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), the Men in Black trilogy (1997–2012), Wild Wild West (1999), and RV (2006).
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. 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.
Filmography
Cinematographer
Documentary film
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Note
|-
| 1982
| In Our Water
| Meg Switzgable
| With Dick Blofson, Robert Chappell and Ken Kelsch
|}
Feature film
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Director
|-
| 1984
| Blood Simple
| Joel Coen
|-
| 1985
| Compromising Positions
| Frank Perry
|-
|rowspan=3|1987
| Raising Arizona
| Joel Coen
|-
| Three O'Clock High
| Phil Joanou
|-
| Throw Momma from the Train
| Danny DeVito
|-
| 1988
| Big
| Penny Marshall
|-
| 1989
| When Harry Met Sally...
| Rob Reiner
|-
|rowspan=2|1990
| Miller's Crossing
| Joel Coen
|-
| Misery
| Rob Reiner
|-
|}
TV series
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Notes
|-
| 1984
| ABC Afterschool Specials
| Jeffrey Hornaday<br>Claude Kerven
| Episodes "Out of Step" and "The Almost Royal Family"
|-
| 1985
| Doubletake
| Jud Taylor
| Miniseries
|}
TV movies
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Director
|-
| 1984
| How to Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days
| Joan Micklin Silver
|-
|rowspan=2|1986
| Welcome Home, Bobby
| Herbert Wise
|-
| Classified love
| Don Taylor
|}
Director/Producer
Film
Director
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Producer
|-
| 1991
| The Addams Family
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1993
| For Love or Money
|
|
|-
| Addams Family Values
|
|
|-
| 1995
| Get Shorty
|
|
|-
| 1997
| Men in Black
|
|
|-
| 1999
| Wild Wild West
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2002
| Big Trouble
|
|
|-
| Men in Black II
|
|
|-
| 2006
| RV
|
|
|-
| 2012
| Men in Black 3
|
|
|-
| 2016
| Nine Lives
|
|
|-
|}
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)
Television
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Executive<br>producer
! Notes
|-
| 1998
| Maximum Bob
|
|
| Directed "Pilot"
|-
| 1998–1999
| Fantasy Island
|
|
| 13 episodes
|-
| 2000
| Secret Agent Man
|
|
| Also co-creator; 12 episodes
|-
| 2001–2002
| The Tick
|
|
| Directed "Pilot"
|-
| 2007–2009
| Pushing Daisies
|
|
| Directed 2 episodes
|-
| 2007–2010
| Notes from the Underbelly
|
|
| Directed 6 episodes
|-
| 2008
| Suburban Shootout
|
|
|rowspan=3|Unaired pilot
|-
| 2010
| Funny in Farsi
|
|
|-
| 2013
| Beverly Hills Cop
|
|
|-
| 2014
| Storyline
|
|
| 1 episode
|-
| 2016
| Independent Lens
|
|
| Segment An Honest Liar
|-
| 2016–2019
| The Tick
|
|
| 12 episodes
|-
| 2017–2019
| A Series of Unfortunate Events
|
|
| Directed 10 episodes
|-
| 2021
| Schmigadoon!
|
|
| Directed 6 episodes
|}
Producer
- Karen Sisco (2004) (1 episode)
TV movies
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Executive<br>producer
|-
| 1999
| Partners
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2008
| Hackett
|
|
|-
| Play or Be Played
|
|
|-
| 2009
| The Bridget Show
|
|
|-
| 2014
| Dead Boss
|
|
|-
|}
Actor
Film roles
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
| 1991
| The Addams Family
| Passenger on Gomez's train (uncredited)
|-
| 1993
| Addams Family Values
| Mr. Glicker
|-
| 1995
| Get Shorty
| Doorman (Uncredited)
|-
| 1997
| Men in Black
| Alien on Monitor
|-
| 2002
| Big Trouble
| Florida Gators fan on radio (voice) (uncredited)
|-
| 2002
| Men in Black II
| Neuralyzed Father
|-
| 2006
| RV
| Irv
|-
| 2012
| Men in Black 3
| Husband Watching Launch
|-
| 2016
| Nine Lives
| Additional cat voices
|}
Television roles
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 2001
| The Tick
| Guy in Couch, Cab Driver (uncredited)
| Episode "Pilot"
|-
| 2017–2019
| A Series of Unfortunate Events
| Mr. Tammerlane (voice)<br />Isaac "Ike" Anwhistle
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2025
| The Simpsons
| Mr. Ho-Hum (voice)
| Episode "Guess Who's Coming to Skinner"
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Title
! Result
|-
| 1997
| Saturn Awards
| Best Director
| Men in Black
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1999
|rowspan=2|Golden Raspberry Awards
| Worst Picture
|rowspan=2|Wild Wild West
|
|-
| Worst Director
|
|-
| 2008
|rowspan=3|Primetime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
| Pushing Daisies
|
|-
| 2018
|rowspan=2|Outstanding Children's Program
|rowspan=2|A Series of Unfortunate Events
|
|-
| 2019
|
|}