Jay Roach Biography
Born: June 14, 1957
Date of Birth: June 14, 1957
Born in New Mexico, Jay Roach graduated from Stanford University and received his master's degree in film production from the University of Southern California. While at USC, his short subject film Asleep at the Wheel was nominated for a Student Academy Award.
His first professional experience was as a cinematographer for the film Odyssey in 1986. Roach later moved to television, where he co-produced and was a second unit director on the television movie Lifepod (1993), a sci-fi adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat. That the same year, he also co-produced a television series called Space Rangers and in 1994 he wrote, and was the associate producer of the film Blown Away, starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones.
It wasn't until 1997 that he got his first chance to direct a feature-length film. The highly successful Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, starring Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley. Working under a tight budget of only 17 million, Roach and Myers were stunned by the popularity of the film, and followed it up with a sequel two years later. Although the sequel, Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me, was up against the much anticipated Star Wars prequel, it held its own, taking in over $54 million in its first weekend and coming in number one at the box office.
Jay's next project was not as successful. Mystery, Alaska (1999) starring Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria and Burt Reynolds had a dismal opening and faded from theatres with little notice from audiences.
In 2000, Jay directed yet another comedy, Meet the Parents (2000). Starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, the film tells the tale of a man trying to get along with his future father-in-law. The film was a huge success and spawned a sequel, Meet the Fockers (2004).
For his work on the TV movie drama Recount (2008), Jay won two Emmys and a 2009 Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. Having a certain knack for comedies, he returned to the genre with the 2010 film Dinner for Schmucks (2010) starring Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell and again in 2012 with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in The Campaign.
He then changed genres by turning to biographical drama. He first directed Trumbo (2015), starring Bryan Cranston in the title role, before bringing Bombshell (2019) to the big screen, starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie.
Jay lives in Los Angeles with his wife Susanna Hoffs, who is an actress and the ex-lead singer of the 80's band The Bangles. They have two children.
Filmography:
Dinner for Schmucks (2010)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
Meet the Parents (2000)
Mystery, Alaska (1999)
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)