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Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

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Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Dayton and Faris in 2006
BornJonathan Dayton
(1957-07-07)July 7, 1957(age 67)
Alameda County, California,U.S.
Valerie Faris
(1958-10-20)October 20, 1958(age 65)
Los Angeles County, California,U.S.
Alma materUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Occupation(s)Film directors, music video directors
Notable workLittle Miss Sunshine
Ruby Sparks
Battle of the Sexes
Children3

Jonathan Dayton(born July 7, 1957) andValerie Faris(born October 20, 1958) are a duo of American directors and producers for films andmusic videos.They started their career directing videos for such artists asRed Hot Chili Peppers,R.E.M.andthe Smashing Pumpkins.Together they directed the filmsLittle Miss Sunshine(2006),Ruby Sparks(2012), andBattle of the Sexes(2017). They also directed theNetflixcomedy seriesLiving with Yourself(2019) and episodes of theHuluseriesFleishman Is In Trouble(2022).

Early life

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Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton on the red carpet at the Battle of the Sexes gala screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2017

Dayton was born inAlameda County, California,and grew up inGrass Valley, California.After graduating fromYgnacio Valley High SchoolinConcord, California,he attended theUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television,in the late 1970s.[1][better source needed]Faris is a native ofLos Angelesand the daughter of Paula Forbes, a supervising painter, and Jim Faris, a film editor.[2]Faris met Dayton while attending UCLA as a dance student.[1][better source needed]

Careers

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As a pair, Dayton and Faris have directed and produced music videos, documentaries, commercials and films. They have directed music videos for bands such asOasis,Red Hot Chili Peppers,Beastie Boys,andR.E.M.Their 1996 video for "Tonight, Tonight"byThe Smashing Pumpkinswon sixMTV Video Music Awards.Another of their videos that found significant success was for the 1990Extremesong "More Than Words".[3]

They directed a number of sketches for the 1995-1998HBOsketch comedy seriesMr. Show.[3]

In 1998, they established a production company, Bob Industries. Through this company the pair directed commercials for companies such asHewlett-Packard,Volkswagen,Sony,GAP,Target,IKEA,Apple Computer,andESPN.The two directed a 1999 commercial for theVolkswagen Cabrio,titledMilky Way,whose soundtrack consisted entirely of the 1972Nick Drakesong "Pink Moon",and which is credited with initiating a massive revival of interest in Nick Drake's music.[4]

They began to be offered feature films to direct at around this time; among projects that they turned down wereThe Mod Squad(1999) andBad Boys II(2003).[3]

In 2001, they began to work on the filmLittle Miss Sunshine;it was released in 2006.[3]The film won the Audience Award at the 2006 Sydney Film festival and an ovation at the 2006Sundance Film Festival,and wasnominatedfor anAcademy Award for Best Picture.Their directing style for the film involved a high level of improvisation to allow the actors to create organic connections to the roles.[5]

In 2006, the pair were announced as the directors of a planned screen adaptation ofTom Perrotta's novelThe Abstinence TeacherforWarner Independent Pictures.[6]In 2007 Perrotta wrote a screenplay with input from Dayton and Faris.[7]However, by 2012 they had left the project, and it was taken over by directorLisa Cholodenko.[8]

Their next film wasRuby Sparksin 2012. Dayton and Faris then directedBattle of the Sexes,about the tennis match betweenBillie Jean KingandBobby Riggs,withEmma Stoneas King andSteve Carellas Riggs. The film also starsElisabeth Shue,Alan Cumming,andSarah Silverman;it was released in 2017.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Dayton and Faris married and began working as creative partners after meeting in college. They have three children together.[1][better source needed]

Filmography

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Directors

Producers

Videography

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Awards

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References

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  1. ^abc"Jonathan Dayton Biography".IMDB.
  2. ^"Jim Faris Dead: Film Editor, Father of Director Valerie Faris, Dies at 97".Hollywood Reporter. 2016-11-04.Retrieved2018-07-26.
  3. ^abcdEvans, Bradford (July 19, 2012)."The Lost Projects of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris".Splitsider.Archived fromthe originalon September 26, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 18,2015.
  4. ^Vaziri, Aidin (April 11, 2000)."Nick Drake's" Pink Moon "is Rising".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon December 19, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 2,2017.
  5. ^Huttner, Jan."Jan Chats with Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton About their new film LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE".FF2 Media.RetrievedApril 11,2020.
  6. ^LaPorte, Nicole, and Pamela McClintock."'Sunshine' duo in talks for next feature: Dayton, Faris may adapt 'Abstinence Teacher'",Variety,2006-12-06. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
  7. ^Schwartz, Missy."The Q&A: Tom Perrotta: His Novel Take on Suburban Life",Entertainment Weekly,2007-10-15. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  8. ^Vineyard, Jen (May 11, 2012)."Exclusive: Lisa Cholodenko Confirms She'll Direct 'The Abstinence Teacher' & Heads Into The 'Wild' With Reese Witherspoon".IndieWire > The Playlist.
  9. ^"Britney Spears," When Your Eyes Say It "".MVDBase.com(video). ASG. 1998–2017.Retrieved29 January2017.
  10. ^"Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for the Year 2006 -".
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