Shawn Levy

Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian film director, producer, and actor. He directed the films Big Fat Liar (2002), Just Married (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), The Pink Panther (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Date Night (2010), Real Steel (2011), The Internship (2013), This Is Where I Leave You (2014), and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014).

Levy was a producer on the 2016 sci-fi film Arrival, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

Since 2016, he has been an executive producer on the Netflix original series Stranger Things. He directed two episodes of the first season and two episodes of the second.

Career
Levy was born to a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec. As a teenager, he attended St. George's High School and Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in New York. Levy graduated from Yale University in 1989 majoring in Performing Arts.

Levy has a production deal with 20th Century Fox. He produced the 2012 Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill comedy The Watch, which was directed by Akiva Schaffer. His television company, 21 Laps/Adelstein, produced the ABC hit Last Man Standing with Tim Allen and Stranger Things on Netflix.

Levy's acting debut was in Zombie Nightmare (1986), a low-budget horror film in which he portrayed the character Jim Bratten, the leader of a group of teenagers. The film is best known for being featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He appeared in the 1988 Liberace: Behind the Music, as a post-Scott Thorson acquaintance of Liberace. His television acting resume consists of a guest spot on 21 Jump Street, a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210, and a role on 30 Rock as TV producer Scottie Shofar.

Levy was initially announced as the director of the film version of Minecraft, but he has since left the project. He is the latest director attached to the film adaptation of the Uncharted video game series, following David O. Russell and Neil Burger. Joe Carnahan will be working with Levy to produce the script for the movie, set to film in 2017. Levy will also direct a film based on long-running children's series Sesame Street, which will be the show's third motion picture following Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, and its first in nearly two decades.

In December 2017, Netflix announced a 4-year contract with Levy. Due to the successful seasons of Stranger Things, he will create TV projects exclusively for the streaming entertainment company.

Personal life
Levy is married to Serena, with whom he has four children. Levy is Jewish.