Nicholas Stoller (born March 19, 1976) is a British-American filmmaker. He is known mainly for directing the 2008 comedy ''

Forgetting Sarah Marshall ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Russell Brand. The film, which was written by Segel and co-produced by Judd Apatow, was released by ...

'', its 2010 spin-off/sequel, ''

Get Him to the Greek ''Get Him to the Greek'' is a 2010 American comedy film written, produced and directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. Released on June 4, 2010, the film is a spin-off sequel of Stoller's 2008 film '' Forgetting S ...

'', ''

The Five-Year Engagement ''The Five-Year Engagement'' is a 2012 romantic comedy film written, directed, and produced by Nicholas Stoller. Produced with Judd Apatow and Rodney Rothman, it is co-written by Jason Segel, who also stars in the film with Emily Blunt as a cou ...

'', '' Neighbors'' (2014), its 2016 sequel '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'', co-writing and executive producing ''

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

'' and ''

Muppets Most Wanted ''Muppets Most Wanted'' is a 2014 American musical crime comedy film and the eighth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. Directed by James Bobin and written by Bobin and Nicholas Stoller, the film is a sequel to ''The Muppets'' (2011) and sta ...

'', and writing and directing ''

Storks Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...

'' (2016).

Early life

Stoller was born in 1976 in London, England, and was raised in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Florida, U.S., with his brother, Matt Stoller, a prominent political writer. His mother, Phyllis, is a travel tour operator, and his father, Eric C. Stoller, is a bank executive. Stoller was raised

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. He attended high school at St. Paul's, a

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

boarding school. He went on to attend

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

and wrote for the comedy publication ''

The Harvard Lampoon ''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Overview The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...

'', and played for the improv comedy troupe The Immediate Gratification Players while an undergraduate.

Career

From 2000 to 2001, Stoller wrote for

Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films '' ...

's short-lived Fox television series ''

Undeclared ''Undeclared'' is an American sitcom created by Judd Apatow, which aired on Fox during the 2001–02 season. The show has developed a cult following, and in 2012, ''Entertainment Weekly'' listed it at #16 in the "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the ...

'' and later co-wrote, again with Apatow, the 2005 comedy '' Fun with Dick and Jane''. Stoller's directorial debut, the 2008 film ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'', is a romantic comedy starring

Jason Segel Jason Jordan Segel ( ; born January 18, 1980) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'', as well as for his work with director and ...

Mila Kunis Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis (born August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) at the age of 14. Since ...

Jonah Hill Jonah Hill Feldstein (born December 20, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is known for his comedic roles in films including ''Superbad (film), Superbad'' (2007), ''Knocked Up'' (2007), ''21 Jump Street (film), 21 Jump Stre ...

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...

Bill Hader William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (2018 ...

and

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...

. The film was produced by

Apatow Productions Apatow Productions (or The Apatow Company) is an American film and television production company founded by Judd Apatow in 1999. The company's first television production was the comedy series ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000) and its first film ...

and was released by Universal on April 18, 2008. In 2007, he wrote a single-camera comedy about a new teacher taking a job at the boarding school he once attended. He wrote '' Yes Man'', starring

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

; the film was produced by

Richard Zanuck Richard Darryl Zanuck (December 13, 1934 – July 13, 2012) was an American film producer. His 1989 film '' Driving Miss Daisy'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Zanuck was also instrumental in launching the career of director Steven Spi ...

and

David Heyman David Jonathan Heyman (born 26 July 1961) is a British film producer and the founder of Heyday Films. Heyman secured the rights to the ''Harry Potter'' film series in 1999 and went on to produce all eight installments of the franchise. He als ...

. Stoller next wrote and directed a new film for Universal and Apatow Productions titled ''

''. The film reteamed Stoller and Apatow with ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' co-stars Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. The film premiered on May 25, 2010, and opened in theaters on June 4, 2010. In 2008, Stoller and Segel co-wrote ''

'', the latest film incarnation to feature the characters in nearly 12 years. The film was produced by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...

and released on November 23, 2011. After the film's success, Stoller and the film's director,

James Bobin James Bobin is a British filmmaker. He worked as a director and writer on ''Da Ali G Show'' and helped create the characters of Ali G, Borat, and Brüno. With Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, he co-created '' Flight of the Conchords''. He ...

, wrote ''

'', a semi-sequel to the film. Stoller also directed ''

'' (2012), which he co-wrote with Jason Segel, who also starred. Apatow Productions produced the picture, which is about the ups and downs of a couple's five-year engagement. Stoller directed the film '' Neighbors'', its sequel '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'' and shared a screenwriting credit on ''Sex Tape''. In 2016, Stoller wrote and directed the animated comedy film ''

'' for

Warner Animation Group The Warner Animation Group (WAG) is an American animation studio serving as the computer-animated feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, th ...

. The film was released on September 23, 2016. Along with his wife Francesca Delbanco, Stoller created the

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

Friends from College ''Friends from College'' is an American comedy television series created by Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller. The series was greenlit for Netflix as an original on March 11, 2016. The first season consists of eight half-hour episodes, and ...

'', which premiered on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in July 2017. Stoller directed all eight episodes of the first season. More recently, his Stoller Global Solutions company has renewed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television.

Personal life

Stoller met Francesca Delbanco (daughter of writer

Nicholas Delbanco Nicholas Delbanco (born 1942) is an American writer. Life and career Delbanco was born in London, England, the son of German Jewish parents Barbara (née Bernstein) and Kurt Delbanco, a businessman, art dealer, and sculptor. He was educated at H ...

and granddaughter of cellist Bernard Greenhouse) at a playwriting workshop for Harvard graduates in 2001. They married in a Jewish ceremony in September 2005. They have two daughters.

Filmography

Films

Television

Appeared as himself

Other works

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stoller, Nicholas 1976 births 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century British screenwriters 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century British screenwriters American male screenwriters American male television writers American people of English-Jewish descent American television directors American television writers British Jews Comedy film directors Film directors from Florida Film directors from London Film producers from Florida Harvard College alumni Living people Screenwriters from Florida St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni The Harvard Lampoon alumni Writers from London Writers from Miami