Bradley Mitchell Silberling (born September 8, 1963) is an American

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

whose credits include the feature films '' Casper'' (1995), '' City of Angels'' (1998), '' Moonlight Mile'' (2002), '' Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' (2004) and '' Land of the Lost'' (2009).

Early life and education

Silberling was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Joyce Anne (Tucker), a travel consultant, and Robert Murray Silberling, who was Vice President of CBS Entertainment Productions. His father was born

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, whereas his mother

converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( or ) is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. "Thus, by convertin ...

. Silberling attended

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in Williamstown, MA and received a BA in English from UC Santa Barbara. He later studied film directing at the UCLA Film School.

Career

Silberling began his entertainment industry career before completing his studies. In 1986, he became a Production Assistant for a children's program. He then began to direct television and film. Silberling's 2002 film, '' Moonlight Mile'', is loosely based on his bereavement following the murder of his girlfriend, actress

Rebecca Schaeffer Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer (November 6, 1967 – July 18, 1989) was an American actress and model. She began her career as a teen model before moving on to acting. In 1986, she landed the role of Patricia "Patti" Russell in the CBS comedy '' My Si ...

, in 1989. In 2006, Silberling's movie '' 10 Items or Less'' was the first movie made legally available for download during its theatrical run. This became possible through ClickStar and Silberling's close relationship with its owners Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary. On March 1, 1999, he started out his own production company Reveal Entertainment, with a first-look development deal at DreamWorks. The first project under Reveal was an attempt to purchase the script ''The Mystery Dance'', for himself to direct in mind, but the idea was later scrapped. Silberling was approached by Warner Bros. as one of the candidates to direct ''

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the first novel in the '' Harry Potter'' series and was Rowling's debut novel. It follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who dis ...

'' in 1998. Although he began to enthusiastically plan the film in his mind and was ready to sign on to direct it, Chris Columbus was ultimately chosen as the director. On October 22, 2014, his Reveal Entertainment company signed a deal with CBS Television Studios. He was currently signed with ICM Partners.

Personal life

Silberling previously dated

, whom he met at UCLA film school, until she was murdered in 1989. In 1995, he married actress

Amy Brenneman Amy Frederica Brenneman (born June 22, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She worked extensively in television, coming to prominence as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994). Brenneman ...

, whom he met on the set of ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'' and with whom he has two children, Charlotte and Bodhi, in Pasadena. In 2000, the couple purchased a home in Chilmark, Massachusetts prior to moving to West Tisbury, Massachusetts in 2011.

Filmography

Films Television

References

External links

*
New York Times biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silberling, Brad American television directors University of California, Santa Barbara alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni UCLA Film School alumni 1963 births Living people People from Chilmark, Massachusetts People from West Tisbury, Massachusetts Film directors from Massachusetts Film directors from Washington, D.C. American fantasy film directors 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews Jewish American screenwriters