Judd Mann Apatow (born December 6, 1966) is an American comedian, director, producer and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks, Leslie Mann (his wife since 1997), and Kat Dennings; Knocked Up (2007), with Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Rudd, Mann, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, and Martin Starr; Funny People (2009), with Adam Sandler, Rogen, Mann, Hill Eric Bana, Aubrey Plaza, and Jason Schwartzman; This Is 40 (2012), with Rudd, Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, and Albert Brooks;Trainwreck (2015), with Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, John Cena, Vanessa Bayer, Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, LeBron James, Mike Birbiglia, and Norman Lloyd; The King of Staten Island (2020), with Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow (his daughter), and Steve Buscemi; and The Bubble (2022), with Karen Gillan, Iris Apatow (his daughter), Fred Armisen, Maria Bakalova, David Duchovny, Keegan-Michael Key, Mann, Kate McKinnon, Pedro Pascal, Guz Khan, Peter Serafinowicz, and Harry Trevaldwyn.
Additionally through Apatow Productions, he produced and developed the television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), Undeclared (2001–2002), Funny or Die Presents (2010–2011), Girls (2012–2017), Love (2016–2018), and Crashing (2017–2019). He also co-wrote the movies Heavyweights (1995), with Tom McGowan, Aaron Schwartz, Shaun Weiss, Tom Hodges, Leah Lail, Paul Feig, Kenan Thompson, David Bowe, Max Goldblatt, Robert Zalkind, Patrick LaBrecque, Jeffrey Tambor, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, and Ben Stiller; Celtic Pride (1996), with Damon Wayans, Daniel Stern, Dan Aykroyd, Gail O’Grady, Christopher McDonald; Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), with Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni, Alec Baldwin, Richard Jenkins, Angie Harmon, John Michael Higgins, Richard Burgi, Carlos Jacott, Gloria Garayua, Stephnie Weir, and James Whitmore; and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008), with Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, and Rob Schneider.
Apatow also produced The Cable Guy (1996), with Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Mann, Jack Black, George Segal, Diane Baker, Eric Roberts, Owen Wilson, Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, Andy Dick, Ben Stiller (who also directed), and Bob Odenkirk; Adam McKay’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), with Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Rudd, Carell, David Koechner, and Fred Willard; Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), with John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Lynch, and Amy Adams; Greg Mottola’s Superbad (2007), with Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rogen, Hader, and Emma Stone; David Gordon Green’s Pineapple Express (2008), with Rogen, James Franco, Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Kevin Corrigan, Ed Begley Jr., and Nora Dunn; Nicholas Stoller’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), with Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand; Get Him to the Greek (2010), with Hill, Brand, Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Colm Meaney; Bridesmaids (2011), with Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph. Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Chris O’Dowd, Rebel Wilson, Matt Lucas, Michael Hitchcock, Jon Hamm, Franklyn Ajaye, and Jill Clayburgh; The Five-Year Engagement (2012), with Segel, Emily Blunt, Rhys Ifans, Chris Pratt, and Alison Brie; John Carney’s Begin Again (2013), with Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, James Corden, Yasiin Bey, CeeLo Green, and Keener; Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), with much of the returning cast plus Harrison Ford, Wiig, James Marsden, Meagan Good, and Dylan Baker; Michael Showalter’s The Big Sick (2017), with Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar, and Anupam Kher; Jesse Peretz’s Juliet, Naked (2018), with Byrne, Ethan Hawke, O’Dowd, Denise Gough, and Phil Davis.
Throughout his career, Apatow has received nominations for 11 Primetime Emmy Awards (two wins), five Writers Guild of America Awards (one win), two Producers Guild of America Awards, one Golden Globe Award, and one Grammy Award.
Each review will be linked to the title below.
(*seen originally in theaters)
(**seen rereleased in theaters)
- Crossing the Bridge (1992) – directed by Mike Binder – associate producer
- Heavyweights (1995) – directed by Steven Brill – co-writer, executive producer
- Celtic Pride (1996) – directed by Tom DeCerchio – co-writer, executive producer
- The Cable Guy (1996)* – directed by Ben Stiller – producer
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) – directed by Adam McKay – producer
- Kicking & Screaming (2005) – directed by Jesse Dylan – executive producer
- The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)* – director, co-writer, producer
- The TV Set (2006) – directed by Jake Kasdan – executive producer
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) – directed by Adam McKay – producer
- Knocked Up (2007)* – director, writer, producer
- Superbad (2007)* – directed by Greg Mottola – producer
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) – directed by Jake Kasdan – co-writer, producer
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)* – directed by Nicholas Stoller – producer
- Drillbit Taylor (2008)* – directed by Steven Brill – producer
- Step Brothers (2008) – directed by Adam McKay – producer
- You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008) – directed by Dennis Dugan – co-writer
- Pineapple Express (2008)* – directed by David Gordon Green – co-story, producer
- Year One (2009)* – directed by Harold Ramis – producer
- Funny People (2009)* – director, writer, producer
- Get Him to the Greek (2010)* – directed by Nicholas Stoller – producer
- Bridesmaids (2011)* – directed by Paul Feig – producer
- Wanderlust (2012) – directed by David Wain – producer
- The Five-Year Engagement (2012) – directed by Nicholas Stoller – producer
- Begin Again (2013) – directed by John Carney – producer
- Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)* – directed by Adam McKay – producer
- Trainwreck (2015) – director, producer
- Pee-wee’s Big Holiday (2016) – directed by John Lee – producer
- Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) – directed by Akiva Schaffer & Jorma Taccone – producer
- The Big Sick (2017) – directed by Michael Showalter – producer
- May it Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers (2017) – co-directed with Michael Bonfiglio – also producer – documentary
- Juliet, Naked (2018) – directed by Jesse Peretz – producer
- The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (2018) – director, producer – TV documentary
- Loudon Wainwright III: Surviving Twin (2018) – directed by Christopher Guest – executive producer – documentary
- Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh (2019) – directed by Michael Bonfiglio – executive producer – TV movie
- Voices of Parkland (2020) – directed by Jeff Vespa – executive producer – documentary
- The King of Staten Island (2020) – director, co-writer, producer
- The Bubble (2022) – director, co-writer, producer
- George Carlin’s American Dream (2022) – co-directed with Michael Bonfiglio – also executive producer – TV documentary
- Bros (2022) – directed by Nicholas Stoller – producer
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