Shawn Levy

Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian film director, producer and actor. His directing credits include Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), the Night at the Museum series and Stranger Things.

Levy was a producer on the 2016 sci-fi film Arrival, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Since 2016, Levy has been an executive producer on the Netflix original series Stranger Things. He has directed two episodes in each of the show’s three seasons.

Early life and career
Levy was born to a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec. As a teenager, he attended St. George's High School and Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in New York. Levy graduated from Yale University in 1989 majoring in Performing Arts. He received a MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1994.

Levy has a production deal with 20th Century Fox. He produced the 2012 Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill comedy The Watch, which was directed by Akiva Schaffer. His television company 21 Laps produces the ABC/Fox comedy series Last Man Standing and the science fiction Netflix series Stranger Things.

Levy's acting debut was in Zombie Nightmare (1986), a low-budget horror film in which he portrayed the character Jim Bratten, the leader of a group of teenagers. The film is best known for being featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He appeared in the 1988 Liberace: Behind the Music, as a post-Scott Thorson acquaintance of Liberace. His television acting resume consists of a guest spot on 21 Jump Street, a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210, and a role on 30 Rock as TV producer Scottie Shofar.

In December 2017, Netflix announced a 4-year contract with Levy. Due to the successful seasons of Stranger Things, he will create TV projects exclusively for the streaming entertainment company.

Levy was initially announced as the director of the film version of Minecraft, but has since left the project. He is the latest director attached to the film adaptation of the Uncharted video game series, following David O. Russell and Neil Burger. Joe Carnahan worked with Levy to produce the script for the film, but Levy left the project on December 19, 2018. Levy will also direct a film based on long-running children's series Sesame Street, which will be the show's third motion picture following Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, and its first in nearly two decades.

In March 2018, it was announced that Levy will produce the film adaptation of the slasher novel There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins under his 21 Laps Entertainment label, alongside James Wan's Atomic Monster studio for Netflix.

Personal life
Levy is married to Serena, with whom he has four daughters. Levy is Jewish and speaks fluent English, Hebrew and French.

Film
Producer only

Acting roles

Television
Acting roles