Robert Siegel

ROBERT SIEGEL

ROBERT SIEGEL makes his directorial debut with Big Fan.

A native of Merrick, Long Island, Siegel graduated from the University of Michigan in 1993 with a B.A. in history and no thoughts of becoming a filmmaker. In 1994, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin to be with his then-girlfriend, who was pursuing a PhD at the University of Wisconsin. It was there in Madison in the fall of 1994 that Siegel came across an obscure local humor publication called The Onion. He immediately began writing for the paper, rising to editor-in-chief by the summer of 1996. Over the next eight years, Siegel presided over The Onion’s rise to national prominence, spearheading its transition to the Internet and overseeing the publication of several Onion-branded books, including Our Dumb Century, a New York Times number-one bestseller and winner of the 1999 Thurber Prize For American Humor.

In 2001, Siegel and the editorial staff of The Onion relocated from Madison to New York City. In 2003, Siegel, ready for a new challenge, left The Onion to pursue a career in screenwriting. Over the next four years, he worked on numerous studio projects, including the Judd Apatow-produced The Recruiter at Universal and Warner Brothers' Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, with Johnny Depp attached to star.

In 2003, Siegel met with director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), who was interested in a script Siegel wrote called Paul Aufiero (later retitled Big Fan). Though Aronofsky did not wind up directing it, he contacted Siegel a short time later to ask if he was interested in writing a film set in the world of professional wrestling. Siegel accepted the offer, which eventually resulted in the critically acclaimed The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. The Fox Searchlight film, currently in theaters, won the Golden Lion statue at the 2008 Venice Film Festival and was the closing night selection at the New York Film Festival.

Siegel lives near Union Square in New York City with his wife and son.