Robert D. Siegel is an American screenwriter and film director. He is most known for his work on '' The Wrestler'' and ''

The Founder ''The Founder'' is a 2016 American Biographical film, biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel (filmmaker), Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film depicts the story of h ...

''. ''The Wrestler'' won the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion () is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguished prizes. In 1970, a ...

at the 2008

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

and earned several Best Picture nominations. '' Big Fan'' premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in 2009. It was revealed in an online interview that Siegel attempted to write drafts for a comedy film but it ended up being a drama because of the conflicts in the film as well as avoiding

Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His acting roles include Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–2023) as adult ...

being typecast as a comedic character. ''Big Fan'' was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award, which honors features made for under $500K, at the

Independent Spirit Awards 2010 The 26th Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best independent films of 2010, were presented on February 26, 2011. The nominations were announced on November 30, 2010. The ceremony was hosted by Joel McHale. Winners and nominees Film ...

. Siegel is a graduate of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

who later became senior editor of ''

The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is currently based in Chicago, but originated as a weekly print publication ...

'' from 1996 to 1999, and editor-in-chief from 1999 to 2003. He is married to

voice actress Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

Jen Cohn and has a son with her.

Filmography

Film Television Cameo Roles

References

External links

* 1971 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American male screenwriters American comedy writers The Onion people University of Michigan alumni People from Long Island Jewish American screenwriters American comedy film directors 21st-century American Jews {{US-screen-writer-1970s-stub