Mike Mitchell Biography
Originally from Oklahoma, Mike Mitchell moved to Los Angeles after high school to study at the California Institute of the Arts. Since graduating, he has worked for companies such as Disney, DreamWorks, MTV/Nickelodeon, Universal and Sony. His 1993 animated short, Frannie's Christmas, was well received and led to him directing other projects such as the TV series The Itsy Bitsy Spider, featuring TV personalities such as Charlotte Rae and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
His next short, Herd (1999), won awards from several international film festivals, including Best Short Film at the Birmingham Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. This success garnered him more attention in Hollywood, where he signed on to helm his first major motion picture, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), starring Rob Schneider. Made on an $18 million budget, the film grossed over $65.5 million at the domestic box office alone, eventually spawning a sequel (with another director).
Mitchell next directed Ben Affleck in Surviving Christmas (2004), and although it wasn't a big hit, it made a respectable amount of money at the box office. He then took on the family adventure Sky High (2005) starring Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston as the superhero parents of a teenager who has yet to discover his superpowers.
Upcoming projects for Mitchell include The Fraud Prince and H.R. Pufnstuf.
Filmography:
Sky High (2005)
Surviving Christmas (2004)
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)