Manoj Nelliyattu "M. Night" Shyamalan (/ˈʃɑːməlɑːn/ SHAH-mə-lahn; born August 6, 1970) is an American filmmaker renowned for his films that often employ supernatural plots and twist endings. Shyamalan's films have grossed over $3.3 billion globally and he has been recognized with various accolades such as nominations for two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe. He was also the recipient of the Padma Shri in 2008. His early works include films like Praying with Anger and Wide Awake which preceded his breakthrough movie, The Sixth Sense. Following a string of poorly received films—namely Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth—Shyamalan experienced a career resurgence with a sequence of successful films including The Visit, Split, Glass, Old, Knock at the Cabin, and Trap. He also directed episodes for TV series such as Wayward Pines and Servant.

Shyamalan was born in Mahé, India, and raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. Shyamalan showed an early predilection for filmmaking and pursued his passion despite his father's wishes for him to take up medicine. After graduating from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, he embarked on his filmmaking career, making his first film, the semi-autobiographical drama Praying with Anger, while still a student at NYU and funding the film with money borrowed from family and friends. His consequent major works include Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village but he had suffered a dip in his career with films like Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth performing poorly both critically and commercially before making a comeback with films like The Visit, Split, Glass, Old, Knock at the Cabin, and Trap. He is also the executive producer of series like Wayward Pines and Servant, and his production company Blinding Edge Pictures is responsible for several of his film projects.