Barry Sonnenfeld

Barry Sonnenfeld
Barry Sonnenfeld
	Sonnenfeld in October 2012
Born	April 1, 1953 (age 71); New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Hampshire College (BA); New York University (MFA)
Occupations	Film director; producer; cinematographer;
Years active	1978–present
Spouse	Susan L. Ringo (m. 1989)
Children	1

Barry Sonnenfeld (born April 1, 1953) is an American filmmaker and television director. He originally worked as a cinematographer for the Coen brothers before directing films such as The Addams Family (1991) and its sequel Addams Family Values (1993), Get Shorty (1995), the Men in Black trilogy (1997–2012), and Wild Wild West (1999).

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Sonnenfeld was born and raised in New York City, the son of Irene "Kelly" (Kellerman), an art teacher, and Sonny Sonnenfeld, a lighting salesman, educator, and architectural lighting designer.^[1]^[2]^[3] He was raised in a Jewish family.^[4] After he received his bachelor's degree from Hampshire College, he graduated from New York University Film School in 1978.

He began working on pornographic films^[5] before starting work as director of photography on the Oscar-nominated In Our Water (1982). When he met Joel Coen at a Christmas party, Coen told Sonnenfeld about Blood Simple, a script that he had written with brother Ethan Coen, and hired him to be their cinematographer, with the resulting movie coming out in 1984.^[6] This film began his collaboration with the Coen brothers, who used him for their next two pictures, Raising Arizona (1987) and Miller's Crossing (1990). He also worked with Danny DeVito on Throw Momma from the Train (1987) and Rob Reiner on When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and Misery (1990).

Sonnenfeld gained his first work as a director from Paramount Pictures on The Addams Family, a box-office success released in November 1991. Its sequel, Addams Family Values (1993), was not as successful at the box office, but he received critical acclaim for his fourth directorial outing, Get Shorty (1995). Produced by Jersey Films and based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, the film won a Golden Globe for John Travolta (Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical). The film was also entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.^[7] Following Tim Burton and the Coen brothers, Sonnenfeld's films would tell stories about unusual and unorthodox people who are into the unexpected and the strange. His films would often use his trademark filmmaking techniques such as his unusual camera angles, offbeat dialogue and, in certain films, strange behavior and weird creatures.

In 1996, Steven Spielberg asked him to direct Men in Black (1997). Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, the film was a critical and financial success. In 1998, Jon Peters asked him to direct Wild Wild West (1999). Starring Smith and Kevin Kline, the film was a critical and financial flop. He also directed the comedy Big Trouble (2002), after which he made his most successful film sequel to that point, Men in Black II (2002). He is also a contributing editor for Esquire. He also co-produced (alongside his partner Barry Josephson) the 2007 film Enchanted for Walt Disney Pictures that starred Amy Adams. In 2008, Sonnenfeld earned an Emmy for directing Pushing Daisies. Sonnenfeld returned for Men in Black 3;^[8] released in 2012, the third installment received positive reviews and became the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide. In 2007, his Right Coast production company has been signed with Sony.^[9]

His memoir, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker, was published by Hachette Books in 2020.^[6] In 2024, his second book, Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time: True Stories from a Career in Hollywood, was published by Hachette.^[10]

As of 2022, Sonnenfeld lives in Pemberton, British Columbia with his wife Susan.^[11]

In 1999, Sonnenfeld was the sole passenger on a plane that crashed upon landing at Van Nuys Airport. He was unhurt.^[12]

Film

More information Year, Film ...

Year	Film	Director	Producer	Notes
1991	The Addams Family	Yes	No
1993	For Love or Money	Yes	No
1993	Addams Family Values	Yes	No
1995	Get Shorty	Yes	Executive
1997	Men in Black	Yes	No	Nominated- Saturn Award for Best Director
1998	Out of Sight	No	Executive
1999	Wild Wild West	Yes	Yes	Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director
2000	The Crew	No	Yes
2002	Big Trouble	Yes	Yes
2002	Men in Black II	Yes	No
2004	The Ladykillers	No	Yes
2004	Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events	No	Executive
2006	RV	Yes	No
2007	Enchanted	No	Yes
2008	Space Chimps	No	Yes
2012	Men in Black 3	Yes	No
2016	Nine Lives	Yes	No
2019	Men in Black: International	No	Executive
2022	Disenchanted	No	Yes

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