Charlie Kaufman

Biography

Charles Stuart Kaufman was born on November 19, 1958, in New York City to a Jewish family, the son of Helen and Myron Kaufman. He grew up in Massapequa, New York, before moving to West Hartford, Connecticut. In high school, Kaufman was in the drama club, performing in numerous productions before landing the lead role in a production of Play It Again, Sam during his senior year. After high school graduation, Kaufman attended Boston University before transferring to New York University, where he studied film. While attending NYU, Kaufman met Paul Proch, with whom he wrote many unproduced scripts and plays. Kaufman began working in comedy writing, writing comedic articles and spoofs for National Lampoon between 1983 and 1984. He also worked on various television series, including Married... with Children, Newhart, It's Garry Shandling's Show, The Simpsons, and The Dana Carvey Show, which he co-created with his then-partner Paul Proch. In 1991, one of Kaufman's spec scripts finally got attention, and he gained a talent agent who suggested he move to Los Angeles in search of more job prospects. Kaufman's writing career took off when he was hired to write for the second season of David Mirkin's sitcom Get a Life, starring Chris Elliott. He wrote two episodes before the show's cancellation in 1992. Afterward, Kaufman continued to work on other comedic series and pilots, including those that never saw production. Kaufman first came to mainstream notice as the writer of Being John Malkovich, directed by Spike Jonze, earning an Academy Award nomination for his effort and winning a BAFTA. He went on to write the screenplays for Human Nature and Adaptation, both directed by Michel Gondry and David Mirkin, respectively. His subsequent films include Synecdoche, New York, Anomalisa, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In 2020, Kaufman made his literary debut with the release of his first novel, Antkind. One of the most celebrated screenwriters of his era, Kaufman has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Independent Spirit Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Writers Guild of America Award. Film critic Roger Ebert called Synecdoche, New York "the best movie of the decade" in 2009. Three of Kaufman's scripts appear in the Writers Guild of America's list of the 101 greatest movie screenplays ever written.