September 30, 2020
Spike Jonze Career Summation
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Race/Ethnicity: Jewish
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First Film:
Breakthrough:
First Oscar Nomination:
Gap between First Film and First Nom:
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Adam Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze (pronounced as the common Welsh name “Jones”[1]), is an American filmmaker, photographer, musician, and actor, whose work includes film, television, music videos, and commercials.
Jonze began his career as a teenager photographing BMX riders and skateboarders for Freestylin’ Magazine and Transworld Skateboarding, and he co-founded the youth culture magazine Dirt. Moving into filmmaking, he began shooting street skateboarding films, including the influential Video Days (1991). Jonze co-founded the skateboard company Girl Skateboards in 1993 with riders Rick Howard and Mike Carroll. Jonze’s filmmaking style made him an in-demand director of music videos for much of the 1990s, resulting in collaborations with Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, Weezer, Björk, Kanye West and Arcade Fire.
Jonze began his feature film directing career with Being John Malkovich (1999) and Adaptation. (2002), both written by Charlie Kaufman; the former earned Jonze an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. He was a co-creator and executive producer of MTV’s Jackass reality franchise. Jonze later began directing films based on his own screenplays, including Where the Wild Things Are (2009) and Her (2013); for the latter film, he won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, while receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Song (“The Moon Song”).
He has worked as an actor sporadically throughout his career, co-starring in David O. Russell’s war comedy Three Kings (1999) and appearing in supporting roles in Bennett Miller’s Moneyball (2011) and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), in addition to a recurring role in comedy series The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (2010–2012) and cameo appearances in his own films. Jonze co-founded Directors Label, with filmmakers Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry, and the Palm Pictures company. He is currently the creative director of Vice Media, Inc. and its multinational television channel Vice on TV.
Adam Spiegel was born in New York City,[2] the son of Arthur H. Spiegel III and Sandra L. Granzow.[3][4] His father was of German-Jewish ancestry.[5] Jonze is the grandson of Arthur Spiegel and the great-great-grandson of Joseph Spiegel, founder of the Spiegel catalog.[3] Arthur H. Spiegel III was the founder of a healthcare consulting firm.[3][6] Jonze’s parents divorced when he was a young child and his father remarried.[3][7] Jonze was raised by his mother in Bethesda, Maryland,[8] where she worked in public relations,[3] along with his brother Sam “Squeak E. Clean” Spiegel, who is now a producer and DJ,[9] and his sister Julia.[7] While studying at Walt Whitman High School, Jonze spent much of his time at a Bethesda community store, where owner Mike Henderson gave him the nickname “Spike Jonze” in reference to the satirical singer Spike Jones.[3]
A keen BMX rider, Jonze began working at the Rockville BMX store in Rockville, Maryland, at the age of 16. A common destination for touring professional BMX teams, Jonze began photographing BMX demos at Rockville and formed a friendship with Freestylin’ Magazine editors Mark Lewman and Andy Jenkins.[10] Impressed with Jonze’s photography work, the pair offered him a job as a photographer for the magazine, and he subsequently moved to California to pursue career opportunities in photography.[10] Jonze fronted Club Homeboy, an international BMX club, alongside Lewman and Jenkins.[11] The three also created the youth culture magazines Homeboy and Dirt,[12] the latter of which was spun off from the female-centered Sassy and was aimed towards young boys.[13]
Career
1985–1993: Photography, magazines, and early video work
