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Ben Younger (born October 7, 1972) is an American screenwriter and film director.

Biography

Early life and career

Younger was born in Brooklyn, and raised in a Modern Orthodox Jewish household in Eltingville, Staten Island^[1] and in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.^{[citation needed]} He attended a yeshiva,^[1] before entering Queens College,^[1] part of the City University of New York, where he studied political science.^[2] While at university, he started performing comedy.^[1] After leaving university, he set his sights on a career in politics,^[2] taking on a role as a policy analyst for the New York City comptroller's office, where he served as a legislative aide to Alan Hevesi.^[1] After that, he successfully managed the State Assembly campaign for Queens Democrat Melinda Katz,^[1] becoming, at 21, the city's youngest ever campaign manager.^[3]

Despite his success, Younger became disenchanted with politics, and by 1995 started to seek a creative outlet that would rekindle the excitement he felt as a stand-up comedian.^[4] He wrote and directed a short film, L & M,^[2] as well as working on a number of feature films as a grip,^[2] and directing music videos and commercials.^[4]

Boiler Room

In 1995, he attended an interview for a job in a brokerage firm, and immediately conceived the idea that went on to become his first film, Boiler Room.^[1] He spent two years researching the underground telemarketing brokerage industry as background for his screenplay.^[1] Boiler Room was released in 2000. A corporate drama in the mold of Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross, with colorful dialogue that some critics compared to David Mamet,^[5]^[6] the film exposed the shady world of "chop shops" (underground brokerage firms), and starred Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nicky Katt, Jamie Kennedy, and Ben Affleck.

Prime

Younger's second film, Prime (2005), is a romantic comedy about the relationship between a young Jewish man and an older gentile woman. The film stars Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep. The movie was prominently featured in the HBO show Unscripted because Bryan Greenberg, star of Unscripted was also the male lead in Prime. Younger appeared as himself in the episodes where the movie was featured.^[7]

Bleed for This

Younger's third film Bleed for This is an American biographical drama based on the life of former World Champion Boxer Vinny Pazienza. Younger both wrote and directed. The film stars Miles Teller, Katey Sagal, Amanda Clayton and Aaron Eckhart, and is executive produced by Martin Scorsese. The film was released on November 18, 2016.

Other projects

In addition to his film projects, Younger has been published in The New Yorker, and has sold numerous television pilots to FX, NBC, ABC and Fox, to name a few.^[3]

Younger is a keen motorcycle racing enthusiast, and has expressed a desire to make a film about road racing.^[8]

Filmography

Director

Boiler Room (2000)
The Hit Man and the Investigator (2001)
The Car Thief and the Hit Man (2001)
Toothpaste (2004)
Prime (2005)
Army Wives (1 episode, 2007)
Bleed for This (2016)
The Vince Staples Show (2 episodes, 2024)

Producer

Maestro (1998)

Writer

Boiler Room (2000)
Prime (2005)
Bleed for This (2016)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film
2000	Deauville American Film Festival	Nominated	Grand Special Prize	Boiler Room
2000	Deauville American Film Festival	Won	Jury Special Prize	Boiler Room (Tied with Memento)
2001	Independent Spirit Award	Nominated	Best First Screenplay	Boiler Room
2001	Independent Spirit Award	Nominated	Best First Feature	Boiler Room (Shared with Jennifer Todd and Suzanne Todd)