Barry Sonnenfeld (born April 1, 1953) is an American filmmaker and television director. He originally worked as a cinematographer for the Coen brothers before directing comedy films like The Addams Family (1991), Get Shorty (1995), the Men in Black trilogy (1997–2012), Wild Wild West (1999), and RV (2006).
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Early life
Sonnenfeld was born and raised in New York City, the son of Irene "Kelly" (Kellerman), an art teacher, and Sonny Sonnenfeld, a lighting salesman, educator, and architectural lighting designer. He was raised in a Jewish family. After he received his bachelor's degree from Hampshire College, he graduated from New York University Film School in 1978.
Career
He began working on pornographic films before starting work as director of photography on the Oscar-nominated In Our Water (1982). When he met Joel Coen at a Christmas party, Coen told Sonnenfeld about Blood Simple, a script that he had written with brother Ethan Coen, and hired him to be their cinematographer, with the resulting movie coming out in 1984. This film began his collaboration with the Coen brothers, who used him for their next two pictures, Raising Arizona (1987) and Miller's Crossing (1990). He also worked with Danny DeVito on Throw Momma from the Train (1987) and Rob Reiner on When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and Misery (1990).
Sonnenfeld gained his first work as a director from Paramount Pictures on The Addams Family, a box-office success released in November 1991. Its sequel, Addams Family Values (1993), was not as successful at the box office, but he received critical acclaim for his fourth directorial outing, Get Shorty (1995). Produced by Jersey Films and based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, the film won a Golden Globe for John Travolta (Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical). The film was also entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. Following Tim Burton and the Coen brothers, Sonnenfeld's films would tell stories about unusual and unorthodox people who are into the unexpected and the strange. His films would often use his trademark filmmaking techniques such as his unusual camera angles, offbeat dialogue and, in certain films, strange behavior and weird creatures.
In 1996, Steven Spielberg asked him to direct Men in Black (1997). Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, the film was a critical and financial success. In 1998, Jon Peters asked him to direct Wild Wild West (1999). Starring Smith and Kevin Kline, the film was a critical and financial flop. He also directed the comedy Big Trouble (2002), after which he made his most successful film sequel to that point, Men in Black II (2002). He is also a contributing editor for Esquire. He also co-produced (alongside his partner Barry Josephson) the 2007 film Enchanted for Walt Disney Pictures that starred Amy Adams. In 2008, Sonnenfeld earned an Emmy for directing Pushing Daisies. Sonnenfeld returned for Men in Black 3; released in 2012, the third installment received positive reviews and became the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide. In 2007, his Right Coast production company has been signed with Sony.
His memoir, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker, was published by Hachette Books in 2020. In 2024, his second book, Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time: True Stories from a Career in Hollywood, was published by Hachette.
Personal life
In 1999, Sonnenfeld was the sole passenger on a plane that crashed upon landing at Van Nuys Airport. He was unhurt.
As of 2022, Sonnenfeld lives in Pemberton, British Columbia, with his wife Susan.
In 2020 memoir Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker, Sonnenfeld stated that he was sexually abused by his elder cousin Mike, who was his mother's cousin and who also lived with him and his parents, starting when he was five years old. According to Sonnenfeld, his parents, who let Mike live with them to help keep their difficult marriage together, knew about the sex abuse. In the 2026 documentary The Narcissist's Playbook, Sonnenfeld would again detail the alleged sex abuse he suffered through his cousin Mike.
Filmography
Cinematographer
Documentary film
Feature film
TV series
TV movies
Director/Producer
Director
Executive producer
Out of Sight (1998)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Men in Black: International (2019)
Producer
The Crew (2000)
The Ladykillers (2004)
Enchanted (2007)
Space Chimps (2008)
Disenchanted (2022)
Producer
Karen Sisco (2004) (1 episode)
TV movies