Jason Reitman Bio
Jason R. Reitman (born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian and American filmmaker whose work behind the camera has earned him a reputation as one of the most distinctive directors of his generation. He is best known for directing the films Thank You for Smoking (2005), Juno (2007), Up in the Air (2009), Young Adult (2011), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and Saturday Night (2024). Across his career he has received one Grammy Award, one Golden Globe, and four Academy Award nominations, including two for Best Director. He frequently collaborates with screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Gil Kenan, and he is the son of legendary filmmaker Ivan Reitman.
Jason Reitman Early Life and Background
Jason Reitman was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on October 19, 1977. He is the son of Geneviève Robert, an actress sometimes billed as Geneviève Deloir, and film director Ivan Reitman (1946–2022). His father was born in Czechoslovakia to Jewish parents who were Holocaust survivors, while his mother comes from a French-Canadian Christian background and later converted to Judaism. Reitman has two younger sisters: Catherine Reitman, an actress, producer, and writer three years his junior, and Caroline Reitman, a nurse twelve years younger.
When Jason was still a child, his family relocated to Los Angeles. He grew up on movie sets, and there are photographs of him as a baby on the set of Animal House in 1978. While filming Ghostbusters, Bill Murray described young Jason as “a pain in the ass,” and Dan Aykroyd joked that “he was directing back then.” Those early experiences showed him that filmmaking is “a job that people do, that it’s not just this piece of magic that happens.” He later described his younger self as “a loser…a movie geek…and shy.”
Reitman graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in 1995, where he competed as a high jumper coached by Occidental College Hall-of-Famer Phil Sweeney. He then attended Skidmore College, where he initially intended to major in pre-med studies, before transferring to the University of Southern California (USC) to study English and Creative Writing. At USC, he performed with the improv group Commedus Interruptus.
Jason Reitman Path to Director
Reitman’s path to directing began almost as soon as he could stand. In the late 1980s, he started appearing in small acting parts and working as a production assistant on his father’s films. He also spent time in editing rooms learning the craft from the ground up. While at USC he began making short films, and throughout his twenties he turned down offers to direct commercial features, including the comedy Dude, Where’s My Car?, in favor of developing his own material and shooting advertisements.
Before launching his feature career, Reitman wrote and directed six short films. He financed his first short, Operation, with money he earned selling ads in desk calendars, and the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998. In March 2006, he co-founded the production company Hard C Productions with producing partner Daniel Dubiecki, and the company secured an overall deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures, the distributor of his first two films. He later formed Right of Way Films in 2009.
Jason Reitman Career
Early Career (2005)
Reitman’s first feature film, Thank You for Smoking, opened in 2005. He developed Christopher Buckley’s novel into a screenplay and ultimately a film that was both a commercial and critical success, grossing over $39 million worldwide and earning two Golden Globe nominations. The picture established his voice as a director interested in sharp satire and character-driven storytelling.
His second feature, Juno, generated enormous buzz after premiering at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in December 2007. The film became Roger Ebert’s favorite of 2007 and earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Elliot Page’s performance, Diablo Cody’s original screenplay, and Reitman himself for Best Director. Juno grossed over $140 million at the U.S. box office, making it the most successful film of Reitman’s career at that point. He also took home Best Director honors at the 2008 Canadian Comedy Awards for his work on the film.
Breakthrough (2009)
In the spring of 2009, Reitman directed Up in the Air, starring George Clooney. Based on the Walter Kirn novel about a corporate downsizer chasing his ten millionth frequent flier mile, the film featured real people who had recently been downsized cast in supporting roles. Reitman described it as “hidden within a film that seems to be about corporate termination and the economy is a movie about the decision whether to be alone or not.” The screenplay, co-written with Sheldon Turner, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay in 2010.
During this period, Reitman also executive produced the erotic thriller Chloe, theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics on March 26, 2010. He helped persuade Amanda Seyfried to take a starring role, and the film became director Atom Egoyan’s biggest moneymaker to date. He later directed the 2011 film Young Adult, again re-teaming with Diablo Cody, and continued directing commercials for brands including Wal-Mart, Burger King, Nintendo, BMW, and Buick.
Notable Works and Milestones
Among Reitman’s signature works, Juno and Up in the Air stand out as career-defining achievements, each earning multiple Academy Award nominations and major industry recognition. On January 15, 2019, he announced Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a continuation of his father’s original Ghostbusters films, which was originally slated for a June 2021 release before being pushed to November 11, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After that film’s success, he and writing partner Gil Kenan signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop further projects. On October 11, 2024, Reitman directed and co-wrote with Kenan Saturday Night, a comedy biopic depicting the events directly preceding the live broadcast of Saturday Night Live’s first episode on October 11, 1975.
Jason Reitman Award Nominations
Jason Reitman has earned four Academy Award nominations across his career, two of them for Best Director, along with nominations from the Golden Globes and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. His recognition spans his work as a writer, director, and producer, with nominations tied to the films Thank You for Smoking, Juno, and Up in the Air. These nominations reflect consistent peer acknowledgment of his ability to blend sharp writing with character-focused filmmaking.
Jason Reitman Awards Won
Reitman has collected one Grammy Award and one Golden Globe Award, along with other industry honors. His Golden Globe win came alongside Sheldon Turner for Best Screenplay for Up in the Air in 2010, and he also took home the Best Director prize at the 2008 Canadian Comedy Awards for Juno. These victories mark him as both a writer-director and a producer whose projects resonate with audiences and industry voters alike.
Jason Reitman Family
Jason Reitman is the son of director Ivan Reitman (1946–2022) and actress Geneviève Robert. He has two younger sisters: Catherine Reitman, an actress, producer, and writer, and Caroline Reitman, a nurse. His late father directed such iconic films as Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Stripes, and Kindergarten Cop, and that heritage shaped Jason’s path into the family business from a very young age.
Personal Life
Reitman holds dual citizenship in Canada and the United States. He was married to writer Michele Lee, with whom he co-wrote the 2004 comedic short Consent, and they share one daughter, Josie, born in 2006. After ten years together, he filed for divorce in June 2011 and was officially divorced as of 2014. He is a self-described libertarian.
