Michael Bay

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February 17, 1965

Michael Benjamin Bay

Dated Playboy centerfold Jaime Bergman (45th Anniversary Playmate)

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Producer

2012 Uncharted Territory: NASA's Future Then and Now (video documentary short) (executive producer)

2012 Above and Beyond: Exploring Dark of the Moon (video documentary) (executive producer)

2012 The Hauntrepreneur (executive producer)

2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (executive producer)

2011 I Am Number Four (producer)

2010 A Nightmare on Elm Street (producer)

2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (executive producer)

2009 Friday the 13th (producer)

2009 The Unborn (producer)

2009 Horsemen (producer)

2007 From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack (video documentary short) (executive producer)

2007 Our World (video documentary) (executive producer)

2007 Their War (video documentary) (executive producer)

2007 Transformers (executive producer)

2007 The Hitcher (producer)

2006 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (producer)

2005 Pissed (consulting producer)

2005 The Island (producer)

2005 The Amityville Horror (producer)

2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (producer)

2001 Pearl Harbor (producer)

1998 Armageddon (producer)

Director

2011 Transformers

2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon

2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

2007 Transformers

2005 The Island

2003 The Lionel Richie Collection (video documentary) (video "Do It to Me")

2003 Bad Boys II

2001 Pearl Harbor

1998 Armageddon

1996 The Rock

1995 Bad Boys

1994 Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell II - Picture Show (video) (music videos)

1992 Shadows and Light: From a Different View (video documentary short)

1991 Great White: My... My... My... the Video Collection (video) (video "Call It Rock N' Roll")

1990 Playboy Video Centerfold: Kerri Kendall (video documentary)

Actor

2011 Kenny Powers: The K-Swiss MFCEO (short)

2003 Bad Boys II

2001 Zigs

2000 Coyote Ugly

1999 Mystery Men

1998 Armageddon (uncredited)

1986 Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo (TV movie)

1986 Miami Vice (TV series)

Appearances

2012 Making of Transformers the Ride 3D (TV documentary)

2012 Uncharted Territory: NASA's Future Then and Now (video documentary short)

2012 Above and Beyond: Exploring Dark of the Moon (video documentary)

2011 Kenny Powers: The K-Swiss MFCEO (short)

2011 33rd Moscow International Film Festival (TV special)

2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 35mm Special (TV movie)

2011 Attack of the Show! (TV series)

2010 A Man's Story (documentary)

2007-2010 Entertainment Tonight (TV series)

2010 The Buried Life (TV series documentary)

2009 A Day with Bay: Tokyo (video documentary short)

2009 The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen (video documentary)

2009 25 Years of Transformers (video documentary short)

2009 Xposé (TV series)

2009 2009 MTV Movie Awards (TV special)

2008 2008 MTV Movie Awards (TV special)

2008 The 80th Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

2007 Sunday Morning Shootout (TV series)

2007 Their War (video documentary)

2007 Our World (video documentary)

2007 From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack (video documentary short)

2003-2007 HBO First Look (TV series documentary)

2007 Up Close with Carrie Keagan (TV series)

2007 On the Lot (TV series)

2007 Down to the Bone: Anatomy of a Prequel (video documentary)

2005 The Future in Action (video short)

2005 The Source of Evil (video documentary short)

2004 Chainsaw Redux: Making a Massacre (video documentary)

2002 2002 ABC World Stunt Awards (TV special)

2002 Playboy: Inside the Playboy Mansion (TV documentary)

2001 Beyond the Movie: Pearl Harbor (TV documentary)

2001 Journey to the Screen: The Making of 'Pearl Harbor' (TV documentary)

2001 Breaking the Silence: The Making of 'Hannibal' (video documentary)

1996-2001 Mundo VIP (TV series)

2000 Conversations with Jerry Bruckheimer (video documentary short)

2000 Making the Boom and the Bang in 'Bad Boys' (video documentary short)

2000 Short Insanity 6 (video documentary)
Himself (segment "Franky Goes to Hollywood")

2000 Playboy: The Party Continues (TV documentary)

1999 The Directors (TV series documentary)

1998 Franky Goes to Hollywood (documentary short)

1996 Movie Magic (TV series documentary)

1994 Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell II - Picture Show (video)

1992 Shadows and Light: From a Different View (video documentary short)

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films

1999 Won Saturn Award Best Director for: Armageddon (1998).

DVD Exclusive Awards

2003 Nominated DVD Premiere Award Best New, Enhanced or Reconstructed Movie Scenes for: Pearl Harbor (2001). For the overall new and extended scenes included in director's cut. For the Director's Cut (Vista Series)

2003 Nominated DVD Premiere Award Best Overall New Extra Features, New Release for: Pearl Harbor (2001) for the director's cut (Vista series)

Directors Guild of America

1995 Won DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials For California Milk: Aaron Burr; Vending Machine; Baby and Cat / Miller Lite: Big Lawyer Round-Up / Nike: Deion Sanders

Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA

2008 Won Filmmaker's Award

SFX Awards, UK

2010 Nominated SFX Award Best Film Director
for: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

ShoWest Convention, USA

2009 Won ShoWest Vanguard Award Excellence in Filmmaking

World Stunt Awards

2002 Won Action Movie Director Award

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I make movies for teenage boys. Oh, dear, what a crime.

There are tons of people who hate me. They hate my movies and whatnot. But you know, hey, my films have made a lot of money around the world. 2-something billion dollars, that's a lot of tickets. They said that I wrecked cinema. They said that my, uh...cutting style. They say I cut too fast. And yet now you see it in movies everywhere. Do I take pride in people knowing my style? I think it's nice people know a director has a style. And you can reinvent yourself too.

To tell the truth, shooting action bores me now. But the audience has grown to like what I do and expect visually stimulating excitement. Staying in that genre is me being safe.

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American film director and producer, Michael Bay is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects.

He was raised by his adoptive parents Harriet, a bookstore owner/child psychiatrist, and Jim, a CPA.

He attended the exclusive Crossroads School, in Santa Monica, California.

He graduated from Wesleyan University.

He often traces his interest in action films back to an incident during his childhood. As a boy, he attached some firecrackers to a toy train and filmed the ensuing fiery disaster with his mother's 8mm camera. The fire department was called and he was grounded.

He spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business.

Received a post-graduate degree in Film at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design in California.

He is co-founder of commercial production house The Institute, a.k.a. The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness.

He is co-chair and part-owner of the digital effects house Digital Domain.

He co-owns Platinum Dunes, a production house which has remade horror movies including “Friday the 13th”, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, and “A Nightmare on Elm Street”.

All his films have at least one shot of a man screaming in slow motion. Usually as a battle cry.

His films feature extensive product placement.

He is a very close friend of writer/director George Lucas from whom he often seeks advice.

One of 20 prominent filmmakers to sign a letter in protest of Premium Video on Demand, which allows films to be streamed by home viewers at a cost of $30 only 60 days after the film's release in theaters.

Turned down offers to direct:

Van Helsing (2004)

Man on Fire (2004)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Red Dragon (2002)

Salary

Bad Boys (1995) $100,000 (directing fee)

Pearl Harbor (2001) $25,000,000 (Director's Gross Earnings)

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