Ken Kwapis

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name = Ken Kwapis
residence = Los Angeles, California
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birth_date = Birth date and age|1957|8|17|mf=y
birth_place = Belleville, Illinois
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occupation = film and television director and scriptwriter
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spouse = Marisa Silver
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Ken Kwapis (born August 17, 1957, Belleville, Illinois [cite news
first=Carla Keller
last=Anderson
url=http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/living/community/11492905.htm
title=Before they were stars...
work=Belleville News-Democrat
date=29 April 2005
accessdate=2006-03-15 ] ) is an American film and television director and scriptwriter. Kwapis studied film first at Northwestern University and then on the graduate level at USC School of Cinema-Television. [cite web
title=Notable Alumni
work=USC School of Cinema-Television
url=http://www-cntv.usc.edu/friends_alumni/alumni-notable.cfm
accessdate=2006-03-15] He helped define the single-camera sitcom in the 1990s and 2000s. [cite news
first=Todd
last=Longwell
url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001956037
title=Big 'Mac'
work=Hollywood Reporter
publisher=
date=2 February 2006
accessdate=2006-03-15 ]

Career

Kwapis won the Student Academy Award in Dramatic Achievement for his USC thesis film "For Heaven's Sake", an adaptation of Mozart's one-act comic opera "Der Schauspieldirektor" ("The Impresario").

Kwapis has moved between the worlds of feature filmmaking and television directing. He most recently directed "He's Just Not That Into You", an adaptation of Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo's non-fiction bestseller. The romantic dramedy stars Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Connolly, Jennifer Connelly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, and Justin Long. Previously, Kwapis directed the critically acclaimed drama "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", adapted from Ann Brashares' young adult novel, starring Blake Lively, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel.

Kwapis' other feature film credits include the romantic comedies "The Beautician and the Beast", starring Fran Drescher, and "He Said, She Said", starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Perkins. "He Said, She Said," was conceived and co-directed with Kwapis' wife Marisa Silver. His other films include "Dunston Checks In", "Vibes", and "".

For television, Kwapis helped launch several innovative comedies during the 1990s and 2000s. He directed the pilot of NBC's Emmy Award-winning series "The Office", and its 2006-07 season premiere and final episodes. Kwapis has earned Emmy nominations for his work on "The Office", as well as a producer-director of FOX's "Malcolm in the Middle". He also directed the pilots for the influential HBO series "The Larry Sanders Show", and the Emmy Award-winning "The Bernie Mac Show". In addition, he has directed episodes of the well-regarded comedies, "Freaks and Geeks" and "Bakersfield P.D."

"Sexual Life" marked Kwapis' first effort as a writer-director. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's play "La Ronde", "Sexual Life" premiered to positive reviews at the Los Angeles Film Festival and aired on Showtime in 2005.

Influences

Kwapis ran a film society while in college and his knowledge of film history is evident in his work. For example, "Dunston Checks In" is virtually an homage to Ernst Lubitsch [cite web
title=Interview with director Ken Kwapis
work=Truly Moving Pictures
url=http://www.trulymovingpictures.org/interview_kwapis.htm
accessdate=2006-03-15] and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" features a clip from Frank Borzage's "Three Comrades". In "Sisterhood"'s DVD commentary Kwapis remarks on Borzage's influence on his work.

Select TV work

* "The Office" (US) (2005)
* "Watching Ellie" (2002)
* "The Bernie Mac Show" (2001)
* "Grounded for Life" (2001)
* "Malcolm in the Middle" (2000)
* "Freaks and Geeks" (1999)
* "The Larry Sanders Show" (1992)

Theatrical film work

*"He's Just Not That into You", for New Line/Warners, produced by and starring Drew Barrymore. [http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_12295.html] U.S. release date is set for 6 February 2009. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001508/releaseinfo He's Just Not That Into You (2008) - Release dates] ]
* "License to Wed" (2007)
* "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (2005)
* "Sexual Life" (2005)
* "The Beautician and the Beast" (1997)
* "Dunston Checks In" (1996)
* "He Said, She Said" (1991, co-directed with Marisa Silver, whom he married soon after)
* "Vibes" (1988)
* "Sesame Street presents Follow That Bird" (1985)
* "The Beniker Gang" (1985)

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0477129|name=Ken Kwapis
*Ray Pride, "Where have the Grown-ups Gone?", "Pride Unprejudiced", 28 June 2005, http://www.moviecitynews.com/columnists/pride/2005/050628.html . An interview with Kwapis.