Adam McKay
Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. McKay began his career as a head writer for the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 1995 to 2001. Following his departure from SNL, he rose to fame in the 2000s for his collaborations with comedian Will Ferrell and co-wrote his comedy films Anchorman (2004), Talladega Nights (2006), Step Brothers (2008), and The Other Guys (2010). Ferrell and McKay later co-wrote and co-produced many television series and films, with McKay himself co-producing their website Funny or Die through their company, Gary Sanchez Productions.
Adam McKay
April 17, 1968
- Screenwriter
- director
- producer
1986–present
2
Jeremy Piven (brother-in-law)
McKay began venturing into more dramatic territory in the 2010s. He wrote and directed the satirical films The Big Short (2015), Vice (2018), and Don't Look Up (2021). For each film, McKay received several nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, and for the scripts in both the Adapted and Original screenplay categories.[1][2][3] In 2019, McKay founded the production company Hyperobject Industries.
Early life and education[edit]
McKay was born in Denver, Colorado, and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts[4] and later Malvern, Pennsylvania[5] by his mother, Sarah, a waitress, and his father, a musician.[6][7] When McKay was seven his parents divorced.[6] He attended Great Valley High School in Malvern, where he graduated in 1986. He then attended Penn State University for a year prior to transferring to Temple University, where he majored in English. McKay dropped out of Temple a semester-and-a-half before he was set to earn his bachelor's degree. He described it as "settling with an imaginary degree".[8]