While shooting for various BMX publications in California, Jonze was introduced to a number of professional skateboarders who often shared ramps with BMX pros.[10] Jonze formed a close friendship with Mark Gonzales, co-owner of the newly formed Blind Skateboards at the time, and began shooting photos with the young Blind team including Jason Lee, Guy Mariano and Rudy Johnson in the late 1980s.[10] Jonze became a regular contributor to Transworld Skateboarding and was subsequently given a job at World Industries by Steve Rocco, who enlisted him to photograph advertisements and shoot promotional videos for his brands under the World Industries umbrella.[14] Jonze filmed, edited and produced his first skateboarding video, Rubbish Heap, for World Industries in 1989.[15] His following video project was Video Days, a promotional video for Blind Skateboards, which was released in 1991 and is considered to be highly influential in the community.[16] The video’s subject, Gonzales, presented a copy of Video Days to Kim Gordon during a chance encounter following a Sonic Youth show in early 1992.[17] Impressed with Jonze’s videography skills, Gordon tracked down the young filmmaker and approached him to direct a music video featuring skateboarders. The video, co-directed by Jonze and Tamra Davis, was for their 1992 single “100%”, which featured skateboarding footage of Blind Skateboards rider Jason Lee, who later became a successful actor.[17] In 1993, Jonze co-directed the “trippy” music video for The Breeders song “Cannonball” with Gordon.[18]
Along with Rick Howard and Mike Carroll, Jonze co-founded the skateboard company Girl Skateboards in 1993.[19] The following year, he directed the video for the Weezer song “Buddy Holly”, which featured the band performing the song interspersed with clips from the sitcom Happy Days.[20] The video became immensely popular and was shown frequently on MTV.[21] A 2013 Rolling Stone readers’ poll ranked it as the tenth best music video of the 1990s.[22] Also in 1994, Jonze directed the videos for the Beastie Boys’ songs “Sure Shot” and, more famously, “Sabotage”.[23] The latter parodies 1970s cop shows and is presented as the opening credits for a fictional show called Sabotage, featuring the band members appearing as its protagonists.[22] As with “Buddy Holly”, the video attracted great popularity and was in “near-constant rotation on MTV.”[24] In the same year, Jonze also directed videos for the hip hop group Marxman, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr., and another Weezer song, “Undone – The Sweater Song”.[25] Jonze made his film debut as an actor in a bit part in the drama Mi Vida Loca (1994).[26]
1995–1999: In demand video director and Being John Malkovich
Jonze collaborated with Björk for the video for her 1995 single “It’s Oh So Quiet”, a cover of a 1951 Betty Hutton song. The video is set in an auto shop and sees Björk dancing and singing to the song in the style of a musical, inspired by Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.[27] in the same year, he also directed a television commercial titled “Guerrilla Tennis” for Nike featuring tennis players Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras participating in a match in the middle of an intersection in Manhattan, the “rapid-paced” title sequence for the sitcom Double Rush and worked on videos for R.E.M., Sonic Youth and Ween.[28][29] Jonze sole video directing credit of 1996 was for The Pharcyde’s “Drop”, which was filmed backwards and then reversed.[30] In 1997, Jonze made a short film called How They Get There, starring Mark Gonzales as a man who is playfully imitating a woman’s actions on the other side of a sidewalk before running into danger.[31] Jonze worked with the electronic music duo Daft Punk on the music video for the instrumental song “Da Funk” in 1997. The clip, titled Big City Nights, follows an anthropomorphic “man-dog” wandering the streets of New York City.[32] His video for The Chemical Brothers’s “Elektrobank” (1997) starred his future wife Sofia Coppola as a gymnast.[33] Throughout 1997, he also worked on videos for R.E.M., Pavement, Puff Daddy, and The Notorious B.I.G..[34][35][36] He made a cameo appearance as a paramedic in David Fincher’s film The Game (1997).[37]
John Malkovich (left), star and subject of Being John Malkovich, and the film’s writer Charlie Kaufman.
