Tom Shadyac
Tom Shadyac
Thomas Peter "Tom" Shadyacis an American comedian, director, screenwriter, producer, author and occasional film actor. Shadyac, who was the youngest joke-writer ever for comedian Bob Hope, is widely known for writing and directing the comedy films Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Nutty Professor, Liar Liar, and Bruce Almighty. In 2010, Shadyac departed from past comedic work to write, direct and narrate the documentary I Am, in which he explores his abandonment of a materialistic lifestyle following a bicycle accident in...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth11 December 1958
CityFalls Church, VA
CountryUnited States of America
I was paid $8 or $9 million for 'Evan Almighty.' I didn't want that money.
The second we define someone as a Democrat or Republican, it creates a whole set of limitations.
I don't see making films to entertain and making films to inform as separate things.
One of the challenges of the church is to accept humanity for all it is.
Show business is part of a larger culture, a world-wide culture that must make up to the fact that the accumulation of things doesn't make a life necessary any happier or purposeful.
Someone asked me the other day, 'What's the biggest influence on your filmmaking career?' And they started naming filmmakers. I went 'Naw, it's Jesus actually.'
To me, 'Ace Ventura' is as scriptural and sacred as any movie I've ever done because it's childlike.
There is no 'I.' That's an illusion we've got to get beyond.
I believe our emotional tension can manifest itself physically.
Facing my own death brought an instant sense of clarity and purpose.
I was taught in school that I have to look out for number one. That was against everything that I intuitively felt.
You send a message in everything you do. I'm always very conscious about what ideas and what energy I put out there.
When you do something in a nonviolent way, people will die and there will be casualties. But you're taking a different point of view that has a power.
As a culture, I think we need to redefine what it means to be happy.