Mark Waters
American film director

Mark Waters

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American film director
A.K.A.
Mark Stephen Waters
Gender:
Male
Places:
United States of America
Is:
Film directorScreenwriterFilm producer
Work field:
Film, TV, Stage & Radio
Birth:
30 June 1964(Wyandotte, Wayne County, Michigan, USA)
Star sign:
Cancer
Education:
American Film Institute
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, USA
AFI Conservatory
Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, USA
James Whitcomb Riley High School
Indiana, USA
Family:
Siblings:
Daniel Waters (screenwriter)
Spouse(s):
Dina Spybey (2000-)
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Biography

Introduction

Mark Stephen Waters (born June 30, 1964) is an American director.

Early life

Waters was raised in South Bend, Indiana. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania in theatre arts before studying at the American Film Institute. When studying at Penn, he saw The House of Yes and saw things in the play that he felt he could make cinematic. He contacted the author of the play in Wendy MacLeod and got a manuscript copy by saying he was a film producer. He worked as a stage actor and director in Philadelphia and San Francisco before his work with AFI, where he graduated in 1994. He made a number of short films.

Career

He directed the comedy films Freaky Friday, Mean Girls, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Vampire Academy. The first movie he directed was the independent hit The House of Yes starring Parker Posey. Other movies he directed include Head Over Heels, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Bad Santa 2, Magic Camp, He's All That, and more. He was attached to direct a movie called Minimum Wage written by Scott Atkinson and Tegan West.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Executive
Producer
1997 The House of Yes Yes No
2001 Head over Heels Yes No
2003 Freaky Friday Yes No
2004 Mean Girls Yes No
2005 Sorry, Haters No Yes
Just Like Heaven Yes No
2008 The Spiderwick Chronicles Yes No
2009 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Yes Yes
2011 Mr. Popper's Penguins Yes Yes
2014 Vampire Academy Yes No
2016 Bad Santa 2 Yes Yes
2020 Magic Camp Yes No
2021 He's All That Yes No
2024 Mother of the Bride Yes No
TBA Harvest Moon Yes No

Producer

  • 500 Days of Summer (2009)
  • Harvest Moon (TBA)

Television

TV movies

Year Title Director Executive
Producer
2002 Warning: Parental Advisory Yes No
2009 Eva Adams Yes Yes
2015 Salem Rogers Yes No
Cheerleader Death Squad Yes No
2018 #'Fashionvictim Yes Yes

TV series

Year Title Director Executive
producer 		Notes
2012 Made in Jersey Yes Yes 2 episodes
2013 Witches of East End Yes Yes 1 episode
2019 Looking for Alaska No Yes Miniseries