Seth Gordon

{{Short description|American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Seth Gordon

| image = Seth Gordon at PaleyFest Fall TV Previews 2014.jpg

| caption = Gordon in 2014

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Evanston, Illinois, U.S.

| occupation = Film director, producer, screenwriter, editor

| spouse =

| yearsactive =

| website =

| notable_works = The King of Kong (2007)
Horrible Bosses (2011)
Identity Thief (2013)

}}

Seth Lewis Gordon is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor.

He has produced and directed for film and television, including for PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations Staff 1% for Development Fund. His films have screened at the Sundance Film Festival and Slamdance Film Festival.

He has directed the films The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007), Four Christmases (2008), Horrible Bosses (2011), Identity Thief (2013), and Baywatch (2017). He has also directed several episodes of television series like The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, Atypical, and For All Mankind.

Life and career

Gordon grew up in Evanston, Illinois.{{cite news | last = Roston | first = Tom | title = In 'Four Christmases,' Seth Gordon explores a season's gratings | work = Los Angeles Times | date = November 30, 2008 | url = https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-ca-gordon30-2008nov30,0,7094156.story | access-date =June 10, 2009}} He attended Yale University, where he studied architecture until leaving in 1997 to teach high school for six months in the small village of Shimanyiro, Kenya. While there he helped secure United Nations financing to finish construction of a school, and began filming what would eventually become the documentary Building Shimanyiro.{{cite news | last = Fernandez | first = Jay A. | title = Director traveled unlikely road to "Christmases" | publisher = Reuters | date = November 26, 2008 | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE4AP15Y20081126 | access-date =June 10, 2009}} Upon returning to Yale, Gordon taught himself how to edit his footage on an Avid editing machine. Later, he helped shoot Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck's Dixie Chicks documentary Shut Up & Sing, and after working as cinematographer, editor and producer on various films, he gained prominence with his documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

Gordon directed the game company Zynga's "GagaVille" online film in 2010. He co-created and is an executive producer of the Fox television series Breaking In.{{Cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/11/19/fox-mid-season-schedule-idol-to-wednesdaysthursdays-fringe-to-fridays/72889|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121033312/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/11/19/fox-mid-season-schedule-idol-to-wednesdaysthursdays-fringe-to-fridays/72889|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 21, 2010|title=Fox Mid-Season Schedule – 'American Idol' to Wednesdays/Thursdays; 'Fringe' to Fridays|date=November 19, 2010|last=Seidman|first=Robert|work=TV by the Numbers|access-date=November 30, 2010}} He directed the 2011 comedy Horrible Bosses, but in August 2013 declined to direct the sequel, citing commitments to the television series The Goldbergs, on which he is an executive producer, and a planned remake of the film WarGames.{{cite news | first=Dave | last = McNary | url =https://variety.com/2013/film/news/horrible-bosses-2-loses-director-seth-gordon-1200575481/ | title = 'Horrible Bosses 2' Loses Director Seth Gordon | work = Variety | date= August 7, 2013 | access-date= 2013-11-30}} Gordon directed the pilot of Sneaky Pete for Amazon Studios, which he also produced with Bryan Cranston and David Shore.

Gordon directed the 2017 film version of Baywatch, starring Dwayne Johnson, Priyanka Chopra and Zac Efron.[https://variety.com/2015/film/news/seth-gordon-to-direct-dwayne-johnson-in-paramounts-baywatch-movie-1201544299/ Seth Gordon to Direct Dwayne Johnson in Paramount’s ‘Baywatch’ Movie]

He graduated from Lakeside School (Seattle) in 1994 and the Harvard Graduate School of Design.{{cite news|last1=Collins|first1=Jim|title=Seth Gordon '94: Revealing a one-off perspective|url=https://www.lakesideschool.org/alumni/alumni-lives/revealing-a-one-off-perspective-seth-gordon-94|access-date=9 January 2018|issue=Fall 2016|publisher=Lakeside Magazine}}

In 2009, Gordon developed and directed a video series focusing on the threat posed by cybercrime to Internet users, H*Commerce: The Business of Hacking You, sponsored by antivirus software company McAfee.{{cite news | last = Swartz | first = Jon | title = Miniseries reveals truth about hackers | work = USA Today | date = May 20, 2009 | url = http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/05/miniseries-reveals-truth-about-hackers.html | access-date = June 11, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090524053553/http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/05/miniseries-reveals-truth-about-hackers.html | archive-date = May 24, 2009 }} Gordon has directed various music videos and commercials, and an episode each of Modern Family and Community, two episodes of The Office, and several episodes of Parks and Recreation. He was a director and executive producer on NBC's Marry Me. Gordon is a director and executive producer on ABC's The Goldbergs.{{cite news | title = Seth Gordon Filmography | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/person/427778/Seth-Gordon | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721072137/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/427778/Seth-Gordon | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 21, 2011 | access-date =June 11, 2009| first=Michael| department = Movies & TV Dept. | work = The New York Times | date = 2011 | last=Cieply}} He also serves as a director and executive producer on the Netflix series Atypical.{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2016/10/netflix-coming-of-age-series-atypical-seth-gordon-jennifer-jason-leigh-keir-gilchrist-michael-rapaport-star-1201837738/|title=Netflix Greenlights 'Atypical' Series From 'The Goldbergs' Duo; Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keir Gilchrist & Michael Rapaport To Star|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=2016-10-17|newspaper=Deadline|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-17}}

