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Spike Jonze
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A notoriously shy prankster with a
penchant for skateboarding and tall tales, Spike Jonze might not have
been the most obvious candidate for "most promising director"
or "best first feature" status. With the release of Being John
Malkovich in the fall of 1999, however, those were exactly the kinds of
superlatives being lauded upon the impetuous wunderkind.
Purpotedly an heir to the Spiegel catalog empire, Jonze was born Adam Spiegel in 1969 in St. Louis, Missouri. Nicknamed "Spike" at a young age -- he was fond of buzz haircuts -- he would adopt the "Jonze" later in life as an homage to the comic bandleader of the 1940s. After his parents divorced, Jonze spent most of his formative years with his mother in Maryland, where he cultivated interests in skateboarding, freestyle biking, and photography. He opted out of college to take a position at one of his favorite magazines, Freestyle, and before long, he was creating his own monthly, Dirt. The nationally-distributed publication promptly failed, and Jonze returned to his bread and butter: shooting photo spreads and videos of skaters.
It was Jonze's skateboarding photography which brought the attention of
the rock group Sonic Youth, who enlisted him to contribute skate footage
to their "100%" video in 1992. From there, video offers streamed
in, and Jonze's distinctive clips for bands such as The Breeders, R.E.M.,
and Weezer quickly made him one of the most sought-after video directors
in the business. Even within the confines of a three-minute spot, Jonze
would find ways to subtly reference pop culture: his "Sabotage"
video for the Beastie Boys aped the look and feel of 1970s cop shows;
in The Breeders' "Cannonball", he gave a nod to the 1956 childrens'
classic The Red Balloon; and Jonze transformed Bjork's "It's Oh So
Quiet" into an elaborate musical fantasy number inspired by Jacques
Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
It didn't take long for the movie industry to take notice, and in 1995,
Jonze was offered the chance to direct the film adaptation of Harold and
the Purple Crayon, with a script by The Player scribe Michael Tolkin.
After much pre-production work, however, the project went into developmental
limbo, and Jonze continued to work on videos and advertisements while
he searched for the perfect debut material. It arrived in 1997 in the
form of Being John Malkovich, Charlie Kaufman's dark, surreal comedy about
the havok wreaked when a disaffected puppeteer discovers a portal into
the mind of the titular actor. Instead of playing up the script's more
fantastical elements, Jonze chose to approach the film with an almost
deadpan realism, exhibiting his skills with cinéma vérité
as well as a particularly uncanny knack for re-creating industrial training
films. In 1999, The National Society of Film Critics named Malkovich best
picture of the year, and its director was rewarded with best debut feature
awards from both the New York Film Critics Association and the Independent
Spirit Foundation. Though Jonze would be nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Director, the film was shut out of the Best Picture category.
Malkovich wasn't the only film for which Jonze was receiving praise in
the fall of 1999. After a handful of bit parts in films such as The Game
and Mi Vida Loca, he was cast as a dim but well-meaning soldier in director
David O. Russell's Gulf War saga Three Kings. Critics noted Jonze's ability
to bring depth and warmth to the somewhat stereotypical role of the impudent
loose cannon from the backwoods, Private Conrad Vig. 1999 was also the
year that Jonze married into one of the most venerable filmmaking clans
in America, as he exchanged vows with longtime girlfriend and fellow director
Sofia Coppola. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Jackass: The Movie (2002) .... Himself
... aka Jackass (2002) (USA)
Making of 'Jackass: The Movie' (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Keep Your Eyes Open (2002) .... Officer Jonze
"Jackass" (2000) TV Series (uncredited) .... 90 year old man
No 2 (2001)
MTV Video Music Awards 2001 (2001) (TV) .... Himself
2000 MTV Movie Awards (2000) (TV) .... Himself
Three Kings (1999) .... Pfc. Conrad Vig
Being John Malkovich (1999) (uncredited) .... Derek Mantini's Assistant
for Emily Dickinson Puppet
Game, The (1997) .... Airbag EMT Beltran
Mi vida loca (1993) .... Teenage Drug Customer
... aka My Crazy Life (1993
Spike Jonze - Ultimate resources for pictures, wallpapers and biography
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