Jonze filmed a short documentary in 1997, Amarillo by Morning, about two Texan boys who aspire to be bull riders.[38] He was also one of the cinematographers for the documentary Free Tibet, which documents the 1996 Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco.[39] His 1998 commercial for Sprite is considered an example of subvertising for its spoof take on the brand’s mascot.[40] Jonze developed an alter ego named Richard Koufey, the leader of the Torrance Community Dance Group, an urban troupe that performs in public spaces.[3] The Koufey persona appeared when Jonze, in character, filmed himself dancing to Fatboy Slim’s “The Rockafeller Skank” as it played on a boom box in a public area.[41] Jonze showed the video to Slim, who appears briefly in the video.[42] Jonze then assembled a group of dancers to perform to Slim’s “Praise You” outside a Westwood, California, movie theater and taped the performance.[3][43] The resulting clip was a huge success, and “Koufey” and his troupe were invited to New York City to perform the song for the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.[44] The video received awards for Best Direction, Breakthrough, and Best Choreography, which Jonze accepted, still in character.[44] Jonze made a short mockumentary about the experience called Torrance Rises (1999).[15]
The first feature film Jonze directed was Being John Malkovich in 1999. It stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, with John Malkovich as himself. The screenplay was written by Charlie Kaufman and follows a puppeteer who finds a portal in an office that leads to the mind of actor John Malkovich. Kaufman’s script was passed on to Jonze by his father-in-law Francis Ford Coppola and he agreed to direct it,[45] “delighted by its originality and labyrinthine plot”.[46] Being John Malkovich was released in October 1999 to laudatory reviews; the Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert found the film to be “endlessly inventive” and named it the best film of 1999,[47][48] while Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called it the “most excitingly original movie of the year”.[49] At the 72nd Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Keener.[50] Jonze co-starred opposite George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube in David O. Russell’s war comedy Three Kings (1999), which depicts a gold heist by four U.S. soldiers following the end of the Gulf War. Jonze’s role in the film, the sweet, dimwitted, casually racist PFC Conrad Vig, was written specifically for him.[51] Jonze also directed a commercial for Nike called “The Morning After” in 1999, a parody of the hysteria surrounding Y2K.[52]
2000–2008: Adaptation and Jackass
Jonze returned to video directing in 2000, helming the video for the song “Wonderboy” by the comedy duo Tenacious D.[53] Along with Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine, Jonze co-created, executive produced and occasionally appeared in the television series Jackass in 2000, which aired on MTV for three seasons until 2002.[54] The show featured a group of people performing dangerous stunts and pranks on each other. At the request of Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000, Jonze directed a short video about Gore at his home. The video was shown at the Democratic National Convention.[55] He collaborated with Fatboy Slim for a second a time in 2001, directing the video for “Weapon of Choice”, starring Christopher Walken dancing around a deserted hotel lobby.[56] The video won multiple awards at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Music Video.[57][58] Jonze’s second film, the comedy-drama Adaptation, (2002), was partially based on the non-fiction book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean and was written by Charlie Kaufman.[59] The metafilm starred Nicolas Cage in a dual role as Kaufman and his fictional twin brother, Donald, as he attempts to adapt The Orchid Thief into a film and features dramatized events from the book. It co-starred Meryl Streep as Orlean and Chris Cooper as the subject of The Orchid Thief, John Laroche.[59] Adaptation. was met with widespread critical acclaim from critics, who praised it for its originality whilst simultaneously being funny and thought-provoking.[60]
Jonze holding a producer credit for The 1 Second Film in 2004
Jackass: The Movie, a continuation of the television show, was released in October 2002.[61] Jonze co-produced, contributed to the writing of the segments, and made a cameo appearance in the film.[61][62] Jonze directed a 60-second commercial called “Lamp” for the furniture store IKEA in 2002,[63] which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, considered a prestigious award in the field of advertising.[64] Also in 2002, Jonze directed the Levi’s commercial “Crazy Legs”[64] and the videos for Beck’s “Guess I’m Doing Fine”,[18] Björk’s “It’s in Our Hands” (filmed in night vision), and one of two versions of Weezer’s “Island in the Sun”.[65] Jonze co-directed the Girl Skateboards video Yeah Right! in 2003, which featured extensive use of special effects and a cameo by Owen Wilson.[66]
