Chris and Paul Weitz Biography

Chris (b. 1970) and Paul Weitz (b. 1966) are the sons of Oscar-nominated actress Susan Kohner and designer/writer John Weitz, and the grandsons of agent/producer Paul Kohner and actress Lupita Tovar. They grew up in New York, and Paul went on to graduate from Wesleyan University with a degree in filmmaking. During his final year, his play, Mango Tea, was produced off-Broadway starring Marisa Tomei and Rob Morrow. Meanwhile, Chris earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in English literature at Cambridge University. He first worked as a journalist for several newspapers both in England and the States before teaming up with his brother to write screenplays. They gained valuable experience doing rewrites and script doctoring for films such as Madeline (1998) before co-writing the animated flick Antz (1998), starring the voice of Woody Allen. The following year they made their directorial debut with their screenplay, American Pie (1999). The raunchy comedy was a box office success, earning more than US$100 million at the domestic box office, and spawned two sequels (which the Weitzes executive produced, but did not write or direct).

The brothers wrote the sequel Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), starring Eddie Murphy, and made their acting debut in the independent film Chuck & Buck (2000). They directed Chris Rock in a film they didn't pen called Down to Earth (2001), but the film was reviled by the majority of critics.

They had much more luck when they wrote and directed the critically-acclaimed About a Boy (2002), based on the novel by Nick Hornby and starring Hugh Grant. The brothers received their first Oscar nomination for their screenplay, as well as nominations from the BAFTA awards and the Writers Guild of America. The film was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, and won an award for Best Studio Comedy Feature from the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.

On television, the Weitzes wrote and executive-produced the WB sitcom Off Center (2001 to 2003) and directed the Fox comedy series Cracking Up (2004). Paul is currently preparing to direct their new screenplay, Synergy, starring Scarlett Johansson and Dennis Quaid.

Paul Weitz lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Patricia. Chris, still single, also lives in Los Angeles.

Filmography: (director)

About a Boy (2002)
Down to Earth (2001)
American Pie (1999)