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Zack Snyder
Snyder at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Zachary Edward Snyder (1966-03-01) March 1, 1966 (age 58) Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma mater	Art Center College of Design
Occupations	Film director film producer screenwriter cinematographer
Years active	1990–present
Spouses	Denise Weber (divorced) Deborah Johnson ​(m. 2004)​
Children	8

Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with Dawn of the Dead, a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since then, he has directed or produced a number of comic book and superhero films, including 300 (2007) and Watchmen (2009), as well as the Superman film that started the DC Extended Universe, Man of Steel (2013), and its follow-ups, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). A director's cut for Justice League was released in 2021. He also directed the computer-animated film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010), the psychological action film Sucker Punch (2011), the zombie heist film Army of the Dead (2021), and the space opera film Rebel Moon (2023).

In 2004, he founded the production company The Stone Quarry (formerly known as Cruel and Unusual Films) alongside his wife Deborah Snyder and producing partner Wesley Coller.

Early life

Snyder was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and raised in Riverside, Connecticut. His mother, Marsha Manley (née Reeves; d. 2010), was a painter and a photography teacher at Daycroft School, which Snyder later attended. His father, Charles Edward "Ed" Snyder, worked as an executive recruiter. He has an older sister, Audrey, and was raised as a Christian Scientist. He also had a brother, Sam, who died when Snyder was a teenager.

Snyder attended Camp Owatonna in Harrison, Maine, during the summer months as a child. Snyder studied painting a year after high school at Heatherley School of Fine Art in England, although he had already begun filmmaking. Afterward, Snyder attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He graduated with a BFA in film in 1989.

The production notes for Snyder's first film Dawn of the Dead describes Snyder as "a comic book and horror film enthusiast in his youth".

Career

Snyder made his feature film debut with the remake of the horror film Dawn of the Dead (2004), and scored a box office hit with the fantasy war film 300 (2006), adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics miniseries of the same name. His Warner Bros. film Watchmen was released on March 6, 2009, and grossed $185 million worldwide. His follow-up project/animation debut, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, was released on September 24, 2010. Snyder produced, co-wrote, and directed Sucker Punch, which was released on March 25, 2011. The film, based on a script written by Snyder and Steve Shibuya, was about a young woman in a mental hospital who fantasizes of escape with her fellow inmates.

He directed 2013's Man of Steel for Warner Bros., a reboot of the Superman franchise and produced the prequel/sequel to 300, 300: Rise of an Empire (2014).

During Comic Con 2013, Snyder announced that Batman and Superman would share the screen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, released in 2016. Snyder directed, Cavill reprised his role as Superman, and Ben Affleck played Batman. Snyder directed Warner Bros.' 2017 Justice League, but he exited during post-production to deal with the death of his daughter, Autumn Snyder.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). His agreement with Netflix has since expanded into several Army of the Dead projects; Army of Thieves, a prequel released in 2021, and Planet of the Dead, a sequel to be created.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). but confirmed he had abandoned it in 2021 due to political reasons. He has also expressed an interest in making a film, in the style of 300, about George Washington.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Snyder is also developing a King Arthur film, which he said will be a "faithful retelling". It will be set during the American Gold rush era.

Following Rebel Moon, Snyder will return to direct Planet of the Dead, a sequel to Army of the Dead. He also signed a first-look deal with Netflix.

Filmmaking

Style

Snyder often uses slow motion, particularly the technique of speed ramping, in and out of the fight scenes in his films, differing from other directors who make multiple cuts and close-ups during a fight. A minute-long shot from 300 shows King Leonidas slaughtering his enemies, the camera zooming in and out to emphasize each kill and move Leonidas makes.

Snyder said "There are other superhero movies where they joke about how basically no one's getting hurt. That's not us. What is that message? That it's okay that there's this massive destruction with zero consequence for anyone? That's what Watchmen was about in a lot of ways too. There was a scene, that scene where Dan and Laurie get mugged. They beat up the criminals. I was like the first guy, I want to show his arm get broken. I want a compound fracture. I don't want it to be clean. I want you to go, 'Oh my God, I guess you're right. If you just beat up a guy in an alley he's not going to just be lying on the ground. It's going to be messy'."

