Mike Binder Biography

Date of Birth: 1958

Mike Binder began his career doing stand-up comedy in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. This eventually led to his own HBO One Night Stand special, as well as spots on HBO's Detroit Comedy Jam and The Eleventh Anniversary of the Comedy Store special with Robin Williams, Richard Pryor and Jim Carrey.

Using the perspective he gained as a comedian, Binder wrote his first screenplay, Coupe De Ville (1990). The story caught the attention of Joe Roth, who went on to direct the film. Soon after, Binder made his directorial debut with another of his scripts, Crossing the Bridge (1992), followed by Indian Summer (1993), which he also wrote and directed. In 1994, Binder directed and acted in Blankman, written by and starring Damon Wayans.

He produced, wrote, directed and starred in the critically-acclaimed HBO series The Mind of the Married Man (2001), which was both thought provoking and funny. He also wrote, directed and starred in The Sex Monster (1999), The Search for John Gissing (2001) and Londinium (2001). Binder received both the Best Feature and Best Actor awards at the 1999 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen for The Sex Monster. The Search for John Gissing, also starring Alan Rickman and Janeane Garofalo, won the Critics Award at the 2002 Sarasota Film Festival.

In addition, Binder co-starred in The Contender (2000) with Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and Gary Oldman, as well as Minority Report (2002) opposite Tom Cruise. The Contender went on to win the Alan J. Pakula Award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association for artistic excellence by illuminating issues of great social and political importance.

Returning to his hyphenated role, Binder wrote, directed and starred in The Upside of Anger (2005) with Joan Allen, Kevin Costner and Keri Russell, followed by Man About Town (2005), starring Ben Affleck.

Binder is married and has two children. His older brother Jack has produced many of his films. Off the set, Binder has dedicated a lot of time to helping the homeless. In 2002, he received the Tribute Award from The Clare Foundation, a Santa Monica-based service provider that specializes in helping homeless people suffering from alcoholism and drug abuse.

Filmography (director):

Reign Over Me (2007)
Man About Town (2006)
The Upside of Anger (2005)
The Search for John Gissing (2001)
Londinium (2001)
The Sex Monster (1999)
Blankman (1994)
Indian Summer (1993)
Crossing the Bridge (1992)

Filmography (actor):

Reign Over Me (2007)
Man About Town (2006)
The Upside of Anger (2005)
Minority Report (2002)
The Search for John Gissing (2001)
Londinium (2001)
The Contender (2000)
The Sex Monster (1999)
4 Second Delay (1998)
Blankman (1994)
Crossing the Bridge (1992)
The Hollywood Knights (1980)