Seth Gordon
Seth Gordon is an American filmmaker born on July 15, 1976, in Evanston, Illinois. He graduated from Yale University, where he developed a passion for storytelling through film and theater, joining the improvisational acting group and creating documentaries. His breakthrough came with "Building Shimanyiro," a documentary reflecting his experiences teaching in Kenya, which set the stage for a successful filmmaking career. Gordon gained wider recognition for directing the acclaimed documentary "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" (2007), which chronicled the competitive world of arcade gaming.
Transitioning to Hollywood, he directed the commercial hit "Four Christmases" (2008) and continued to work on various projects, including popular television series such as "Parks and Recreation" and "The Office." Gordon produced the Academy Award-winning documentary "Undefeated" (2011) and directed several successful comedies, including "Horrible Bosses" (2011) and "Baywatch" (2017). His ability to blend independent documentary storytelling with mainstream comedy highlights his versatility as a filmmaker. Gordon is married to photographer Bootsy Holler, and they have one son.
Subject Terms
Seth Gordon
Director
- Born: July 15, 1976
- Birthplace: Evanston, Illinois
Contribution: Seth Gordon is a film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his documentaries Shut Up & Sing (2006) and The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) as well as the feature films Horrible Bosses (2011), Identity Thief (2013), and Baywatch (2017).
Background
Seth Lewis Gordon was born on July 15, 1976, in Evanston, Illinois. He attended the prestigious Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington, and entered Yale University in the fall of 1994 to study architecture. While at Yale, Gordon was a member of the improvisational acting group the Ex!t Players and also acted in several campus stage productions. He was elected into Wolf’s Head Society, a Yale secret society typically composed of seniors.
Before graduating from Yale, Gordon took time off in 1997 to teach high school for six months in Shimanyiro, Kenya. While there, he learned that Kenyan schools are built by local residents, and he helped obtain philanthropic funding from the United Nations to finish constructing Shimanyiro’s school. During construction, Gordon filmed the students and residents as they worked and debated various issues such as gender equality and the importance of AIDS education. When he returned to the US, he edited the footage into the documentary Building Shimanyiro, which would launch his career.
Career
Gordon’s Building Shimanyiro landed him a job directing behind-the-scenes footage of the country music group the Dixie Chicks on their 2003 tour. His footage drew worldwide attention when Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines criticized then US president George W. Bush on stage in London, England. Gordon continued to film the group throughout the resulting backlash, which turned into the 2006 documentary Shut Up & Sing. Gordon is credited as a cinematographer and contributing producer on that film.
Gordon then produced, edited, and filmed the independent documentary New York Doll (2005), about the punk band New York Dolls and their 2004 reunion. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Gordon’s next documentary, which was also his first feature-length film, would be his breakout success. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) follows Steve Wiebe, a competitive player of the 1980s arcade game Donkey Kong, and his attempts to break the world record that was then held by world champion Billy Mitchell. The film premiered at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City and was met with critical acclaim. It made several top-ten lists and was nominated for best documentary feature of 2007 by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
Following King of Kong, Gordon directed the Hollywood film Four Christmases (2008), starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. This was Gordon’s first big-budget film, and he has stated that the hardest part about the transition was dealing with studio politics. The film received generally negative reviews but was a commercial success, making over $150 million worldwide.
Gordon then turned to television, directing episodes of Parks and Recreation in 2009, The Office in 2009 and 2010, and Modern Family in 2010. In 2009, Gordon also developed and directed a documentary series of videos titled H*Commerce: The Business of Hacking You. The videos, which were sponsored by the antivirus software company McAfee, are intended to inform individuals about cybercrime and online security.
In 2010, Gordon returned to the documentary field as producer of the anthology film Freakonomics, based on the 2005 book of the same name. The film examines human behavior through analyses of various economic theories and consists of four segments directed by various documentary directors, including Rachel Grady, Eugene Jarecki, and Morgan Spurlock.
For his next feature, Gordon directed the dark comedy Horrible Bosses (2011), about three friends who decide to murder one another’s domineering bosses. The film received generally positive reviews and grossed over $200 million worldwide, making it Gordon’s biggest commercial hit to date. Although he was slated to direct the film’s sequel, he decided in August 2013 not to proceed with the project.
In 2011, Gordon also produced the documentary Undefeated, which chronicles the efforts of the Manassas Tigers, football team of Manassas High School in Memphis, Tennessee, as they fight for a winning season after years of losses. The film was highly acclaimed by critics and won the 2012 Academy Award for best documentary feature.
Gordon next reunited with Horrible Bosses star Jason Bateman to direct the comedy Identity Thief (2013). The film received mainly negative reviews, although it grossed over $130 million worldwide. He later withdrew from its planned sequel.
After joining Sony Pictures Television around 2011, Gordon went on to direct episodes of the shows Sneaky Pete, The Goldbergs, Atypical, The Good Doctor, and For All Mankind in the mid-to-late 2010s. He also served as an executive producers for those series, among others. Gordon and Sony renewed their contract in 2019.
Gordon's next feature-length directorial project was Baywatch (2017), a comedic action movie based on the 1990s television show and starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. Around that time he also produced a number of documentary films, including the Mitt Romney biopic Mitt (2014), Gleason (2016), Served Like a Girl (2017), Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017), and Wrestle (2019).
Impact
As a filmmaker, Gordon has successfully made the transition from independent documentary director to big-budget comedy box-office draw. However, he has maintained a foothold in the documentary world as a producer, which paid off with the Academy Award–winning Undefeated. Whether directing a documentary or a work of fiction, Gordon’s primary focus is on telling a good story.
Personal Life
Gordon is married to photographer Bootsy Holler, with whom he has a son, Drake.
Principal Works
New York Doll, 2005
Shut Up & Sing, 2006
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, 2007
Four Christmases, 2008
Freakonomics, 2010
Horrible Bosses, 2011
Undefeated, 2011
Identity Thief, 2013
Baywatch, 2017
Bibliography
Andreeva, Nellie. “Seth Gordon Re-Ups Overall Deal with Sony Pictures Television.” Deadline, 22 May 2019, deadline.com/2019/05/seth-gordon-re-ups-overall-deal-with-sony-pictures-television-1202619976. Accessed 24 Jan. 2020.
Fernandez, Jay A. “From Kenya to Christmases.” Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2008. Web. 4 Sept. 2013.
Gordon, Seth. “A Chat with Seth Gordon.” Interview by Bob Westal. Bullz-Eye.com. Bullz-Eye.com, 6 Oct. 2010. Web. 4 Sept. 2013.
Gordon, Seth. “Exclusive Interview: Identity Thief Director Seth Gordon.” Interview by Edward Douglas. ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media, 4 Feb. 2013. Web. 4 Sept. 2013.
Gordon, Seth. “Interview with Seth Gordon, Director of King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.” Interview by Alex Remington. Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 June 2009. Web. 4 Sept. 2013.
Horn, John. “Word of Mouth: Documentaries Are Proving Grounds for Feature Film Directors.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2010. Web. 4 Sept. 2013.