Filmography

=Film=

Director

Four Christmases (2008)
Horrible Bosses (2011)
Identity Thief (2013)
Baywatch (2017)
Back in Action (2025) (Also writer and producer)

Acting credits

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Role
2011 \| Horrible Bosses \| Ralph Peterberg (voice role)
2017 \| Baywatch \| Helicopter pilot

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Role

2011

| Horrible Bosses

| Ralph Peterberg (voice role)

2017

| Baywatch

| Helicopter pilot

Other credits

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Role
2005 \| Cry Wolf \| Editor, associate producer, and second unit director
2015 \| Pixels \| Executive producer
2022 \| The Lost City \| Story writer and producer

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Role

2005

| Cry Wolf

| Editor, associate producer, and second unit director

2015

| Pixels

| Executive producer

2022

| The Lost City

| Story writer and producer

=Documentary film=

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Director ! Producer ! Writer
2005 \| New York Doll \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
2007 \| The King of Kong \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| {{no}}
rowspan=2\| 2010 \| Freakonomics \| {{yes}} \| {{yes\|Executive}} \| {{yes}}
Make Believe \| {{no}} \| {{yes\|Executive}} \| {{no}}
2011 \| Undefeated \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
rowspan=2\| 2014 \| Mitt \| {{no}} \| {{yes\|Executive}} \| {{no}}
Print the Legend \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
rowspan=2\| 2015 \| Finders Keepers \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
Dark Web \| {{no}} \| {{yes\|Executive}} \| {{no}}
2016 \| Gleason \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
rowspan=2\| 2017 \| Bill Nye: Science Guy \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
Served Like a Girl \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
2018 \| Wrestle \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
2020 \| Zappa \| {{no}} \| {{yes\|Executive}} \| {{no}}
2023 \| Finding Home: Journey to MLB \| {{no}} \| {{yes\|Executive}} \| {{no}}

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Director

! Producer

! Writer

2005

| New York Doll

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

2007

| The King of Kong

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

rowspan=2| 2010

| Freakonomics

| {{yes}}

| {{yes|Executive}}

| {{yes}}

Make Believe

| {{no}}

| {{yes|Executive}}

| {{no}}

2011

| Undefeated

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

rowspan=2| 2014

| Mitt

| {{no}}

| {{yes|Executive}}

| {{no}}

Print the Legend

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

rowspan=2| 2015

| Finders Keepers

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

Dark Web

| {{no}}

| {{yes|Executive}}

| {{no}}

2016

| Gleason

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

rowspan=2| 2017

| Bill Nye: Science Guy

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

Served Like a Girl

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

2018

| Wrestle

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

2020

| Zappa

| {{no}}

| {{yes|Executive}}

| {{no}}

2023

| Finding Home: Journey to MLB

| {{no}}

| {{yes|Executive}}

| {{no}}

=Television=

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Director ! Executive producer ! Writer ! Notes
2009 \| Community \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| {{no}} \| Episode "Environmental Science"
rowspan=2\|2009–2010 \| The Office \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| {{no}} \| Episodes "Double Date" and "The Delivery" (part 1)
Parks and Recreation \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| {{no}} \| Episodes "Canvassing" and "The Stakeout"
2010 \| Modern Family \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| {{no}} \| Episode "Travels with Scout"
2011 \| Breaking In \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| Also creator; Directed 5 episodes
2013–2017 \| The Goldbergs \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| 7 episodes
2014–2015 \| Marry Me \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| 3 episodes
rowspan=2\|2015 \| Sneaky Pete \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| Episode "Pilot"
The Jim Gaffigan Show \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| Episode "Pilot"
rowspan=2\|2017 \| Atypical \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| Episodes "Antarctica" and "A Nice Neutral Smell"
The Good Doctor \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| Episodes "Burnt Food" and "She"
2019 \| For All Mankind \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| Episodes "Red Moon" and "He Built the Saturn V"
rowspan=2\|2020 \| Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| Episode "Pilot"
United We Fall \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \|
2022 \| The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| Directed 5 episodes
2023 \| The Night Agent \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| 2 episodes

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Director

! Executive
producer

! Writer

! Notes

2009

| Community

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| Episode "Environmental Science"