Jonze co-founded Directors Label – a series of DVDs devoted to music video directors – in September 2003 with filmmakers Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry. Jonze’s volume, The Work of Director Spike Jonze, was released in October and comprises his videos, as well as photographs, drawings and interviews.[67] Jonze made a faux documentary called The Mystery of Dalarö in 2004 as part of an advertising campaign for the Volvo S40. The film was credited to a fictional Venezuelan director named Carlos Soto, but was later revealed to have been directed by Jonze.[68] He directed a commercial for Adidas titled “Hello Tomorrow” in 2005, featuring the music of his brother Sam “Squeak E. Clean” Spiegel and Jonze’s then-girlfriend Karen O of the band Yeah Yeah Yeahs.[69]
After directing videos for Ludacris and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Y Control” (which caused some controversy over its graphic images),[70] Jonze collaborated with Björk for a third time on the playful music video for “Triumph of a Heart” (2005), in which her husband was played by a housecat.[27] The second Jackass film, Jackass Number Two, was released in 2006 and saw Jonze dress as an old lady whose breasts “accidentally” keep becoming exposed while wandering around Los Angeles.[71] Along with Dave Eggers, he had a speaking part in the Beck song “The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton” from his 2006 album The Information.[72] In 2007, he became the creative director of VBS.tv, an online television network supplied by Vice and funded by MTV.[73] Jonze hosted his own interview show on the service.[74] He directed ads for GAP and Levi’s,[75] and co-directed the skateboarding video Fully Flared with Ty Evans and Cory Weincheque in the same year.[16] Jonze directed the music video for Kanye West’s single “Flashing Lights” in 2008. Filmed entirely in slow-motion,[36] the video stars West and model Rita G, and sees her driving around the Las Vegas, Nevada desert in a Ford Mustang before stopping to repeatedly stab West, who is tied up in the trunk.[76] Jonze produced Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut Synecdoche, New York in 2008, which Jonze originally intended to direct.[77]
2009–present: Where the Wild Things Are, short films, and Her
Where the Wild Things Are (2009), a film adaptation of Maurice Sendak children’s picture book of the same name, was directed by Jonze and co-written by Jonze and Dave Eggers, who expanded the original ten-sentence book into a feature film.[78] Sendak gave advice to Jonze while he adapting the book and the two developed a friendship.[79] The film stars Max Records as Max, a lonely eight-year-old boy who runs away from home after an argument with his mother (played by Catherine Keener) and sails away to an island inhabited by creatures known as the “Wild Things,” who declare Max their king.[79] The Wild Things were played by performers in creature suits, while CGI was required to animate their faces.[80] James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Dano, and Michael Berry Jr. provided the voices for the Wild Things, and Jonze voiced two owls named Bob and Terry.[81] The film’s soundtrack was performed by Karen O and composer Carter Burwell scored his third film for Jonze.[82] Where the Wild Things Are was released in October 2009 to a generally positive critical reception but did not perform well at the box office. Some reviewers were unsure whether the film was intended for a younger or adult audience due to its dark tone and level of maturity.[83] Jonze himself said that he “didn’t set out to make a children’s movie; I set out to make a movie about childhood”.[84] A television documentary, Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak, co-directed by Jonze and Lance Bangs, aired in 2009 and features a series of interviews with Sendak.[85] Jonze wrote and directed We Were Once a Fairytale (2009), a short film starring Kanye West as himself acting belligerently while drunk in a nightclub.[86]
Jonze wrote and directed the science fiction romance short film I’m Here in 2010, based on the children’s book The Giving Tree. The film stars Andrew Garfield as a robot with a head shaped like an old PC who falls in love with a more sleekly-designed female robot, played by Sienna Guillory.[87] Jonze produced and provided his voice to a character in the short film Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life (2010), based on Maurice Sendak’s book of the same name.[88] He co-directed the video for LCD Soundsystem’s “Drunk Girls” with the band’s frontman James Murphy[89] and directed the video for Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” in 2010, the latter being an edited version of Jonze’s short film Scenes from the Suburbs (2011), a dystopian vision of suburbia in the near-future and an expansion of the themes of nostalgia, alienation, and childhood found in the song.[90][91] A third Jackass film, Jackass 3D, premiered in 2010.[92] He was part of the main cast for the black comedy series The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret as the supervisor to David Cross’ character for the first two seasons in 2010 and 2012, before being replaced by Jack McBrayer in the third season.[93] Jonze resumed his longtime collaboration with the Beastie Boys in July 2011, directing the video for their song featuring Santigold, “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win”, in which the band members are portrayed as action figures.[23] He then directed the video for Kanye West and Jay-Z’s 2011 single “Otis”, which saw the pair driving a customized Maybach 57 around an industrial lot.[94] Along with Simon Cahn, Jonze co-directed the stop-motion animated short film Mourir Auprès De Toi (2011), which is set in the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris. Jonze voiced a skeletal Macbeth in the film.[95] Also in 2011, Jonze played a small supporting role in the sports drama Moneyball as the husband of Robin Wright’s character, who is the ex-wife of Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt).[96] In 2012, Jonze co-directed the feature-length skateboarding film Pretty Sweet with his Fully Flared co-directors Ty Evans and Cory Weincheque.[97]
