Guide Note

Charlie Kaufman is an Academy Award-winning American screenwriter and film director known for his unusual and innovative stories. He got his start in television writing for Ned and Stacey and The Dana Carvey Show among other programs. But it was Kaufman's first film, the eccentric 1999 comedy/fantasy Being John Malkovich, that introduced the world to his unique storytelling style. It is a surreal story of a puppeteer, played by John Cusack, who finds a way to literally get into the head of actor John Malkovich (played by himself).

Fast Facts

1. Birth date: September 20, 1958
2. Birth place: New York City, NY
3. 2004: Won an Academy Award for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. Attended: Boston University and NYU
5. Is married
6. Has only appeared in one televised interview
7. Is of Jewish descent

Kaufman later wrote the critically acclaimed Adaptation, a complex film that combined reality with fantasy and featured Kaufman and his fictional twin brother Donald (both played by Nicolas Cage) as lead characters. This quirky, Spike Jonze-directed movie (as well as Being John Malkivich, also directed by Jonze) earned Kaufman an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay. He wouldn't win the award until 2005, however, for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a visually extravagant film directed by Michel Gondry and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.