The Netflix production Army of the Dead was a special project for Snyder as he served as his own cinematographer, as well as this being his first film shot digitally.

Reception

Director James Cameron has cited Snyder as an inspiration, praising his "cinematic language".

Personal life

In 2009, Snyder listed Excalibur, Mad Max 2, A Clockwork Orange, Blue Velvet, and RoboCop as his five favorite films.

Family

Snyder lives in Pasadena, California with his second wife, producer Deborah Johnson. The couple first met in 1996, began dating in 2002, and married on September 25, 2004, at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Manhattan, New York. He was previously married to Denise Weber.

Snyder has eight children: two biological children and two adopted daughters with Weber, two biological sons from a relationship with Kirsten Elin, and two adopted children with Johnson. The suicide of his daughter Autumn prompted Snyder to withdraw from post-production work on Justice League in May 2017 to be with his family, which resulted in Joss Whedon completing the film in his place.

Philanthropy

Following his daughter's suicide, Snyder became involved in philanthropic activities directed towards suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Snyder promoted this effort on social media by selling clothing and merchandise related to the Snyder Cut; in May 2021, it was revealed that this effort had raised more than $750,000 in charitable donations to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

In another effort to help with suicide prevention, Snyder included a billboard for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention with the message "You are not alone" in a scene in Zack Snyder's Justice League. The film features other tributes to his late daughter.

Snyder directed 2 PSAs for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2018.

In 2021, Snyder partnered with Save the Children, a global child rights organization, to build a 100-bed temporary hospital facility in Delhi to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Political views

Although his films have been accused of having right-wing messages,Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). In a 2021 interview with The Guardian, he stated:

I vote Democrat! I’m a true lover of individual rights. I’ve always been a super-strong advocate of women’s rights and a woman’s right to choose, and I’ve always been surrounded by powerful women. And, of course, I’m a huge advocate for the rights of all ethnicities and every walk of life. I would say I’m a pretty liberal guy. I want to make sure everyone’s heard and everyone feels included. I don’t have a rightwing political agenda. People see what they want to see. For me, that was not certainly the point.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

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Executive producer

Year	Title	Notes
2016	Suicide Squad	Also directed the Flash cameo scene
2018	Aquaman
2021	The Suicide Squad
2023	The Flash
	Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Short films

Year	Title	Credited as				Notes
		Director	Writer	Producer	DoP
1990	Playground	Yes	No	No	No	Direct-to-video documentary
2004	The Lost Tape: Andy's Terrifying Last Days Revealed	Yes	No	No	No
2009	Tales of the Black Freighter	No	Yes	Executive	No	Direct-to-video
	Under the Hood	No	No	Executive	No
2013	Superman 75th Anniversary	Yes	Story	No	No	Story co-written with Bruce Timm
2017	Snow Steam Iron	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Music videos

Year	Artist	Song
1989	Lizzy Borden	"Love Is a Crime"
1992	Peter Murphy	"You're So Close"
	Morrissey	"Tomorrow"
	Soul Asylum	"Somebody to Shove"
1993		"Black Gold"
	Alexander O'Neal	"In the Middle"
	Paul Westerberg	"World Class Fad"
1994	ZZ Top	"World of Swirl"
	Dionne Farris	"I Know"
1995	Rod Stewart	"Leave Virginia Alone"
2009	My Chemical Romance	"Desolation Row"

Television

Year	Title	Credited as			Notes
		Director	Writer	Executive Producer
2022	Teen Titans Go!	No	No	No	Guest star, Episode "365!"
TBA	Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas	Yes	No	Yes	In production
TBA	Twilight of the Gods	Yes	Yes	Yes	In production

Awards and nominations

Snyder's body of work has earned him a number of awards, including two Clio Awards and a Gold Lion Award for his Jeep "Frisbee" commercial. He also won the Society of British Advertisers Award for Humor for his controversial EB Beer commercial "General's Party".

