Raja Gosnell Biography

RAJA GOSNELL

Date of Birth: December 9, 1958

Born in Los Angeles, Gosnell started his career as an assistant editor for famed director Robert Altman, working on such features such as Popeye. After working with Academy Award winning editor William Reynolds, Gosnell went off on his own earning his first solo credit in editing for the film The Silence.

Over the next decade and a half, Gosnell continued to work as a film editor for numerous hits including Teen Wolf Too (1987), Pretty Woman (1990) and Rookie of the Year (1993). He subsequently became associated with filmmaker Chris Columbus, working as his editor on each of Columbus' directing efforts, including Adventures In Babysitting (1987), Heartbreak Hotel (1988), Home Alone (1990), Only The Lonely (1991), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Nine Months (1995).

By the mid '90s, Gosnell had acquired an appetite for directing and began looking around for a project that he might be able to helm. After discovering Home Alone 3 was on the lookout for a director, he had his agent get in touch with producer John Hughes. Gonsnell, who had worked on the previous Home Alone films and had worked in the past on a number of Hughes films, landed the job.

Although Home Alone 3 was not as popular as its predecessors, Gosnell wasn't daunted. He had impressed the studio enough for them to give him more projects, and Gosnell didn't disappoint. He's had many box office hits since then, including Never Been Kissed (1999), Big Momma's House (2000) Scooby-Doo (2002) and Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008). Some of his recent projects include the animated feature The Smurfs (2011)and The Smurfs 2 (2013).