Jonze in December 2013
Jonze’s fourth feature film, the romantic science fiction drama Her, was released in December 2013. The film was his first original screenplay and the first he had written alone, inspired by Charlie Kaufman by putting “all the ideas and feelings at that time” into the script.[98] It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Scarlett Johansson. The film follows the recently divorced Theodore Twombly (Phoenix), a man who develops a relationship with a seemingly intuitive and humanistic female voice, named “Samantha” (Johansson), produced by an advanced computer operating system.[98] Samantha was originally voiced by Samantha Morton during its production, but was later replaced by Johansson.[98] Jonze provided his voice to a video game character in the film, Alien Child, who interacts with Theodore.[99] The film’s score was composed by Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett.[100]
Her was met with universal acclaim from critics.[101] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter praised Jonze for taking an old theme “the search for love and the need to ‘only connect'” and embracing it “in a speculative way that feels very pertinent to the moment and captures the emotional malaise of a future just an intriguing step or two ahead of contemporary reality.”[102] Scott Foundas of Variety opined that it was Jonze’s “richest and most emotionally mature work to date”.[103] At the 86th Academy Awards, Jonze was nominated for three Academy Awards for Her, winning for Best Original Screenplay and receiving further nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Song for co-writing “The Moon Song” with Karen O.[104] Jonze won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay at the 71st Golden Globe Awards.[105]
Jonze co-wrote, co-produced, and appeared in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013), a hidden camera comedy film starring Johnny Knoxville as the vulgar grandfather Irvin Zisman. Jonze played his wife late Gloria, but was cut from a majority of the film.[106] Jonze served as the creative director of the YouTube Music Awards on November 3, 2013. At the ceremony, he directed the live music video for Arcade Fire’s “Afterlife”, documented Lady Gaga’s live performance of “Dope” with Chris Milk, and premiered a short film written by Lena Dunham that Jonze directed called Choose You.[107][108] Jonze had a small role in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street as a stockbroker who teaches Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) the ins and outs of penny stocks.[96] Jonze got the part as the film shared the same casting director as Her, who asked Jonze if he wanted to appear in the film.[96] He directed the video for Kanye West’s “Only One” in 2015, which was filmed on his iPhone in a foggy field and featured heartfelt interactions between West and daughter.[109] Jonze made a guest appearance in the fourth season of Lena Dunham’s television series Girls in March 2015.[110] Jonze directed the short commercial film Kenzo World to promote a fragrance by Kenzo in 2016. The film starred Margaret Qualley as a woman erratically dancing around a large mansion, with choreography by Ryan Heffington.[111] Jonze is the creative director of multinational television channel brand Viceland, which launched in February 2016.[112]
In 2017, Jonze directed Frank Ocean’s summer festival tour, which included 8 shows which took place in different cities around the US and Europe. Jonze also produced and decorated, alongside Ocean and artist Tom Sachs among others, an elaborate stage with a runway and central platform for the same concert.[113] Jonze wrote and directed the stage show Changers: A Dance Story, starring Lakeith Stanfield and Mia Wasikowska. Featuring dance choreography by Ryan Heffington, the show premiered at an Opening Ceremony fashion week presentation in September 2017 before opening to the public for a four-night run at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.[114] Jonze produced the documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017), which documents the production of the film Man on the Moon (1999).[115] The following year, he directed the short commercial film Welcome Home for Apple’s Homepod devices, starring FKA Twigs dancing inside her apartment as its transforms into a surreal space and engages in a dance off with her doppelgänger.[116] In 2019, Jonze directed a commercial and accompanying short film for the website building service Squarespace starring Idris Elba,[117] as well a short film titled The New Normal advocating for marijuana legalization in partnership with the cannabis company MedMen.[118] In that year, Jonze also filmed the Aziz Ansari stand-up special Right Now, operating close-up shots himself onstage.[119] He won two consecutive Directors Guild of America Awards for his commercial work in 2018 and 2019.[120][121]
