Shawn Levy

Director and producer

• Born: July 23, 1968
• Place of Birth: Montreal, Canada

Contribution: As a director, Shawn Levy is known for the children’s and family films Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), the Night at the Museum series (2006–14), and The Pink Panther (2006). Also a prolific producer for television and films, he worked on the Academy Award–nominated film Arrival (2016) and the hit Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–22).

Background

While growing up in Montreal in Quebec, Canada, Shawn Adam Levy dreamed of becoming an actor. He performed in high school plays while attending St. George’s High School and attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center, a summer camp located in Loch Sheldrake, New York. Levy then attended Yale University, where he acted in and directed various student productions. He also gained some professional experience off campus, beginning with a minor supporting role in the Canadian television movie Miles to Go . . . (1986), a drama about a woman dying of cancer. Levy also appeared in two Canadian horror movies, Zombie Nightmare (1987) and The Kiss (1988). While both were considered B movies, The Kiss received some film award nominations.

After graduating from Yale in 1989, Levy moved to Los Angeles and began acting in television programs, including 21 Jump Street (1990) and thirtysomething (1990). He also appeared in minor roles in the television movies Brotherhood of the Gun (1991) and Our Shining Moment (1991). Levy soon began working on a master’s degree at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he graduated in 1994. While he poured his energy into filmmaking, he also continued to act, appearing in the television show Beverly Hills, 90210 (1993), the studio film Made in America (1993), which features Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson, and in the made-for-television movie Trouble Shooters: Trapped Beneath the Earth (1993) starring Kris Kristofferson and David Newsom.

Career

Levy began his directing career with children’s movies and television shows. In 1997, he directed two studio films for children, Just in Time and Address Unknown. For Nickelodeon, he directed several episodes of The Secret World of Alex Mack (1996–98), about a thirteen-year-old girl who has secret powers. In 1998, one of his episodes, “Lies and Secrets,” earned a nomination for outstanding directorial achievement in children’s programs from the Directors Guild of America. Levy also directed several episodes of Nickelodeon’s Animorphs (1998–99), a television adaptation of the novels by K. A. Applegate.

In 1998, Levy began directing the Disney Channel’s award-winning The Famous Jett Jackson series (1998–2001), about a young action hero actor (Lee Thompson Young) who moves back home. Levy occasionally acted in the show and wrote some episodes, and he was made its executive producer in 2000. In 2002, the Directors Guild of Canada awarded Levy and his team their award for outstanding achievement in a television miniseries. Also in 2002, along with Kevin May and Bruce Kalish, Levy won the Gemini Award for best children’s or youth fiction program.

As Levy’s reputation as a successful director spread throughout Canada and the United States, he was hired to direct major movies with bigger budgets, including Big Fat Liar (2002) and a remake of Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. He also directed a remake of The Pink Panther (2006) with comedian Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau, Kevin Kline as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, and Beyoncé as Xania.

In 2006, Levy directed Night at the Museum, starring Ben Stiller and Dick Van Dyke. The action-comedy-drama won the 2007 ASCAP Award for the top box office film of the year, grossing well over $500 million. While the sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), failed to live up to the success of the original, Levy continued to prove himself as one of the busiest and most lucrative directors in the world. He went on to direct the comedy-romance Date Night (2010), featuring Steve Carell and Tina Fey; the science fiction-drama Real Steel (2011), starring Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo; and the comedy The Internship (2013), starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. As well as directing the sequel Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, and the star-studded comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You in 2014, he helmed two episode of the television series Imaginary Mary in 2017.

In addition to directing and acting in small roles, Levy has produced many movies and television shows, including Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), in which he also acted the part of a hospital intern; the television series Pepper Dennis (2006); What Happens in Vegas (2008); The Rocker (2008); the made-for-television movie Family Trap (2012); and The Spectacular Now (2013). Between 2011 and 2021, Levy also served as executive producer for numerous episodes of Last Man Standing, a comedy starring Tim Allen. Continuing to work in both television and film, he produced such films as Why Him? (2016), Arrival (2016), Table 19 (2017), and Kin (2018) while also fulfilling the role of executive producer for several episodes of the series Cristela (2014–15), Imaginary Mary (2017), and Dash & Lily (2020). Arrival was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Picture in 2017. Some of the films Levy has worked on were produced with his company, 21 Laps Entertainment, in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Between 2016 and 2022, Levy directed several episodes of the Netflix series Stranger Things, a show that he also executive produced. He then directed the action comedy film Free Guy in 2021, which starred Ryan Reynolds. Levy worked with Reynolds again the following year, directing the Netflix science fiction film The Adam Project (2022). Levy's work in 2022 also included serving as producer for an animated addition to the Night at the Museum franchise, Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again.

Between 2021 and 2023, Levy was the executive producer for sixteen episodes of Shadow and Bone, a Netflix streaming series . He served in the same role for the 2023 miniseries All the Light We Cannot See, also on Netflix. Between 2020 and 2024, Levy also executive produced twenty-four episodes of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries as well as six episodes of The Perfect Couple for the same streaming network.

In 2024, Levy was the producer of the blockbuster movie Deadpool and Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. The movie broke the billion-dollar mark on the global market within weeks of opening and became the highest-grossing R-rated movie to that point in time. Levy continued to work on numerous projects, including a Real Steel sequel and more episodes of Stranger Things.

Personal Life

Levy is married to Serena Levy. The couple has four children, including Sophie and Tess, who have appeared in a few of their father’s movies.

Bibliography

Brownstein, Bill. “First, Do Homework. Then, Hit Hollywood.” Gazette [Montreal]. Postmedia Network, 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

Cieply, Michael. “Comedy Is Hard, but Not for Him.” New York Times 5 Apr. 2009: AR1. Print.

Dargis, Manohla. “Laurel and Hardy in Google’s Toyland.” Rev. of The Internship, dir. Shawn Levy. New York Times. New York Times, 7 June 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

Eagan, Daniel. “Pandemonium at the Smithsonian.” Film Journal International. Film Journal International, 29 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

Levy, Shawn. “Director Shawn Levy Interview: Real Steel.” Interview by Christina Radish. Collider. Collider.com, 8 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

Rubin, Rebecca. "Deadpool & Wolverine’ Crosses $1 Billion at Global Box Office." Variety, 11 Aug. 2024, variety.com/2024/film/box-office/deadpool-wolverine-1-billion-global-box-office-milestone-1236091230/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

"Shawn Levy." IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0506613/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

Widdicombe, Lizzie. “Emerald City.” Rev. of The Internship, dir. Shawn Levy. New Yorker 3 June 2013: 19–20. Print.