Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow married American actress and comedian Leslie Mann in 1997. The couple has two daughters named Maude and Iris. His wife and daughters have also appeared in several of his works.

He is also known for his philanthropic works.

Judd Apatow was born on 6th December 1967 in Flushing, Queens, New York. His mother Tami Apatow used to manage record labels while his father Maury Apatow was a real estate developer. He has two siblings, a brother, Robert and a sister, Mia.

His parents divorced when he was just twelve. He lived with his grandparents for some time and later with his father. On weekends he used to visit his mother who worked for some time at a comedy club. It was during this time that Judd was exposed to live stand-up comedy in which he developed a keen interest.

Inspired by renowned comedians like Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, and the Marx Brothers, he made up his mind to become a comedian. He attended Syosset High School, where he hosted a program called ‘Comedy Club’ on the school’s radio station.

Judd Apatow’s career as a stand-up comedian began while he was only seventeen and in his senior year of high school. After finishing his graduation, he moved to Los Angeles. He enrolled at the University of Southern California to study screenwriting. During his time at the university, he used to organize on-campus "Comedy Night" events. He dropped out after two years.

Soon he was introduced to comedian and producer Garry Shandling, after which he was hired as a writer for that year's Grammy Awards, which was hosted by Shandling.

Shortly after, Apatow and Ben Stiller co-created the show 'The Ben Stiller Show' which aired on Fox network. His writing for the show earned him his first award. However the show was cancelled after a short time.

Apatow then started working as a writer and executive producer for Garry Shandling's 'The Larry Sanders Show'. He worked with the show for several seasons and his performance won him multiple nominations for the Emmy Awards.

In 1995, he became a co-writer for the film 'Heavyweights'. He also helped in rewriting the script for the film 'The Cable Guy' though his work was uncredited.

The Larry Sanders Show’, was an American comedy TV series which aired on HBO. Judd Apatow was a writer and consulting producer on the show which was a huge success, and ranked at number 38 on ‘TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time’. The show won several significant awards, including three Emmys.

The film ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ is one of Apatow’s most significant works. The film also marked his directorial debut. He co-produced the film along with Clayton Townsend and Shauna Robertson, and co-wrote it with Steve Carell. The story revolved around a middle-aged man, who is yet to lose his virginity. The film starred actors Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, and Seth Rogen. It was a commercial success, grossing more than $177 million on a budget of $26 million. It received positive reviews.

‘Trainwreck’ is an American comedy film, which was directed and co-produced by Apatow. The film is one of his most recent works. Starring Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson and Colin Quinn, the film revolves around a promiscuous and commitment-phobic writer, who finally gets into a serious relationship. The movie was commercially successful and grossed more than $144 million on a budget of $35 million. It was also met with positive reviews.