Roger Kumble
Encyclopedia
Roger Kumble is an American film director, screenwriter, and playwright.
in 1988, where he wrote for the "Waa Mu" show. He began his career as a playwright and director in 1993 with the Hollywood satire "Pay or Play", which garnered him the LA Weekly Theater Award
for Best Comic Writing. His second play, "1997’s d girl", starring David Schwimmer
, earned him four Dramalogue Awards. In 2003, Kumble completed his Hollywood trilogy with the critically acclaimed "Turnaround", again starring David Schwimmer, which sold out its entire run in Los Angeles.
Kumble made his feature-film-directorial debut with 1999’s Sony Pictures box-office hit, Cruel Intentions
, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar
, Ryan Phillippe
, Reese Witherspoon
and Selma Blair
; his screenplay transposed the French classic to modern New York.
He followed with the Sony Pictures comedy The Sweetest Thing
, starring Cameron Diaz
, Christina Applegate
, Jason Bateman
and Thomas Jane
, and New Line Cinema’s Just Friends, starring Ryan Reynolds
, Anna Faris
and Amy Smart
. Both Sweetest Thing and Just Friends were voted two of the top twenty underrated films of the decade by the New York Post.
Most recently, he directed Martin Lawrence
, Raven Simone and Donny Osmond
in Disney’s successful family-comedy College Road Trip. His next film, Furry Vengeance
, starring Brendan Fraser
and Brooke Shields
, was released in April 2010.
Life and career
Kumble was raised in Harrison, New York and graduated from Harrison High School. He graduated from Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1988, where he wrote for the "Waa Mu" show. He began his career as a playwright and director in 1993 with the Hollywood satire "Pay or Play", which garnered him the LA Weekly Theater Award
LA Weekly Theater Award
LA Weekly Theater Award is an annual critics' award established in 1979, given by the LA Weekly for outstanding achievements in small theatre productions in Southern California...
for Best Comic Writing. His second play, "1997’s d girl", starring David Schwimmer
David Schwimmer
David Lawrence Schwimmer is an American actor and director of television and film. He was born in New York City, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was two. He began his acting career performing in school plays at Beverly Hills High School. In 1988, he graduated from Northwestern...
, earned him four Dramalogue Awards. In 2003, Kumble completed his Hollywood trilogy with the critically acclaimed "Turnaround", again starring David Schwimmer, which sold out its entire run in Los Angeles.
Kumble made his feature-film-directorial debut with 1999’s Sony Pictures box-office hit, Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the 18th-century French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Laclos and is set among wealthy teenagers living in modern New York...
, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
, Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe
Matthew Ryan Phillippe , better known as Ryan Phillippe, is an American actor. After appearing on the soap opera One Life to Live, he came to fame in the late 1990s starring in a string of films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 54...
, Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
and Selma Blair
Selma Blair
Selma Blair is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. She has performed in feature films including Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, The Fog, Purple Violets and Hellboy II: The Golden Army...
; his screenplay transposed the French classic to modern New York.
He followed with the Sony Pictures comedy The Sweetest Thing
The Sweetest Thing
The Sweetest Thing is a 2002 American film farce directed by Roger Kumble and written by Nancy Pimental, who based the characters on herself and friend Kate Walsh...
, starring Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
, Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
, Jason Bateman
Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
and Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
, and New Line Cinema’s Just Friends, starring Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
, Anna Faris
Anna Faris
Anna Kay Faris is an American actress, singer and comedienne. She is known for her starring role in the Scary Movie film series, as well as roles in The Hot Chick , Lost in Translation , Just Friends , My Super Ex-Girlfriend , Smiley Face , and The House Bunny...
and Amy Smart
Amy Smart
Amy Lysle Smart is an American television and film actress and former fashion model.-Early life:Smart was born in Topanga, California. Her mother, Judy Lysle , worked at a museum, and her father, John Boden Smart, was a salesman...
. Both Sweetest Thing and Just Friends were voted two of the top twenty underrated films of the decade by the New York Post.
Most recently, he directed Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
, Raven Simone and Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
in Disney’s successful family-comedy College Road Trip. His next film, Furry Vengeance
Furry Vengeance
Furry Vengeance is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Roger Kumble. It stars Brendan Fraser, Matt Prokop, and Brooke Shields.-Plot:It all started when a prairie dog screams after Riggs' car passes by it and throwing a cigar, not minding about the environment...
, starring Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
and Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
, was released in April 2010.
Filmography as writer
- Unveiled (1994)
- Senior Trip (1995)
- ProvocateurProvocateur (film)Provocateur is a 1998 movie directed by Jim Donovan, written by Roger Kumble, and starring Lillo Brancato Jr. and Jane March. Original score by Mark Nakamura and Mark Shannon...
(1998) - Cruel IntentionsCruel IntentionsCruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the 18th-century French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Laclos and is set among wealthy teenagers living in modern New York...
(1999) - Cruel Intentions 2Cruel Intentions 2Cruel Intentions 2 is the 2000 American comedy-drama prequel to Cruel Intentions and was released direct-to-video. It was written and directed by Roger Kumble, who was also responsible for the first film. The film stars Robin Dunne, Sarah Thompson, Amy Adams, and Keri Lynn Pratt...
(2000)
Filmography as director
- Cruel IntentionsCruel IntentionsCruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the 18th-century French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Laclos and is set among wealthy teenagers living in modern New York...
(1999) - Cruel Intentions 2Cruel Intentions 2Cruel Intentions 2 is the 2000 American comedy-drama prequel to Cruel Intentions and was released direct-to-video. It was written and directed by Roger Kumble, who was also responsible for the first film. The film stars Robin Dunne, Sarah Thompson, Amy Adams, and Keri Lynn Pratt...
(2000) - The Sweetest ThingThe Sweetest ThingThe Sweetest Thing is a 2002 American film farce directed by Roger Kumble and written by Nancy Pimental, who based the characters on herself and friend Kate Walsh...
(2002) - Just Friends (2005)
- College Road TripCollege Road TripCollege Road Trip is a 2008 American family/comedy directed by Roger Kumble and starring Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symoné, Brenda Song, Margo Harshman, and Donny Osmond. The film centers on college-bound teen Melanie Porter , who goes on a road trip to different colleges with her father...
(2008) - Furry VengeanceFurry VengeanceFurry Vengeance is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Roger Kumble. It stars Brendan Fraser, Matt Prokop, and Brooke Shields.-Plot:It all started when a prairie dog screams after Riggs' car passes by it and throwing a cigar, not minding about the environment...
(2010)
Theater Productions
- "Pay Or Play" (1993- Hudson Theater, Los Angeles)
- "d girl" (also directed by Kumble) (1997-Century City Playhouse, Los Angeles)
- "TurnaroundTurnaroundTurnaround may refer to:* Turnaround , a type of traffic junction* Turnaround, in aviation maintenance, the process of or time needed for loading, unloading, and servicing an aircraft...
" (2003-Coast Playhouse, Los Angeles) - "Girls Talk" (2011-Lee Strasberg Theater - Los Angeles)
External links
- "Cruel Intentions", Daily Script