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Seth Gordon

American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor


American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor

FieldValue
nameSeth Gordon
imageSeth Gordon at PaleyFest Fall TV Previews 2014.jpg
captionGordon in 2014
birth_date1976
birth_placeEvanston, Illinois, U.S.
occupationFilm director, producer, screenwriter, editor
notable_worksThe King of Kong (2007)
Horrible Bosses (2011)
Identity Thief (2013)

Horrible Bosses (2011) Identity Thief (2013) Seth Lewis Gordon is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor.

He has produced and directed for film and television, including for PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations Staff 1% for Development Fund. His films have screened at the Sundance Film Festival and Slamdance Film Festival.

He has directed the films The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007), Four Christmases (2008), Horrible Bosses (2011), Identity Thief (2013), and Baywatch (2017). He has also directed several episodes of television series like The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, Atypical, and For All Mankind.

Life and career

Born in 1976, Gordon grew up in Evanston, Illinois. He attended Yale University class of 1998, where he studied architecture until leaving in 1997 to teach high school for six months in the small village of Shimanyiro, Kenya. While there he helped secure United Nations financing to finish construction of a school, and began filming what would eventually become the documentary Building Shimanyiro. Upon returning to Yale, Gordon taught himself how to edit his footage on an Avid editing machine. Later, he helped shoot Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck's Dixie Chicks documentary Shut Up & Sing, and after working as cinematographer, editor and producer on various films, he gained prominence with his documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

Gordon directed the game company Zynga's "GagaVille" online film in 2010. He co-created and is an executive producer of the Fox television series Breaking In. He directed the 2011 comedy Horrible Bosses, but in August 2013 declined to direct the sequel, citing commitments to the television series The Goldbergs, on which he is an executive producer, and a planned remake of the film WarGames. Gordon directed the pilot of Sneaky Pete for Amazon Studios, which he also produced with Bryan Cranston and David Shore.

Gordon directed the 2017 film version of Baywatch, starring Dwayne Johnson, Priyanka Chopra and Zac Efron.

He graduated from Lakeside School (Seattle) in 1994 and the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

In 2009, Gordon developed and directed a video series focusing on the threat posed by cybercrime to Internet users, HCommerce: The Business of Hacking You*, sponsored by antivirus software company McAfee. Gordon has directed various music videos and commercials, and an episode each of Modern Family and Community, two episodes of The Office, and several episodes of Parks and Recreation. He was a director and executive producer on NBC's Marry Me. Gordon is a director and executive producer on ABC's The Goldbergs. He also serves as a director and executive producer on the Netflix series Atypical.

Filmography

Film

Director

  • Four Christmases (2008)
  • Horrible Bosses (2011)
  • Identity Thief (2013)
  • Baywatch (2017)
  • Back in Action (2025) (Also writer and producer)

Acting credits

YearTitleRole
2011Horrible BossesRalph Peterberg (voice role)
2017BaywatchHelicopter pilot

Other credits

YearTitleRole
2005Cry WolfEditor, associate producer, and second unit director
2015PixelsExecutive producer
2022The Lost CityStory writer and producer

Documentary film

YearTitleDirectorProducerWriter
2005New York Doll
2007The King of Kong
2010Freakonomics
Make Believe
2011Undefeated
2014Mitt
Print the Legend
2015Finders Keepers
Dark Web
2016Gleason
2017Bill Nye: Science Guy
Served Like a Girl
2018Wrestle
2020Zappa
2023Finding Home: Journey to MLB

Television

YearTitleDirectorExecutive
producerWriterNotes
2009CommunityEpisode "Environmental Science"
2009–2010The OfficeEpisodes "Double Date" and "The Delivery" (part 1)
Parks and RecreationEpisodes "Canvassing" and "The Stakeout"
2010Modern FamilyEpisode "Travels with Scout"
2011Breaking InAlso creator;
Directed 5 episodes
2013–2017The Goldbergs7 episodes
2014–2015Marry Me3 episodes
2015Sneaky PeteEpisode "Pilot"
The Jim Gaffigan ShowEpisode "Pilot"
2017AtypicalEpisodes "Antarctica" and "A Nice Neutral Smell"
The Good DoctorEpisodes "Burnt Food" and "She"
2019For All MankindEpisodes "Red Moon" and "He Built the Saturn V"
2020Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone CollectorEpisode "Pilot"
United We Fall
2022The Long Game: Bigger Than BasketballDirected 5 episodes
2023The Night Agent2 episodes

References

References

  1. Roston, Tom. (November 30, 2008). "In 'Four Christmases,' Seth Gordon explores a season's gratings". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  2. Fernandez, Jay A.. (November 26, 2008). "Director traveled unlikely road to "Christmases"". [[Reuters]].
  3. Seidman, Robert. (November 19, 2010). "Fox Mid-Season Schedule – 'American Idol' to Wednesdays/Thursdays; 'Fringe' to Fridays". TV by the Numbers.
  4. McNary, Dave. (August 7, 2013). "'Horrible Bosses 2' Loses Director Seth Gordon". [[Variety (magazine).
  5. [https://variety.com/2015/film/news/seth-gordon-to-direct-dwayne-johnson-in-paramounts-baywatch-movie-1201544299/ Seth Gordon to Direct Dwayne Johnson in Paramount’s ‘Baywatch’ Movie]
  6. "Seth Gordon '94: Revealing a one-off perspective". Lakeside Magazine.
  7. Swartz, Jon. (May 20, 2009). "Miniseries reveals truth about hackers". USA Today.
  8. Cieply, Michael. (2011). "Seth Gordon Filmography". [[The New York Times]].
  9. Andreeva, Nellie. (2016-10-17). "Netflix Greenlights 'Atypical' Series From 'The Goldbergs' Duo; Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keir Gilchrist & Michael Rapaport To Star". Deadline.
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