Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was born in New York City, the birthplace of many creative minds, and grew up in Los Angeles, a city that has been the backdrop for countless stories and productions. His parents, both television producers, instilled in him a passion for the industry from a young age.
At the tender age of 15, Abrams began to make his mark on the film world by writing the music for Don Dohler's Nightbeast in 1982. This early start set the stage for his future endeavors. In his senior year of college, he teamed up with Jill Mazursky to write a feature film, which would later become Taking Care of Business in 1990.
Abrams continued to hone his craft, writing and producing Regarding Henry in 1991 and Forever Young in 1992. He also co-wrote Gone Fishin' with Mazursky in 1997. His work in the industry allowed him to experiment with computer animation and, he was contracted to develop pre-production animation for the beloved animated film Shrek in 2001.
In addition to his work in film, Abrams also made a name for himself in television. He worked on the screenplay for Armageddon in 1998 and co-created the popular television series Felicity, composing the opening theme music. He also co-wrote episodes of the show.
In 2001, Abrams founded the production company Bad Robot with Bryan Burk. This marked the beginning of a new era in his career, as he went on to create and executive-produce the hit television series Alias and Lost, composing the theme music for both. He also co-wrote and produced the thriller Joy Ride in 2001.
Abrams made his feature directing debut with Mission: Impossible III in 2006, successfully reinvigorating the series. He went on to produce the hit mystery film Cloverfield in 2008 and co-create the television series Fringe.
In 2009, Abrams directed the Star Trek reboot, which was met with widespread acclaim from fans and newcomers alike. He next directed the coming-of-age film Super 8 in 2011, co-produced by the legendary Steven Spielberg. He also produced Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in the same year.
Abrams returned to the Star Trek franchise in 2013, directing the sequel Star Trek Into Darkness. He continued to work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, producing Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation in 2015.
In 2015, Disney and Lucasfilm announced Abrams as the chosen director for the first episode in the new Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Although he initially resisted the opportunity, citing concerns about traveling away from his family to London, Kathleen Kennedy convinced him that his unique voice would be the perfect fit to reinvigorate the franchise.
Abrams continued to work on the Star Wars franchise, producing Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi in 2017. When Colin Trevorrow departed from directing Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, Abrams was announced as the new director, completing the trilogy he started.
