Adam Shankman Biography

Adam Michael Shankman (born November 27, 1964) is an American film director, producer, dancer, actor, and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson. Shankman has choreographed numerous films as well as one of the Spice Girls' tours. He has directed several feature-length films, including A Walk to Remember, Bringing Down the House, and the 2007 remake of Hairspray.

Early life

Shankman was born in Los Angeles, California, to an upper middle class family. He has said that he had a "traditional Jewish upbringing" in Brentwood. He attended The Juilliard School, but dropped out to dance in musical theater.

Career

Shankman was a dancer in Janet Jackson's "Amazing" video, as well as in a MC Skat Kat video with Paula Abdul. Shankman broke into professional choreography in a 1989 music video for rapper MC Shan with director Julien Temple. When the hired choreographer fell through, Shankman lied and said that he had done choreography for Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul. He was hired on the spot without his story being verified. Shankman began choreographing movies that included actors such as Marlon Brando, Sarah Jessica Parker, Antonio Banderas, and the cast of Boogie Nights. He is Brendan Fraser's exclusive choreographer.

In 1996, Shankman was represented by the newly formed Sauce Entertainment, a production company for music videos and commercial production. In 1998, he was a choreographer for the program Win Ben Stein's Money.

Shankman's first directing gig was for a short film called Cosmo's Tale, which appeared at the Sundance Film Festival. He then helped his sister, Jennifer Gibgot, on a script, which led to a meeting with the studio producing The Wedding Planner. He was hired for the job ten minutes into the meeting. In May 2003, Shankman filed a $5 million lawsuit against Jennifer Lopez, asserting that he came up with the idea for her adaptation of the opera Carmen.

Prior to directing Hairspray, Shankman was known in Hollywood primarily as a script doctor. His trademarks in his films often features a singing/dancing sequence and a character getting sent to do community service. "I've done so many things I'm not super-proud of," he admitted in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. Having finally received a plum directing role in Hairspray, he added, "Now that I'm finally really proud of something, if [critics] say this one isn't good either, it will be kind of...taxing." In August 2008, Box office Mojo reported that Hairspray had become the fourth-largest grossing American movie musical within the previous 30 years.

Shankman, in affiliation with ABC, worked on a TV pilot called Harmony about a musical town. In 2008, in the wake of former small-town mayor Sarah Palin's emergence on the national political stage, Shankman was announced as director for the proposed TV series Cadillac Ranch about the female mayor of a small town. He directed the 2012 film adaptation of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages for New Line Cinema. With Bill Mechanic, Shankman was one of the two producers of the 82nd Academy Awards, which took place March 7, 2010.

Shankman has also directed and choreographed multiple episodes of Fox's Glee.

So You Think You Can Dance

Shankman has been a judge and choreographer on the FOX reality show So You Think You Can Dance since the third season. He used the term "lyrical hip-hop" to describe the dance style associated with the choreography duo of Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo. The term is popularly credited to him as reported in the May/June 2009 issue of Dance Spirit magazine.

On September 16, 2009, it was announced that Adam will be a permanent judge on So You Think You Can Dance.

Personal life

Shankman is openly gay. He officiated the wedding of actors Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar, a good friend of his with whom he worked while choreographing Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He got the Buffy job based on Sarah's recommendation to the show's creator, Joss Whedon.

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Film	Credited as					Role/Notes/References
		Director	Producer	Choreographer	Actor	Other
1983	The Wind in the Willows						Washerwoman
	The Red Shoes						Shoe shoppe customer
1990	Rockula						Driver
	Midnight Cabaret						Waiter
1992	The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag						Timid man
	Roundhouse
1993	Weekend at Bernie's II
	Heart and Souls						credited as Adam Schenkman
	Addams Family Values
1994	The Flintstones
	Milk Money
	Don Juan DeMarco
1995	Monster Mash: The Movie						Wolfie
	Miami Rhapsody
	Tank Girl
	Casper						animation department; animated ghost sequences
	Congo
1996	Mrs. Winterbourne
1997	The Relic
	Friends						"The One with All the Jealousy"
	Traveller
	George of the Jungle
	Boogie Nights
	A Life Less Ordinary
	Anastasia						credited as Adam M. Shankman
	Scream 2						Ghost dancer
1998	Almost Heroes
	Antz
1999	She's All That
	Blast from the Past
	Forces of Nature
	The Out-of-Towners
	Inspector Gadget						Physical comedy consultant
	Dudley Do-Right
	Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo
2000	Isn't She Great
	Mission to Mars						credited as Adam M. Shankman
2001	The Wedding Planner
	Buffy the Vampire Slayer						"Once More, with Feeling"
2002	A Walk to Remember						Executive soundtrack producer; role: uncredited medical assistant
	Monk						"Mr. Monk and the Earthquake"
	Catch Me If You Can
2003	Bringing Down the House
	Stuck on You						Waiter
	Splitsville
2004	Mystery Girl						television film
2005	The Pacifier						uncredited driving instructor
	Cheaper by the Dozen 2						Clam bake chef
2006	Step Up						Nightclub dancer
	Worst Week of My Life						television series
2007	Premonition
	Hairspray						William Morris Talent agent; performer "Tied Up in the Knots of Sin"
2008	Step Up 2: The Streets
	Bedtime Stories
2009	17 Again
	Zac Efron's Pool Party
	Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special
2010	The 82nd Annual Academy Awards
	The Last Song
	Step Up 3D
	Going the Distance
	Coming Attraction
	Glee						"The Rocky Horror Glee Show"
2011							"Pot o' Gold"
	Modern Family						"Our Children, Ourselves"
2012	Rock of Ages

Broadway

• Prop 8 - The Musical (2008) - Director/producer/choreographer
• Bye, Bye Birdie (2011) - Director