd Phillips

Acting Roles by Todd Phillips

Documentary Films by Todd Phillips

Television Work by Todd Phillips

Awards and Nominations for Todd Phillips

Todd Phillips has won many awards for his work in film. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Todd Phillips para niños