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2004	Cannes Film Festival	Golden Camera	Dawn of the Dead	Nominated
2007	Golden Schmoes Award	Best Director of the Year	300	Nominated
	Hollywood Film Award	Hollywood Movie of the Year		Won
2008	Saturn Award	Best Director		Won
		Best Writing (Shared with Michael B. Gordon & Kurt Johnstad)		Nominated
2009	ShoWest Award	Director of the Year	Watchmen	Won
2010	Saturn Award	Best Director		Nominated
	SFX Award	Best Director		Nominated
	St. Louis Film Critics Association Award	Best Animated Feature Film	Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole	Nominated
2013	Hollywood Film Award	Hollywood Movie of the Year	Man of Steel	Nominated
2014	Jupiter Award	Best International Film		Nominated
2017	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Director	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice	Nominated
Jupiter Award	Best International Film	Nominated
Dragon Awards	Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie (Shared with Patty Jenkins, Allan Heinberg & Jason Fuchs	Wonder Woman	Won
Satellite Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay (Shared with Allan Heinberg & Jason Fuchs		Nominated
2018	American Film Institute		Top Ten Films of the Year (Shared with Charles Roven, Richard Suckle & Deborah Snyder)	Won
	Producers Guild of America Awards		Best Theatrical Motion Picture (Shared with Charles Roven, Richard Suckle & Deborah Snyder	Nominated
	Hugo Awards		Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form (Shared with Patty Jenkins, Allan Heinberg & Jason Fuchs	Won
2021	Hollywood Critics Association	Valiant Award	Himself	Won
	Dragon Awards	Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie	Zack Snyder's Justice League	Nominated
2022	Academy Awards	Oscars Cheer Moment	"The Flash enters the speed force" – Zack Snyder's Justice League	Won
		Oscars Fan Favorite	Army of the Dead	Won

Notes

References

1. ^ "Justice League: Zack Snyder quits movie after daughter kills herself". The Guardian. May 23, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
2. "Marsha Manley Snyder". geni_family_tree. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
3. Everhart, Bill (March 8, 2007). "Fan makes a film". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
4. "Marsha Snyder Obituary – Pittsfield, MA". The Berkshire Eagle. Legacy.com. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
5. "The North Adams Transcript from North Adams, Massachusetts · Page 15". Newspapers.com. May 5, 1958. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
6. ^ Louie, Elaine (February 18, 2011). "Off Screen, a Long-Running Romance". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
7. Zack Snyder Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED, retrieved May 23, 2021
8. Leonard, Devin (March 1, 2016). "Zack Snyder's Superhero Life". Bloomberg News. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
9. "Zack Snyder". ArtCenter College of Design.
10. "Dawn of the Dead - Production Notes". Media Atlantis. Universal Pictures. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
11. "Zack Snyder: Watchmen". SuicideGirls. March 5, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
12. Fischer, Russ (July 20, 2013). "Zack Snyder Will Direct Superman/Batman Movie Inspired by Frank Miller's 'The Dark Knight Returns'". /Film. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
13. Siegel, Tatiana (March 17, 2016). The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 4, 2016. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
14. {{Cite news| url= h
15. Lopez, Kristen (March 14, 2021). . {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
16. "Zack Snyder says he is developing a King Arthur movie". The New Indian Express. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
17. "Zack Snyder Is Writing His King Arthur Movie Set During The Gold Rush". ScreenRant. May 20, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
18. Kit, Borys (July 21, 2021). "Zack Snyder's Stone Quarry Productions Signs First-Look Film Deal With Netflix (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
19. "Zack Snyder Signs First-Look Deal With Netflix". Movies. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
20. Nicholson, Amy (February 26, 2009). "Slow and Steady". Box Office Magazine. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
21. Staskiewicz, Keith (July 2, 2015). "Zack Snyder defends Man of Steel ending". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
22. Mendelovich, Yossy (February 26, 2021). "'Army of the Dead' Trailer Is Out: Shot on RED Monstro by Cinematographer (and Director) Zack Snyder". Y.M.Cinema - News & Insights on Digital Cinema. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
23. Outlaw, Kofi (February 20, 2017). "James Cameron Praises Zack Snyder's Movies". Comicbook.com.
24. Newsweek Staff (March 7, 2009). "A Life in Movies: Zack Snyder". Newsweek.
25. Russell, Calum (July 14, 2022). "Zack Snyder names his five favourite films of all time". Far Out.
26. Louie, Elaine (October 3, 2004). "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS: VOWS; Deborah Johnson and Zack Snyder – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
27. Lovece, Frank (February 19, 2009). "CGI: 'Watchmen'--Zack Snyder brings superhero saga to the finish line". Film Journal International. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
28. Kit, Borys (May 22, 2017). "Zack Snyder Steps Down From 'Justice League' to Deal With Family Tragedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
29. "Zack Snyder Was Worried WB Would Sue Him if He Voiced Support for Snyder Cut Movement". DC.
30. Pollock, Sarabeth (March 20, 2021). "Zack Snyder's Justice League features billboard for suicide prevention". Culturess. Retrieved August 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
31. O'Connell, Sean (March 18, 2021). "Justice League's Debbie Snyder Shares A Beautiful Story Behind The Movie's American Foundation For Suicide Prevention Easter Egg". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved August 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
32. Acuna, Kirsten. "A billboard you might have missed in 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' has a double meaning for fans". Insider. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
33. Kanski, Alison (May 21, 2018). "'300' director Zack Snyder takes Leukemia & Lymphoma Society campaign in bolder direction". PRWeek. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
34. Hirwani, Peony (May 11, 2021). "Zack Snyder joins forces with Indian actor Huma Qureshi to build 100-bed temporary hospital facility in Delhi". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
35. McNary, Dave (September 3, 2020). "Zack Snyder's 'Army of the Dead' Gets Prequel Film, Anime Series at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
36. Robinson, Jacob. "Zack Snyder Norse Anime 'Twilight of the Gods': Cast Reveal & What We Know So Far".
37. "Zack Snyder". TVGuide.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
38. "Music and Sound for Picture". Hayden Clement.
39. "EB Beer "Generals' Party"". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.

