Mark Waters

Mark Stephen Waters, born on June 30, 1964, is celebrated as an accomplished American director and producer. During his early life, Waters was brought up in South Bend, Indiana and then proceeded to study theatre arts at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, later joining the American Film Institute. His passion for film was ignited when he saw the play 'The House of Yes' during his time at Penn. Sensing the cinematic potential of the play, Waters contacted the author, Wendy MacLeod, presenting himself as a film producer and securing a manuscript copy. Before joining AFI, he fostered his craft further as a stage actor and director in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, where he created several short films. He graduated from AFI in 1994, ready to imprint his name on the larger world of film. Waters has demonstrated his directorial prowess through a range of comedy films including the likes of 'Freaky Friday', 'Mean Girls', 'Mr. Popper's Penguins', and 'Vampire Academy'. His directorial journey began with the independent hit 'The House of Yes' that starred Parker Posey. His repertoire has since broadened, producing more successful films such as 'Head Over Heels', 'The Spiderwick Chronicles', 'Bad Santa 2', 'Magic Camp', 'He's All That', and others. He was also entrusted to direct a movie famously known as 'Minimum Wage', written by Scott Atkinson and Tegan West.