Stephen Chbosky
Chbosky on theJericho panel at San Diego Comic-Con, 2006
Born	(1970-01-25)January 25, 1970 (age 56) Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Screenwriter director author
Years active	1995–present
Relatives	John Erick Dowdle (brother-in law)

Stephen Chbosky (/ʃəˈbɒski/;^[1] born January 25, 1970) is an American film director, screenwriter, and author. He is best-known for writing the bestsellingcoming-of-age novelThe Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), and writing and directing its 2012film adaptation. He also directed the dramaWonder (2017) and the2021 film adaptation ofDear Evan Hansen. His first psychological horror novel,Imaginary Friend, was published in October 2019.^[2][3]

Chbosky was born inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania, and was raised the suburb ofUpper St. Clair Township, Pennsylvania.^[4] He is the son of Lea (née Meyer), a tax preparer, and Fred G. Chbosky, a steel company executive and consultant to CFOs.^[4][5][6] Chbosky has a sister, Stacy, who is married to directorJohn Erick Dowdle.^[7][8] He was raised Jewish.^[9][10] As a teenager, Chbosky "enjoyed a good blend of the classics, horror, and fantasy."^[11] He was heavily influenced byJ. D. Salinger's novelThe Catcher in the Rye and the writing ofF. Scott Fitzgerald andTennessee Williams.^[11] Chbosky graduated fromUpper St. Clair High School in 1988, around which time he metStewart Stern, screenwriter of the 1955James Dean filmRebel Without a Cause. Stern became Chbosky's "good friend and mentor", and proved a major influence on Chbosky's career.^[12]

In 1992, Chbosky graduated from theUniversity of Southern California's Filmic Writing, screenwriting program.^[13] He wrote, directed, and acted in the 1995 independent filmThe Four Corners of Nowhere, which gained Chbosky his first agent. It also was accepted by theSundance Film Festival, and became one of the first films shown on theSundance Channel.^[6] In the late 1990s, Chbosky wrote several unproduced screenplays, including ones titledAudrey Hepburn's Neck andSchoolhouse Rock.^[14]

In 1994, Chbosky was working on a "very different type of book" thanThe Perks of Being a Wallflower when he wrote the line, "I guess that's just one of the perks of being a wallflower."^[11] Chbosky recalled that he "wrote that line. And stopped. And realized that somewhere in that [sentence] was the kid I was really trying to find."^[11] After several years of gestation, Chbosky began researching and writingThe Perks of Being a Wallflower, anepistolary novel that follows the intellectual and emotional maturation of a teenager who uses the alias Charlie over the course of his first year of high school. The book is semi-autobiographical; Chbosky has said that he "relate[s] to Charlie[...] But my life in high school was in many ways different."^[11]

The book, Chbosky's first novel, was published byPocket Books in 1999, and was an immediate popular success with teenage readers; by 2000, the novel was MTV Books' best-selling title,^[14] andThe New York Times noted in 2007 that it had sold more than 700,000 copies and "is passed from adolescent to adolescent like a hot potato".^[15] As of May 2013, the number of copies in print reached over two million.Wallflower also stirred up controversy due to Chbosky's portrayal ofteen sexuality anddrug use.^[16] The book has been removed from circulation in several schools and appeared on theAmerican Library Association's 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2022^[15][17][18] and 2023^[19] lists of the 10 most frequently challenged books. In July 2013,The Perks of Being a Wallflower had spent over a year on theNew York Times Bestseller list, and was published in 31 languages.

In 2000, Chbosky editedPieces, an anthology of short stories. The same year, he worked with director Jon Sherman on a film adaptation ofMichael Chabon's novelThe Mysteries of Pittsburgh,^[6] though the project fell apart by August 2000.^[20] Chbosky wrote the screenplay for the2005 film adaptation of the Broadwayrock musicalRent, which received mixed reviews.^[21] In late 2005, Chbosky said that he was writing a film adaptation ofThe Perks of Being a Wallflower.^[6]

In the mid-2000s, Chbosky decided, on the advice of his agent, to begin looking for work in television in addition to film.^[13] Finding he "enjoyed the people [he met who were working] in television",^[13] Chbosky agreed to serve as co-creator, executive producer, and writer of theCBSserial television dramaJericho, which premiered in September 2006. The series revolves around the inhabitants of the fictional small town ofJericho, Kansas in the aftermath of several nuclear attacks. Chbosky has said the relationship between Jake Green, the main character, and his mother, reflected "me and my mother in a lot of ways".^[13] The first season ofJericho had lacklusterratings, and CBS canceled the show in May 2007.^[22][23] Agrassroots campaign to revive the series convinced CBS to renew the series for a second season, which premiered on February 12, 2008, before being canceled once more in March 2008.^[24][25]

Chbosky wrote the screenplay of and directed the filmThe Perks of Being a Wallflower, based on his novel. Production took place in mid-2011, and the film was released in fall 2012. The film starredLogan Lerman,Emma Watson andEzra Miller. Chbosky was nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for the 2013Writers Guild Awards,^[26] and the film won the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature, as well as the 2013 People's Choice Award for Best Dramatic Movie.

Chbosky re-wroteEvan Spiliotopoulos original script for the 2017 live action reboot of Disney'sBeauty and the Beast, directed byBill Condon and starring Emma Watson asBelle andDan Stevens as the Beast. Chbosky and Watson developed a close relationship during the production ofThe Perks of Being a Wallflower. The adaptation was faithful to the original 1991 animated filmBeauty and the Beast, with all the original musical numbers included.^[27] The film was released on March 17, 2017.

Chbosky directed the 2017 filmWonder, co-written by Chbosky,Jack Thorne, andSteve Conrad and based on the 2012novel of the same name by R. J. Palacio. The film starredJulia Roberts,Owen Wilson, andJacob Tremblay,^[28] and was released on November 17, 2017.

On November 29, 2018,Universal Pictures announced that Chbosky was in talks to direct thefilm adaptation ofSteven Levenson andPasek & Paul'sTony Award-winning musical,Dear Evan Hansen.^[29] On June 11, 2020, he was officially confirmed to direct the film.^[30][31] It starsBen Platt in thetitle role, which he originated on Broadway, along withKaitlyn Dever,Amandla Stenberg,Nik Dodani,Colton Ryan,Amy Adams,Danny Pino andJulianne Moore.^[32] The film had its world premiere at the2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2021 as its Opening Night Gala Presentation,^[33] and was released in theaters on September 24, 2021.

In October 2019, Chbosky's second novel,Imaginary Friend, debuted as a Top 10The New York Times Best Seller.^[34][35]

Chbosky currently resides in Los Angeles, California.^[36] He credits screenwriterStewart Stern with inspiring him to be a writer.^[37]

Film

Television

• Stephen Chbosky atIMDb

• 1970 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American male writers
• 20th-century American novelists
• 20th-century American screenwriters
• 21st-century American male writers
• 21st-century American novelists
• 21st-century American screenwriters
• American male novelists
• American male screenwriters
• American people of Russian descent
• American young adult novelists
• Film directors from Pennsylvania
• Novelists from Pennsylvania
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• USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni
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• Directors Guild of America Award winners

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