Shawn Levy

Shawn Levy, born in Montreal on July 23, 1968, is a Canadian-American director, producer, writer, and actor best known for commercially broad studio filmmaking and for producing major streaming television. He studied performing arts at Yale University and later earned an MFA from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Before becoming a major Hollywood filmmaker, Levy worked as an actor and television director, building credits on youth and family-oriented series including The Secret World of Alex Mack, Animorphs, and The Famous Jett Jackson.

Levy’s feature directing career developed in the early 2000s with accessible comedies and family films. Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, and The Pink Panther established him as a director comfortable with mainstream studio comedy. His largest early franchise success came with Night at the Museum, followed by Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Those films combined family comedy, visual effects, and ensemble casting, and they made Levy a reliable director for broad, effects-driven entertainment.

As a producer, Levy founded 21 Laps Entertainment, a company that broadened his work beyond theatrical comedy. 21 Laps produced films including The Spectacular Now, This Is Where I Leave You, and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. Arrival earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, giving Levy a major prestige-film producing credit. On television, Levy became one of the key executive producers and recurring directors of Netflix’s Stranger Things, directing episodes across multiple seasons and helping give the series part of its cinematic style. He also directed the limited series All the Light We Cannot See.