Jonze directed the Beastie Boys Story: As Told By Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz stage show, which took place in Philadelphia and Brooklyn for three nights in 2019 and saw the band’s two remaining members tell the story of the Beastie Boys and their friendship.[122] A feature length documentary, Beastie Boys Story, was also directed by Jonze and features footage from the shows.[122] It was released on Apple TV+ in 2020 to positive reviews.[123]
Personal life
On June 26, 1999, Jonze married director Sofia Coppola, whom he had first met in 1992 on the set of the music video for Sonic Youth’s “100%”.[3][124] On December 5, 2003, the couple filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences”.[124] The character of John, a career-driven photographer (played by Giovanni Ribisi) in Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003), was rumored to be based on Jonze, though Coppola commented “It’s not Spike, but there are elements of him there, elements of experiences.”[125]
Jonze dated singer Karen O throughout 2005, although the couple broke up shortly after.[126] People magazine reported that Jonze dated actress Drew Barrymore in 2007.[127] Jonze began dating Michelle Williams in July 2008 after meeting on the set of Synecdoche, New York, which Williams starred in and Jonze produced. Williams called the timing of their relationship “impossible” and ended it in September 2009.[128] Jonze was reported to have begun dating Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi in 2010 and the couple briefly lived together in New York City, but have since broken up.[129][130]
Filmography
Films
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1999 Being John Malkovich Yes No No
2001 Human Nature No No Yes
2002 Jackass: The Movie No Yes Yes
Adaptation. Yes No No
2006 Jackass Number Two No Yes Yes
2008 Synecdoche, New York No No Yes
2009 Where the Wild Things Are Yes Yes No
2010 Jackass 3D No Yes Yes
2013 Her Yes Yes Yes
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa No Yes Yes
2021 Jackass 4 No Yes Yes
Short films
Year Title
Director Writer Actor Role Notes
1994 Ciao, L.A. Yes No No None
1996 Pig! No No Yes Unknown
1997 How They Get There Yes Yes No None
1999 Torrance Rises Yes No Yes Richard Coufey Co-directed with Lance Bangs
An Intimate Look Inside the Acting Process with Ice Cube Yes No No None
2004 The Mystery of Dalarö Yes No No None Short commercial film
2009 We Were Once a Fairytale Yes Yes No None
2010 I’m Here Yes Yes No None
The Vampire Attack Yes No Yes The Vampire
2011 Scenes From the Suburbs Yes No No None
Mourir Auprès De Toi Yes Yes Yes Macbeth
2013 Choose You Yes No No None
2016 Kenzo World Yes Yes No None Short commercial film
2018 Welcome Home Yes Yes No None
Documentary films
Year Title
Director Producer Himself Notes
1998 Amarillo by Morning Yes No No Documentary short film
2002 What’s Up, Fatlip?[131] Yes No Yes
2007 Heavy Metal in Baghdad No Executive No
2008 Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman’s Tribute to Evel Knievel No Executive No
2009 Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak Yes No No
2010 The Lazarus Effect No Executive No Documentary short film
2017 Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine No No Yes
2017 Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond No Yes No
2020 Beastie Boys Story Yes Yes No
Acting roles
Year Title
Role Notes
1994 Mi Vida Loca Teenage Drug Customer
1997 The Game Airbag EMT Beltran
1999 Three Kings Private First Class Conrad Vig
Being John Malkovich Derek Mantini’s Assistant
2001 Keep Your Eyes Open Officer Jonze
2002 Jackass: The Movie Himself
Adaptation.
2006 Jackass Number Two
2009 Where the Wild Things Are Bob and Terry (voice)
2010 Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life Plant (voice)
Jackass 3D Himself
2011 Moneyball Alán Uncredited
2013 Her Alien Child (voice)
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Gloria
The Wolf of Wall Street Dwayne Uncredited
Cinematographer
Year Title
Notes
1996 Bed, Bath and Beyond Short film
1997 Free Tibet Documentary film
2006 Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow Concert film
Television
Year Title Director Executive
Producer Actor Role Notes
1995 Double Rush Yes No No None Opening titles only
2000–2002 Jackass No Yes Yes Himself 4 episodes; also creator
2007–2012 Spike Spends Saturday With… No Yes Yes Himself Documentary series
2010–2012 The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret No No Yes Doug Whitney 8 episodes
2015 Girls No No Yes Marcos Episode: “Home Birth”
2016 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Yes No No None Episode: “February 29, 2016”
2016–present Viceland programs No Yes No None Creative director
2019 Aziz Ansari: Right Now Yes Yes No None Stand-up comedy special
Music videos
Year Song Artist Notes
1992 “Hush” Wax
“High in High School” Chainsaw Kittens
“100%” Sonic Youth Co-directed with Tamra Davis
1993 “Cannonball” The Breeders Co-directed with Kim Gordon
“Country at War” X
“Daughters of the Kaos” Luscious Jackson
“Hang On” Teenage Fanclub
“Time for Livin'” Beastie Boys
1994 “All About Eve” Marxman
“Buddy Holly” Weezer
“Ditch Digger” Rocket from the Crypt
“Divine Hammer” The Breeders Co-directed with Kim Gordon & Richard Kern
“Feel the Pain” Dinosaur Jr.
