Lee Unkrich
Lee Unkrich | |
---|---|
Born | Lee Edward Unkrich August 8, 1967 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
Alma mater | University of Southern California |
Occupation(s) | Film director, editor, screenwriter, animator |
Years active | 1990–2019 |
Employer | Pixar Animation Studios (1994–2019) |
Known for | Toy Story 3 Coco |
Spouse |
Laura Century (m. 1993) |
Children | 3[1] |
Lee Edward Unkrich (born August 8, 1967) is an American director, film editor, screenwriter, and animator. He was a longtime member of the creative team at Pixar, where he started in 1994 as a film editor. He later began directing, first as co-director of Toy Story 2.
After co-directing Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo, Unkrich made his solo directorial debut with Toy Story 3 in 2010, and most recently directed Coco in 2017, both of which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
After working at the studio for twenty-five years, Unkrich left Pixar in February 2019 to spend time with his family.[2][3]
Early life and career
Unkrich was raised in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. His mother is from a Jewish family, whereas his father converted to Judaism.[4][5][6][7] He spent his youth acting at The Cleveland Play House. Unkrich graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in 1990.[8]
Unkrich was Vice-President of Editorial and Layout at Pixar.[citation needed] Before joining Pixar in 1994, Unkrich worked for several years in television as an editor and director. He is the 2011 recipient of the University of Southern California's Mary Pickford Distinguished Alumni Award recognizing alumni contributions to the cinematic arts.[citation needed]
On January 18, 2019, Unkrich announced he was leaving Pixar and the film industry to spend time with his family.[9]
Personal life
Unkrich is married to Laura Century and they have three children: Hannah, Alice, and Max.[1]
Filmography
- Prison Stories: Women on the Inside (1991) (TV) (production assistant)
- Silk Stalkings (1991) (TV Series) (assistant editor, editor, director)
- Renegade (1993) (TV series) (assistant editor)
- Betrayed by Love (1994) (TV) (assistant editor)
- Separated by Murder (1995) (TV) (editor)
- Toy Story (1995) (editor)
- A Bug's Life (1998) (editor)
- Toy Story 2 (1999) (co-director with John Lasseter and Ash Brannon, editor, additional story material)
- Monsters, Inc. (2001) (co-director with Pete Docter and David Silverman, additional editor)
- Finding Nemo (2003) (co-director with Andrew Stanton, supervising editor)
- Cars (2006) (additional editor)
- Ratatouille (2007) (additional editor)
- Toy Story 3 (2010) (director, story, additional voice) (BAFTA) (Academy Award)
- Monsters University (2013) (executive producer)
- The Good Dinosaur (2015) (executive producer)
- Coco (2017) (director with Adrian Molina, story) (BAFTA) (Academy Award)
- Toy Story 4 (2019)[10] (executive producer)
- Onward (2020) (additional editor)
References
- ^ a b c O'Connor, Clint (June 12, 2010). "'Toy Story 3': Director Lee Unkrich, from Chagrin Falls, doesn't want to break Pixar's golden streak". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ "'Toy Story 3,' 'Coco' Director Lee Unkrich Leaving Pixar After 25 Years (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Seddon, Dan (January 20, 2019). "Toy Story 3 and Coco director Lee Unkrich leaves Disney Pixar". Digital Spy.
- ^ Miller, Gerri (27 February 2018). "Lee Unkrich: 'Coco' Creator is the Frontrunner for Best Animated Feature".
- ^ "'Coco' Ready for Thanksgiving Weekend Fireworks at the Box Office". 21 November 2017.
- ^ Bloom, Nate (January 21, 2011). "Jewish Stars 1/21". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "Interfaith Celebrities: Movies, Music, and More". InterfaithFamily.
- ^ Notable Alumni Archived 2009-08-26 at the Wayback Machine, USC School of Cinematic Arts; accessed March 10, 2008.
- ^ Welk, Brian (January 18, 2019). "Lee Unkrich, Director of 'Coco' and 'Toy Story 3,' to Leave Pixar After 25 Years". The Wrap. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ Lang, Brent (October 26, 2016). "'Incredibles 2' Hitting Theaters a Year Early, 'Toy Story 4' Pushed Back to 2019". Variety. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
External links
- Lee Unkrich at IMDb
- Lee Unkrich at AllMovie
- Lee Unkrich on Twitter
- 1967 births
- Animators from Ohio
- Animation screenwriters
- Living people
- Contestants on American game shows
- USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni
- People from Chagrin Falls, Ohio
- Pixar people
- American animated film directors
- American male voice actors
- Annie Award winners
- Directors of Best Animated Feature Academy Award winners
- Jewish artists
- Jewish American artists
- Jewish American writers
- Jewish American screenwriters
- Film directors from Ohio
- Male actors from Ohio
- American film editors