External links

• Cruel and Unusual Films – Snyder's production company
• Zack Snyder at IMDb
• Zack Snyder at the TCM Movie Database

v t e Zack Snyder
Films directed	Dawn of the Dead (2004) 300 (2006) Watchmen (2009) Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) Sucker Punch (2011) Man of Steel (2013) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Justice League (2017) production Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) Army of the Dead (2021) Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (2023) Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)
Films produced	300: Rise of an Empire (2014, also co-writer) Wonder Woman (2017, also story co-writer) Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Army of Thieves (2021, also story co-writer)
Related	The Stone Quarry Deborah Snyder Army of the Dead (franchise)

v t e Saturn Award for Best Director

Mel Brooks (1974/75) Dan Curtis (1976) George Lucas / Steven Spielberg (1977) Philip Kaufman (1978) Ridley Scott (1979) Irvin Kershner (1980) Steven Spielberg (1981) Nicholas Meyer (1982) John Badham (1983) Joe Dante (1984) Ron Howard (1985) James Cameron (1986) Paul Verhoeven (1987) Robert Zemeckis (1988) James Cameron (1989/90) James Cameron (1991) Francis Ford Coppola (1992) Steven Spielberg (1993) James Cameron (1994) Kathryn Bigelow (1995) Roland Emmerich (1996) John Woo (1997) Michael Bay (1998) Lilly Wachowski and Lana Wachowski (1999) Bryan Singer (2000) Peter Jackson (2001) Steven Spielberg (2002) Peter Jackson (2003) Sam Raimi (2004) Peter Jackson (2005) Bryan Singer (2006) Zack Snyder (2007) Jon Favreau (2008) James Cameron (2009) Christopher Nolan (2010) J. J. Abrams (2011) Joss Whedon (2012) Alfonso Cuarón (2013) James Gunn (2014) Ridley Scott (2015) Gareth Edwards (2016) Ryan Coogler (2017) Jordan Peele (2018/2019) J. J. Abrams (2019/2020) Matt Reeves (2021/2022) James Cameron (2022/2023)

• 1966 births
• Living people
• Action film directors
• American Christian Scientists
• American feminists
• Advertising directors
• American male screenwriters
• American music video directors
• People from Green Bay, Wisconsin
• People from Riverside, Connecticut
• Connecticut Democrats
• Science fiction film directors
• Writers from Greenwich, Connecticut
• Film directors from Connecticut
• Hugo Award-winning writers
• Film directors from Wisconsin
• Screenwriters from Wisconsin
• Screenwriters from Connecticut
• Film producers from Wisconsin
• Film producers from Connecticut