Comedy films touching on serious subjects (Media spin and the dangers of cigarettes in Thank You for Smoking (2005), teen pregnancy in Juno (2007), economic downturn in Up in the Air (2009)).
Fact
His ancestry is Czech Jewish (father) and French-Canadian (mother).
Jason Reitman is a Canadian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films Thank You for Smoking (2005), Juno (2007), Up in the Air (2009), and Young Adult (2011).
Reitman was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the son of Geneviève Robert, an actress sometimes billed as Geneviève Deloir, and director Ivan Reitman. He has French Canadian, Austrian Jewish, and Romanian Jewish ancestry. His parents were Jewish immigrants (his mother from Romania, his father from Austria). When he was still a child, his family moved to Los Angeles, California. His father directed the 1984 comedy film Ghostbusters, which starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Sigourney Weaver.
Reitman attended Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles and then Stanford University, where he majored in English and Creative Writing. After graduating from Stanford, he worked for his father as a production assistant on the films Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Ghost Busters II (1989). He also worked as a DJ at KZSC-FM, a college radio station in Santa Cruz, California.
In 1996, Reitman co-wrote and directed the short film Operation: Endgame. The film starred his sister Catherine and their friend David Koechner. It was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 1999, Reitman directed the black comedy film Thank You for Smoking, which starred Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Adam Brody, Sam Elliott, Katie Holmes, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, J.K. Simmons, and Robert Duvall. The film was a critical and commercial success.
You’ve all waited so patiently. I can’t wait for you to see what we’re dropping tomorrow!
In 2007, Reitman directed the comedy-drama film Juno, which starred Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, and J.K. Simmons. The film was a critical and commercial success. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for four other Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
In 2009, Reitman directed the drama film Up in the Air, which starred George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, and Amy Morton. The film was a critical and commercial success. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
In 2011, Reitman directed the black comedy film Young Adult, which starred Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, and Jill Eikenberry. The film was a critical and commercial success.
Reitman’s net worth is estimated to be $40 million. He has been married to Michele Lee since 1997. They have two daughters: Caroline and Audrey.
General Info
Full Name
Jason Reitman
Net Worth
$8 million
Date Of Birth
October 19, 1977
Height
1.8 m
Profession
Screenwriter, Film producer, Film director, Actor, Businessperson, Television Director
Education
Harvard-Westlake School, University of Southern California
Family
Spouse
Michele Lee
Parents
Ivan Reitman, Geneviève Robert
Siblings
Catherine Reitman, Caroline Reitman
Accomplishments
Awards
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay, Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Critics' Choice Movie Award for B...
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Picture, Academy Award for Best Director, Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture, BAFTA Award for Best Film, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Director, Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, Critics Cho...
Movies
Juno, Up in the Air, Young Adult, Men, Women & Children, Labor Day, Thank You for Smoking, Jennifer's Body, Ghostbusters II, Kindergarten Cop, Twins, Dave, Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Fathers' Day, Tully, Sex and the City 2, Secretariat, What Doesn't Kill You, Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wri...
Comedy films touching on serious subjects (Media spin and the dangers of cigarettes in Thank You for Smoking (2005), teen pregnancy in Juno (2007), economic downturn in Up in the Air (2009)).
Quotes
#
Quote
1
I like to tell original stories, and the most simplistic argument would be that if you want to tell original stories, tell stories about women.
2
I always refer to a piece of advice my father gave me the night before I started shooting 'Thank You for Smoking'. He said, 'Always remember: it's not your job to be funny. Your barometer for comedy is nowhere as good as your barometer for truth.
3
I don't want to make films that give you the answer. If there is a message to my films - and I hope there isn't - it's to be open-minded.
4
Do you know how many times I get asked if I want to do Ghostbusters 3? Looking at my career so far, I mean if you just looked at my two films, I would make the most boring Ghostbusters movie. It would just be people talking about ghosts, there wouldn't be any ghost-busting in it.
5
Being the son of a filmmaker, you are aware of a career as a director. You don't think of it as just movies, but as a life. I couldn't help but wonder how my life was going to go ... One film does not make a career.
Facts
#
Fact
1
His ancestry is Czech Jewish (father) and French-Canadian (mother).
Graduate of the University of Southern California, where he was an English major.
7
Graduated from Harvard-Westlake School (North Hollywood, CA) in 1995
8
In the opening-title sequence of Thank You for Smoking (2005), which used the graphic motif of traditional cigarette cartons, Jason's credit is accompanied by the text "Est'd 1977." This is his year of birth.