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United States Barry Sonnenfeld has transitioned from acclaimed cinematographer for the Coen Brothers to a successful director of major Hollywood films and television series.
Acura partnered with director Barry Sonnenfeld and comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create a new series of comedic commercials for 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'.
Barry Sonnenfeld was born on April 1, 1953, in New York City. He pursued his education at Hampshire College and later graduated from New York University Film School in 1978. Sonnenfeld began his career in the film industry as a director of photography, working on the Oscar-nominated documentary “In Our Water” (1982). A significant turning point in his career came when he collaborated with Joel and Ethan Coen, serving as the cinematographer for their debut film, “Blood Simple” (1984). This partnership continued with “Raising Arizona” (1987) and “Miller’s Crossing” (1990). He also worked on notable films such as Danny DeVito’s “Throw Momma from the Train” (1987) and Rob Reiner’s “When Harry Met Sally…” (1989) and “Misery” (1990).
Sonnenfeld made his directorial debut with “The Addams Family” (1991), which was a box-office success, followed by its sequel “Addams Family Values” (1993). He received critical acclaim for his fourth directorial effort, “Get Shorty” (1995), a film produced by Jersey Films and based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, which earned a Golden Globe for best male performance. In 1996, Steven Spielberg hired him to direct “Men in Black” (1997), starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. This film was a critical and commercial success. Subsequent directorial projects included “Wild Wild West” (1999) and “Big Trouble” (2002), followed by the successful sequel “Men in Black II” (2002).
His career also includes extensive television work, directing episodes for series such as “Pushing Daisies” (earning him a Primetime Emmy in 2008 for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series), “Notes from the Underbelly,” “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” and “Schmigadoon!”. Sonnenfeld continued directing feature films, including “RV” (2006) and “Men in Black 3” (2012), with the latter becoming the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide. He has also been involved in producing films like “Enchanted” (2007) and “Disenchanted” (2022). He is a contributing editor for Esquire and has authored two memoirs, “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker” (2020) and “Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time: True Stories from a Career in Hollywood” (2024).
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