Shawn Levy Biography
American Shawn Levy originally had his heart set on acting and studied the craft at Yale University. After graduating at the age of 20, he moved to Los Angeles to make his fortune. Landing small roles on series like 21 Jump Street, thirtysomething, Beverly Hills 90210 as well as in films such as Wild Thing (1987) and Made in America (1993), Levy found his acting experience becoming less interesting, and the director's chair was beckoning.
Leaving the world of acting behind, Levy went back to school to learn the craft of directing. While enrolled in the Masters Program at USC Film School, he produced and directed the short, Broken Record (which was awarded the Golden Plaque award at the Chicago Film Festival).
Beginning his directing career on the small screen, Levy made waves early on, earning a nomination from the Director's Guild Awards for his work on the series, The Secret World of Alex Mack. Other projects landed on his doorstep, including directing episodes of The Journey of Allen Strange, Cousin Skeeter, Animorphs and First Wave. He went on to direct television pilots for So Weird, Caitlin's Way, and The Famous Jett Jackson. The latter earned him a regular gig as a director, writer, and even gave him the opportunity to guest star.
Throughout his years of television directing, Levy also worked on a number of feature films, including Just In Time (1997), and Big Fat Liar (2002). By 2003, he concentrated his efforts towards directing for the big screen, with films like Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and The Pink Panther(2005), both starring Steve Martin.
Filmography (director):
The Hardy Men (2012)
Real Steel (2011)
Date Night (2010)
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
Night at the Museum (2006)
The Pink Panther (2006)
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
Just Married (2003)
Big Fat Liar (2002)
Address Unknown (1997)
Just in Time (1997)
Filmography (actor):
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
Big Fat Liar (2002)
Made in America (1993)
The Kiss (1988)
Wild Thing (1987)
Zombie Nightmare (1986)