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Born in 1966, Singer was brought up in southern New Jersey. Raised in a Jewish household, his early childhood was in part marked by his formation, with a couple of non-Jewish friends, of a so-called "Nazi Club." The existence of the club -- which, Singer has said, was formed more out of a fascination with WWII than as a slight to his own heritage -- was unsurprisingly put to a quick end by the director's mother. The incident catalyzed Singer's own awareness of his Jewish identity, something that would later inform his adaptation of Stephen King's Apt Pupil and cause one interviewer to label him (presumptuously, perhaps) as "young Hollywood's great Jewish hope."
Singer's upbringing was also marked by his interest in filmmaking, something he began pursuing as a teenager. Following his high school graduation, he was admitted to New York City's School of Visual Arts, but he transferred to USC to finish his studies. It was at USC that he met two of his future collaborators, composer and editor John Ottman and co-producer Kenneth Kokin. After graduation, Singer wrote and directed a short film called Lion's Den. Starring high school friend Ethan Hawke and filmed for a cost of $16,000, it told the story of a group of high school pals who reunite a few years after graduation and find that they are not as close as they once were. Lion's Den paved the way for Singer's next effort, Public Access. The director's first collaboration with screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, the independent feature was an examination of the dangers wrought by mass media upon a small town community, and it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Festival.
Two years later, Singer, in collaboration with McQuarrie, Ottman, and Kokin, had his true breakthrough with The Usual Suspects. A twisting, insanely intricate whodunit that was as remarkable for the strength of its ensemble cast (which featured Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri, Gabriel Byrne, and Pete Postlethwaite) as its almost obsessive complexity, the film was an unanticipated commercial and critical success, earning a slew of international awards that included Oscars for Spacey as Best Supporting Actor and McQuarrie for Best Original Screenplay.
Singer followed up The Usual Suspects three years later with Apt Pupil. The film, which was adapted from Stephen King's novella about a young boy (Brad Renfro) who enters into an unholy pact with a Nazi war criminal (Ian McKellen), was marked by hype from the beginning (mainly owing to a mild controversy stemming from charges that some of the film's young male actors were coerced into performing a scene naked -- charges that were eventually dropped), but ultimately proved to be a relative disappointment.
The director resurfaced in 2000 with X-Men. A much-anticipated adaptation of the beloved Marvel comic, it was Singer's most high-profile project to date, featuring a cast that included Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Anna Paquin and a budget of $75 million. Widely hailed by critics and audiences as one of the most successful comic book superhero screen adaptations to come down the pipe in quite some time, one of X-Men's greatest strengths was the remarkable sense of dimension imbued in the film's characters. Of course a health dose of hair-raising action didn't hurt either, and the film went on to become one of the summer's biggest hits - with anticipation running high for a sequel.
Of course having taken so much time to perfect the first film, Singer was understandably protective of the franchise and in no rush to crank out a by-the-numbers, quick cash-in sequel; a fact that resulted in skyrocketing expectations on the part of fans and much speculation as to where he would go with the series. By the time X2 hit theaters in early May of 2003, it had been three years since the first film floored audiences and the sense of anticipation was palpable. Fortunately, Singer had once again crafted a finely tuned adaptation that remained remarkably true to the characters while cranking up the stakes and action to a fever pitch. X2 was generally regarded as at the very least an equal to its predecessor, and many fans voiced the opinion that it actually did X-Men one better. By the time X-Men 3 was announced later that same year, fans could rest relatively assured that the scheduled premiere date of 2006 ensured that Singer (again attached as writer and director), would indeed take his time to ensure a top quality third-installment for the popular series.
Filmography: Apt Pupil, Star Trek: Nemesis, Superman Returns, X-Men, X-Men 2,
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