Ben Younger (born October 7, 1972) is an American screenwriter and film director. ==
| Ben Younger | |
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Born |
October 7, 1972 (age 39) Brooklyn, New York, United States |
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Occupation |
Screenwriter, director |
Biography==
Early life and career[]
Younger was born in Brooklyn, and raised in a Modern Orthodox Jewish household in Eltingville, Staten Island. He attended a yeshiva, before entering Queens College,part of the City University of New York, where he studied political science.While at university, he started performing stand-up comeby. After leaving university, he set his sights on a career in politics, taking on a role as a policy analyst for the New York City comptroller's office, where he served as a legislative aide to Alan Hevesi. After that, he successfully managed the State Assembly campaign for Queens Democrat Melinda Katz, becoming, at 21, the city's youngest ever campaign manager.
Despite his success, Younger became disenchanted with politics, and by 1995 started to seek a creative outlet that would rekindle the excitement he felt as a stand-up comedian. He wrote and directed two short films, Maestro and L & M, as well as working on a number of feature films as a grip and directing music videos and commercials.
Boiler Room[]
In 1995, he attended an interview for a job in a brokerage firm, and immediately conceived the idea that went on to become his first film, Boiler Room. He spent two years researching the underground telemarketing brokerage industry as background for his screenplay. Boiler Room was released in 2000. A corporate drama in the mold of Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross, with colorful dialogue that some critics compared to David Mamet, the film exposed the shady world of "chop shops" (underground brokerage firms), and starred Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nicky Katt, Jamie Kennedy, and Ben Affleck.
Prime[]
Younger's second film, Prime (2005), is a romantic comedy about the relationship between a young Jewish man and an older gentile woman. The film stars Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep. The movie was prominently featured in the HBO show Unscripted because Bryan Greenberg, star of Unscripted was also the male lead in Prime. Younger appeared as himself in the episodes where the movie was featured.
Other projects[]
In addition to his film projects, Younger has been published in The New Yorker, and has sold television pilots to ABC and FOX.
Younger is a keen motorcycle racing enthusiast, and has expressed a desire to make a film about road racing.
Filmography[]
Director[]
- Boiler Room (2000)
- The Hit Man and the Investigator (2001)
- The Car Thief and the Hit Man (2001)
- Toothpaste (2004)
- Prime (2005)
- Army Wives (1 episode, 2007)
Producer[]
- Maestro (1998)
Writer[]
- Boiler Room (2000)
- Prime (2005)
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Deauville American Film Festival | Nominated | Grand Special Prize | Boiler Room |
| Won | Jury Special Prize | Boiler Room (Tied with Memento) | ||
| 2001 | Independent Spirit Award | Nominated | Best First Screenplay | Boiler Room |
| Best First Feature | Boiler Room (Shared with Jennifer and Suzanne Todd) |
References[]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Levy, Ariel (2000-01-17). "Bard of the Boiler Room". Nymag.com. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ a b c d "Ben Younger - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ a b "The Prime of Ben Younger". Emanuellevy.com. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ a b c "Ben Younger - Biography - Yahoo!7 Movies". Au.movies.yahoo.com. 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ Murray, Noel (2000-02-28). "The Boiler Room". filmvault.com.
- ^ Wrathall, John. "Boiler Room". bfi.org.uk.
- ^ "Interviews > Ben Younger". Suicidegirls.com. 2006-03-08. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ Soup :: Ben Younger: But, What I Really Want To Do Is Direct (A Motorcycle Racing Movie)