“I Can’t Stop Smiling” Velocity Girl
“If I Only Had a Brain” MC 900 Ft. Jesus
“Old Timer” that dog.
“Ricky’s Theme” Beastie Boys
“Sabotage” Also writer
“Sure Shot”
“Undone – The Sweater Song” Weezer
1995 “California” Wax
“Car Song” Elastica
“Crush with Eyeliner” R.E.M.
“Freedom of ’76” Ween
“It’s Oh So Quiet” Björk
“Big Train” Mike Watt
“The Diamond Sea” Sonic Youth
“Who Is Next?” Wax
1996 “Drop” The Pharcyde
1997 “Da Funk” Daft Punk
“Electrolite” R.E.M.
“Elektrobank” The Chemical Brothers
“It’s All About the Benjamins” (Rock Remix) Puff Daddy
“Liberty Calls” Mike Watt
“Shady Lane” Pavement
“Sky’s the Limit” The Notorious B.I.G.
1998 “Home” Sean Lennon
“Root Down” (Version 2) Beastie Boys
1999 “Praise You” Fatboy Slim
2000 “What’s Up, Fatlip?” Fatlip
“Wonderboy” Tenacious D As Marcus Von Bueler
2001 “Weapon of Choice” Fatboy Slim
“Island in the Sun” (Version 2) Weezer
2002 “Guess I’m Doing Fine” Beck
“It’s in Our Hands” Björk
2003 “Big Brat” Phantom Planet
2004 “Get Back” Ludacris
“Y Control” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2005 “Triumph of a Heart” Björk
2008 “Flashing Lights” Kanye West Co-directed with Kanye West
2009 “Heaven” UNKLE Co-directed with Ty Evans
“25” AsDSSka Co-directed with Crystal Moselle
2010 “Drunk Girls” LCD Soundsystem Co-directed with James Murphy
“The Suburbs” Arcade Fire Edited from the short film Scenes from the Suburbs
2011 “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” Beastie Boys featuring Santigold
“Otis” Jay-Z & Kanye West
2013 “Afterlife” Arcade Fire Directed live for the YouTube Awards
“Dope” Lady Gaga
2015 “Only One” Kanye West featuring Paul McCartney
2018 “I Love It” Kanye West & Lil Pump featuring Adele Givens Executive producer
2019 “Woman” Karen O & Danger Mouse Directed live for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Commercials
Year Title Subject Notes
1995 “Guerrilla Tennis” Nike
1997 “Bones” Wrangler
“Lucky”
“Tank”
“Bodacious”
“Fight”
“Skip”
“Doctor’s” Levi’s
“Chair” Nissan
1998 “Sun Fizz” Sprite
“Car” Lee
“Twister”
“Parachute”
1999 “Morning After” Nike
2002 “Crazy Legs” Levi’s
“Lamp” IKEA
2004 “The Mystery of Dalarö” Volvo Also a short film
2005 “Hello Tomorrow” Adidas
“Pardon Our Dust” GAP
2006 “Auditions” Miller
2009 “Sumo” SoftBank
2010 “Twizzler” Lakai
2016 “Kenzo’s World” Kenzo Also a short film
2018 “Welcome Home” Apple
2019 “The New Normal” MedMen
“Dream it with Idris Elba” Squarespace
Skateboarding videos
Year Title Director Producer Notes
1989 Rubbish Heap Yes No
1991 Video Days Yes Yes
1993 Goldfish Yes No
1995 Las Nueve Vidas De Paco Yes Executive
1996 Mouse Yes Executive Co-directed with Rick Howard
1999 The Chocolate Tour Yes Executive Co-directed with Rick Howard
2002 Harsh Euro Barge No Executive
2002 Beware of the Flare No Executive
2003 Yeah Right! Yes Executive Co-directed with Ty Evans
2004 Hot Chocolate Yes Executive Co-directed with Ty Evans & Cory Weincheque
2005 Super Champion Funzone Yes Executive Co-directed with Ty Evans & Cory Weincheque
2006 Krooked Kronichles Yes No
2007 Fully Flared Yes Executive Co-directed with Ty Evans & Cory Weincheque
2008 The Final Flare! Yes Executive Co-directed with Ty Evans, Cory Weincheque & Aaron Meza
2011 Unbeleafable No Executive
2012 Pretty Sweet Yes Executive Co-directed with Ty Evans & Cory Weincheque
2014 Wet Dream: a skateboard tale No Executive
2017 The Flare No Yes
2018 Doll No Executive
Theater
Year Title Director Writer Notes
2017 Changers: A Dance Story Yes Yes
2019 Beastie Boys Story: As Told By Mike D & Ad-Rock Yes No
Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result
1996 Grammy Award Best Music Video (as music video director) “It’s Oh So Quiet” Nominated
1999 Academy Award Best Director Being John Malkovich Nominated
Bodil Award Best American Film Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award Best Director Nominated
César Award Best Foreign Film Nominated
Critics’ Choice Movie Award Breakthrough Artist Won
