Ed Solomon
American filmmaker
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Edward James Solomon (born September 15, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for creating the Bill & Ted franchise alongside Chris Matheson; together wrote the screenplays to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). He also wrote the screenplay for Men in Black (1997), and Now You See Me (2013).
September 15, 1960
Ed Solomon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward James Solomon September 15, 1960 Saratoga, California, U.S. |
| Occupations | Screenwriter, director, producer |
| Spouse |
Cynthia Cleese
(m. 1995; div. 2011) |
| Children | 2 |
Career
Solomon grew up in suburban Boston, until his family moved to California. He went to UCLA and majored in Economics while beginning his career as a joke writer, stand-up comedian, and playwright.[1] While still in college, he was a staff writer for Laverne & Shirley – making him (at the time) the youngest member of the Writers Guild of America. He then spent three years writing the cult Showtime TV series, It's Garry Shandling's Show, before venturing into feature films in the 1980s. He helped create and co-write the critically acclaimed comedies Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (with Chris Matheson). Solomon also worked on a number of hit franchise films, including Men in Black, Charlie's Angels, and the Now You See Me films.
Solomon worked on an early version of a Universal The Invisible Man remake,[2] with Johnny Depp. In March 2016 he completed production on Mosaic, a 12-hour long-form TV project for HBO in collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh.[3] This production was the first in a series of collaborations with Soderbergh, including the neo-noir film No Sudden Move in 2021, and the crime series Full Circle, which premiered July 13, 2023.[4]
Personal life
He was married from 1995 to 2011 to Cynthia Cleese, daughter of Connie Booth and John Cleese.[5][6] They have two children.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure | Yes | No | Stephen Herek |
| 1991 | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey | Yes | Co-producer | Peter Hewitt |
| 1992 | Leaving Normal | Yes | Associate | Edward Zwick |
| Mom and Dad Save the World | Story | No | Greg Beeman | |
| 1993 | Super Mario Bros. | Yes | No | Rocky Morton Annabel Jankel |
| 1997 | Men in Black | Yes | No | Barry Sonnenfeld |
| 2000 | What Planet Are You From? | Yes | No | Mike Nichols |
| Charlie's Angels | Yes | No | McG | |
| 2003 | The In-Laws | Yes | No | Andrew Fleming |
| Levity | Yes | Yes | Himself | |
| 2009 | Imagine That | Yes | Yes | Karey Kirkpatrick |
| 2013 | Now You See Me | Yes | No | Louis Leterrier |
| Rapture-Palooza | No | Yes | Paul Middleditch | |
| 2016 | Now You See Me 2 | Yes | Executive | Jon M. Chu |
| 2020 | Bill & Ted Face the Music | Yes | Yes | Dean Parisot |
| 2021 | No Sudden Move | Yes | No | Steven Soderbergh |
| 2025 | The Christophers | Yes | TBA |
Acting credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure | Stupid Waiter | |
| 1991 | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey | "Stupid" Seance Member | |
| 1992 | Leaving Normal | Jerk in Bar | As Edward Solomon |
| Mom and Dad Save the World | Destroyer #13 | ||
| 2010 | Barry Munday | Doctor #2 | |
| 2020 | Bill & Ted Face the Music | Stupid Demon |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Soundtrack | Lyrics: "No on Fifteen" |
| 2000 | The Prime Gig | Special thanks | |
| X-Men | Uncredited revision | ||
| 2005 | Paradise Now | Special thanks | |
| 2008 | Choke |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–1983 | Laverne & Shirley | No | Yes | No | 3 episodes |
| 1986–1989 | It's Garry Shandling's Show | No | Yes | No | 8 episodes; Also script consultant |
| 1990 | The Dave Thomas Comedy Show | No | Yes | No | |
| 1992 | Arresting Behavior | Yes | No | No | |
| 1999 | The Unbelievables | Yes | Yes | Yes | Television pilot |
| 2017–2018 | Mosaic | No | Yes | No | |
| 2023 | Full Circle | No | Yes | Yes |