Morgan Spurlock

MORGAN SPURLOCK

Date of Birth: November 7, 1970

Oscar-nominated director Morgan Spurlock always wanted to make movies, but the documentary filmmaker struggled through hard times as a young artist.

After being rejected five times by USC film school, Spurlock graduated from NYU in 1993 with a degree in film. His first jobs in the film industry were working as a production assistant on films like Leon: The Professional (1994) and Kiss of Death (1995). Spurlock also spent time as a stand-up comedian in California, but was having a hard time coming up with enough money to pay the bills. At his lowest point Spurlock was homeless, before finding success and acclaim as an award-winning playwright.

But it was a Thanksgiving dinner at his parent's house in 2003 that would lead to Spurlock's big break. While watching a news broadcast after dinner, Spurlock saw a story about two teenage girls who were suing McDonald's for causing them to become obese. The lawsuit inspired Spurlock and led to him creating a documentary film that attacked the quality of the fast-food chain's food.

His film Super Size Me debuted in 2004 at the Sundance film festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury prize and won for Best Documentary director. The documentary followed Spurlock on a 30-day mission to show the effects McDonald's food can have on the human body. Every day for a month, Spurlock would eat food from McDonalds. He ate three full meals daily, and would super his fries and drink whenever asked.

The result of the fast-food diet sent Spurlock into mental and physical health problems. After 30 days he had gained 25 pounds and been diagnosed with depression and was suffering from liver dysfunction.

Super Size Me was a massive success and earned Spurlock a 2004 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.

He has since created 30 Days, a reality television series that takes an individual and inserts them into a lifestyle dramatically different from their own for 30 days. Spurlock has inserted himself into episodes of the show by spending a month in jail and making his family live below the poverty line.

Other notable documentary achievements include Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? (2008), The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011), One Direction: This Is Us (2013), as well as Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken (2017), which marked his return to the world of fast food.

Married three times, Morgan has a son with his second wife, Alexandra Jamieson. In May 2016, he married Sara Bernstein.

Filmography (director):

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)
Super Size Me (2004)