Harald Zwart (born 1 July 1965) is a Dutch- Norwegian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

Life and career

Although born in the Netherlands, Zwart was raised in Fredrikstad, Norway. By age eight, he had started making short films. He attended the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam where he received great acclaim for his student film ''Gabriel's Surprise''. The film was later televised. In addition to several award-winning

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

s and commercials, he directed the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

s ''

Agent Cody Banks ''Agent Cody Banks'' is a 2003 American spy action comedy film directed by Harald Zwart. The film follows the adventures of the 15-year-old title character, played by Frankie Muniz, who has to finish his chores, avoid getting grounded, and sa ...

'', ''

One Night at McCool's ''One Night at McCool's'' is a 2001 American neo-noir black comedy film written by Stan Seidel, directed by Harald Zwart, and starring Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, Paul Reiser, John Goodman, Michael Douglas, Andrew Silverstein and Reba McEntire. P ...

'', ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

'' and '' Lange Flate Ballær 2''. He is also the co-director and producer of the first ''Long Flat Balls'', a Norwegian film about soccer fans from the city of Fredrikstad, Norway. This movie, often described as "The Full Monty" with more laughs, became a huge hit in Norway. His highest-grossing film to date is ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...

''. He also directed music videos for the Norwegian band

a-ha A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ro ...

, for the songs "

Velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

" and "

Forever Not Yours "Forever Not Yours" is the first single from the A-ha album '' Lifelines''. It was sent to radio stations in parts of Europe on 22 February 2002 (15 April in Belgium) and was released commercially on 2 April. The cover of the commercial release ...

". He also directed the music video for

vocalist Morten Harket's solo release song "Brother". He is attached to direct

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by So ...

's live-action/CG feature film based on the video game series ''

RollerCoaster Tycoon ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' is a series of simulation video games about building and managing an amusement park. Each game in the series challenges players with open-ended amusement park management and development, and allowing players to construc ...

'', and as a director to Universal Pictures' ''

Bakugan is a Japanese anime adventure television series produced by TMS Entertainment, Dentsu Inc., and Nelvana Limited under the direction of Mitsuo Hashimoto. The story centers on the lives of creatures called Bakugan and the "battle brawlers" ...

'', a feature film based on the strategic game and anime series '' Bakugan Battle Brawlers''.

Filmography

*''

'' (1998) *''

'' (2001) *''

'' (2003) *''Lange flate ballær'' (2006) *'' Lange flate ballær 2'' (2008) *'' The Pink Panther 2'' (2009) *'' Dead Snow'' (2009, producer) *''

'' (2010) *'' The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'' (2013) *'' The 12th Man'' (2017) *''Oljefondet'' (''The Oil Fund'') (2018, 9-episode TV series) *'' Lange flate ballær 3'' (2022)

Music videos

A-ha A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ro ...

: '' Velvet (Savoy song)'' (2000) *

: ''

'' (2002) * Morten Harket ''

Brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-famili ...

'' (2014)

References

External links

* 1965 births Living people Dutch film directors Norwegian film directors People from Fredrikstad Dutch people of Norwegian descent {{Norway-film-director-stub