Paul Weitz

Born: 1965
Where: New York, USA

The director and writer scored a box office hit with his brother thanks to his debut, the gross-out comedy American Pie.

However, he has also displayed a subtler side with his wry adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel About A Boy, starring Hugh Grant.

The son of actress Susan Kohner and the late fashion designer and novelist John Weitz, he began his career as a playwright.

After studying film at Connecticut's Wesleyan University, his play Mango Tea was produced by New York's off Broadway Ensemble Studio Theatre with Marisa Tomei.

Together with his brother Chris Weitz, he wrote the screenplay for the animated saga Antz and the pair went on to work together on American Pie in 1999.

(They formed a team while Chris - who studied English at Cambridge University - was waiting the standard year to be accepted into the diplomatic corps).

In 2000, the brothers scripted Nutty Professor II and wrote and directed the indie hit "stalker-dramedy" Chuck and Buck.

The following year they helmed the reincarnation comedy Down To Earth with Chris Rock but it failed to repeat the success of American Pie.

However, About A Boy, featuring an adaptation of Hornby's bestselling novel, showed a deeper side to their comedy helped by an against type performance from Grant.

In 2004, Paul Weitz wrote and directed the moderate comedy In Good Company with Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson.