Matt Shakman

Actor, film director, television director, theatre director

1984–present

Maggie Malone
(m. 2012)

1

Early life[edit]

Shakman was born and raised in Ventura, California.[1] His Jewish father and Catholic mother maintained a "relatively secular household", their interfaith marriage being a source of conflict with Shakman's Jewish paternal grandmother.[2] After acting as a child, starting with commercials and landing a series regular role on Just the Ten of Us, he stepped away to attend The Thacher School in Ojai.[3]


Shakman went on to attend Yale University where he graduated with an art history and theater double major.[3] It was at Yale where Shakman became interested in theatre, going on to direct a number of stage productions.[4]


After university, Shakman lived in New York City for several years before permanently moving to Los Angeles.[3] He married Maggie Malone in 2012. In 2016, they had a daughter named Maisie.[5]

Career[edit]

As a child actor, Shakman played Graham "J.R." Lubbock, Jr. in the Growing Pains spin-off series Just the Ten of Us (1988–1990). His other television acting credits include The Facts of Life, Highway to Heaven, Diff'rent Strokes, Night Court, Good Morning, Miss Bliss and Webster. He also appeared in the films A Night at the Magic Castle (1988), and Meet the Hollowheads (1989).


Shakman is the founder and Artistic Director of the Black Dahlia Theatre (BDT) in Los Angeles,[6] which was named one of "a dozen young American companies you need to know" by American Theatre Magazine.


Since 2002, Shakman has mostly been directing for television. Among his credits include Succession, Mad Men, Six Feet Under, The Boys, The Great, House M.D., Fargo, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (also executive producer).


Shakman directed the episodes "The Spoils of War" and "Eastwatch" for the seventh season of the HBO series Game of Thrones in 2017. In August of the same year, Shakman was appointed as the new artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.[7]


In 2017, TriStar Pictures announced that Shakman would direct its upcoming "live-action/hybrid" film adaptation of The Phantom Tollbooth.[8]


In 2021, Shakman directed and executive produced the Marvel Studios miniseries WandaVision for Disney+.[9] Later that year, it was revealed that Shakman would direct a film in the Star Trek franchise.[10] In late August 2022, Shakman was in early talks to direct the Marvel Studios film The Fantastic Four set to release in 2025, replacing Jon Watts who exited the project to take a break from superhero films.[11] On August 26, 2022, Shakman exited the Star Trek film, citing "scheduling issues",[12] before being confirmed as the Fantastic Four director just weeks later.[13] When asked why he chose to do Fantastic Four over Star Trek, Shakman said: "[M]ovies have different journeys and momentums and schedules are a little bit mercurial, and so when the Fantastic Four opportunity came up, it was just too hard to pass up, and to go back home to Marvel, a place that I worked on WandaVision at, with those people who are wonderful collaborators."[14]

2021: Emmy Award (nomination)—Limited Series Direction, WandaVision

2021: Emmy Award (nomination)—Limited Series, WandaVision

2021: Directors Guild of America (nomination)—TV Film/Limited Series, WandaVision

2020: Emmy Award (nomination)—Comedy Series Direction, The Great, "The Great (Pilot)"

2018: Directors Guild of America (nomination)—Dramatic Series, Game of Thrones, "The Spoils of War"

2012: L.A. Drama Critics Circle Milton Katselas Award for Career or Special Achievement in Direction

2012: LA Weekly Award (nomination) - Direction of a Musical

2011: L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award (nomination)-Direction

2009: Garland Award, Direction

2008: Ovation Award, Direction

2008: GLAAD Award, LA Production

2005: L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Direction

2004: Ovation Award (nomination)-Direction

2002: for Direction

Garland Award

2002: L.A. Weekly Award (nomination) - Direction

1989: Young Artist Awards – Best Young Actor/Actress Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series or Special

at IMDb

Matt Shakman