Deauville Film Festival Award Critics Award Won
Grand Special Prize Won
Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Nominated
Empire Award Best Debut Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Award Newcomer of the Year Won
Hugo Award Best Dramatic Presentation (shared with Charlie Kaufman) Nominated
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Award Best Foreign Director Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award Best Newcomer Won
Best Director Nominated
London Critics Circle Film Award Director of the Year Won
MTV Movie Award Best New Filmmaker Won
New York Film Critics Circle Award Best First Film Won
Robert Award Best American Film Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award Best Director 2nd place
Venice Film Festival Award FIPRESCI Prize Won
2002 Berlin International Film Festival Award Jury Grand Prix Adaptation. Won
Golden Bear Nominated
Golden Globe Award Best Director Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Award Best Director Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Award Best Director 2nd place
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award Best Director Won
Grammy Award Best Music Video (as music video director) “Weapon of Choice” Won
2006 Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directing – Commercials (as a commercial director) Adidas’ “Hello Tomorrow”
Miller’s “Penguin”
Gap’s “Pardon Our Dust” Nominated
2008 Gotham Award Best Feature (shared with Charlie Kaufman, Anthony Bregman, and Sidney Kimmel) Synecdoche, New York Nominated
2009 Chicago Film Critics Association Award Best Adapted Screenplay Where the Wild Things Are Nominated
Best Director Nominated
Saturn Award Best Writing Nominated
2013 Academy Award Best Original Screenplay Her Won
Best Picture Nominated
Best Original Song (for “The Moon Song”) Nominated
Austin Film Critics Association Award Best Original Screenplay Won
Critics’ Choice Movie Award Best Director Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Won
Golden Globe Award Best Screenplay Won
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated
International Online Film Critics’ Poll Award Best Original Screenplay Won
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award Best Original Screenplay Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Screenplay 2nd place
Best Director Nominated
National Board of Review Award Best Director Won
New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Director Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
New York Film Festival Award Grand Marnier Fellowship Award Nominated
Producers Guild of America Award Best Theatrical Motion Picture (shared with Megan Ellison and Vincent Landay) Nominated
Rome Film Festival Award Golden Marc’Aurelio Award Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Award Best Original Screenplay Won
Best Director Nominated
Satellite Award Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Saturn Award Best Writing Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association Award Best Screenplay Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award Best Original Screenplay Won
Writers Guild of America Award Best Original Screenplay[132] Won
2015 Grammy Award Best Song Written for Visual Media (shared with Karen O) “The Moon Song” Nominated
2016 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program Gaycation Nominated
2017 Nominated
2018 Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond Nominated
2019 Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directing – Commercials (as a commercial director) Apple’s “Welcome Home” Won
2020 Squarespace’s “Dream It”
MedMen’s “The New Normal” Won
Outstanding Directing – Variety Specials Aziz Ansari: Right Now Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award[133] Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special Beastie Boys Story Nominated
Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming Nominated
