Biography of M. Night Shyamalan
From day one, the Indian-born director was laser-focused on conquering Hollywood. M. Night Shyamalan's early works flew completely under the radar. However, everything changed in 1999 when the thriller "The Sixth Sense," which received six Oscar nominations, was released. The following year, "Unbreakable" cemented his reputation as the master of twist endings.His career took a rollercoaster turn: in just 7 years, he plummeted from Oscar nominee to Razzie winner. Bigger budgets seemed to spell disaster: while "The Village" and "Signs" had a positive impact on Shyamalan's reputation, "Lady in the Water" and "The Last Airbender" nearly destroyed it.
Early Years
M. Night Shyamalan was born on August 6, 1970, in the Indian town of Mahe in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. His father, Nelliate C. Shyamalan, was of Malayali heritage and worked as a neurologist. His mother, an ethnic Tamil, was also connected to the medical field as an obstetrician-gynecologist.When their son was just six weeks old, the family emigrated to the USA. The future director grew up in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. Though raised Hindu at home, he attended a private Catholic school and later an Episcopal academy. At both schools, he felt like an outsider – teachers constantly reminded him he was a non-believer.
Fortunately, as a teenager, he discovered the passion that would change everything.
In 1985, his father gifted M. Night a Super 8 camera. He made his first films with it, trying to emulate his idol Steven Spielberg. Over two years, Shyamalan cranked out 45 short home movies, already drawn to mystical themes, and knew he wanted to make films for a living. His mother supported his passion, but his father wanted him to follow in his medical footsteps and felt disappointed.M. Night ShyamalanWhen I was 14, I was seeing off my grandmother at the airport. I wandered into a small bookstore and stumbled upon a book by Spike Lee about his early directing experiences. If I hadn't found that book, I might never have become a director.
M. Night earned an academic scholarship and enrolled at New York University in 1988. He also studied at a local school of arts, which he graduated from in 1992.
Early Films
In 1992, Shyamalan shot his debut feature film in India. "Praying with Anger" follows a young Indian man from Philadelphia searching for his roots in his ancestral homeland—a semi-autobiographical story with Shyamalan himself in the lead role. He borrowed money for the production from his family and friends.While trying to break into Hollywood and find his signature style, the director found success as a screenwriter. He rewrote the script for the 1999 teen comedy "She's All That"—though as Shyamalan revealed 15 years later, he was essentially a "ghostwriter" since his name didn't even appear in the credits. M. Night also created the script for the family film "Stuart Little," which was sold to Walt Disney Studios for $2.5 million. The deal was brokered by Bruce Willis.
Shyamalan met the Hollywood actor on the set of his third film "The Sixth Sense." The director drew inspiration from an episode of the TV series "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" for his mystical thriller. The main roles in the film were performed by Willis, Haley Joel Osment, and Toni Collette.
The film's 1999 premiere hit like a bombshell. Both regular viewers and critics started talking about Shyamalan. Critics especially praised his fresh take on the supernatural and that jaw-dropping twist ending that left audiences reeling. The film received numerous award nominations, including Shyamalan's first Oscar nomination for "Best Director." However, he lost the coveted statue in 2000 to Sam Mendes for "American Beauty."
That same year, the prolific filmmaker released another film, once again starring Bruce Willis in the lead. It was the thriller "Unbreakable," where Samuel L. Jackson also starred. Though the film didn't pack the same punch, Shyamalan had firmly established himself in Hollywood, proving "The Sixth Sense" wasn't a fluke.
The director also connected with his idol Steven Spielberg, who brought the young filmmaker onto the script for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The film performed decently at the box office but got savaged by critics.
In 2002, the director worked with other Hollywood celebrities: Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. The actors starred in Shyamalan's thriller "Signs," which set a box office record among Shyamalan's works, earning over $400 million.
A few years later, the director released "The Village," about a group of people terrified to leave their isolated settlement. By then, Shyamalan had already earned his reputation as a master of mystery, cementing his status with each new project. The main roles in "The Village" were played by Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, and Sigourney Weaver. The film made money but drew mixed reviews from critics, who noted that the director was becoming repetitive.
Crisis
In 2006, the director released the fantasy thriller "Lady in the Water," reuniting with Bryce Dallas Howard. Jeffrey Wright and Paul Giamatti rounded out the cast. The story of a water nymph and an apartment building superintendent proved to be a disaster. The film bombed at the box office and was savaged by critics. Shyamalan caught heat not only as director but also as an actor—he cast himself as a writer-messiah. The movie earned four Golden Raspberry nominations, with M. Night taking home two: "Worst Director" and "Worst Supporting Actor."From the early 2010s, the director's career hit a rough patch. He focused on big-budget projects, and each new release consistently flopped. This included the fantasy film "The Last Airbender" (2010), which won 5 Golden Raspberry Awards including "Worst Picture," and the drama "After Earth" (2013) with Will and Jaden Smith, also racking up Razzie nominations. Critics noted that Shyamalan struggled with large-scale, action-heavy sequences.
During this stretch, only Shyamalan's screenwriting work found success—the horror film "Devil" (2010), directed by John Erick Dowdle, unexpectedly hit the mark on a modest budget. This pushed the filmmaker to return to his strengths—crafting low-budget mystical thrillers with his signature atmospheric style.M. Night ShyamalanAfter 'Lady in the Water,' they called me an egomaniac and a fraud. After 'The Last Airbender,' I was a hack again. Critics' reviews swing so wildly they can't be taken seriously.
Career Peak
In 2015, the horror movie "The Visit" was released, telling the story of children sent to stay with their grandparents, where they encountered an unexpected reception. The film was Shyamalan's lowest-budget work, at just $5 million. At the box office, however, the movie grossed nearly $100 million and was praised by critics. Experts noted that Shyamalan managed to "recover his lost signature style." The director was even nominated for the Razzie Redeemer Award.Three years later, the movie "Glass" was released, concluding Shyamalan's trilogy that began with "Unbreakable" and continued with "Split." Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and James McAvoy returned to their roles. The film was financially successful, but critics noted its lack of originality and called the viewing experience disappointing.
The film "Old," released in 2021, also received mixed reviews. Gael García Bernal and Rufus Sewell played the leading roles. The plot follows people on an island where they age rapidly in just a couple of days.
The thriller "Knock at the Cabin," released in 2023, was praised for its suspenseful atmosphere and the performances of Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, and other stars, but was criticized for its script. In reviews, critics began calling Shyamalan an "inconsistent director" whose films leave audiences unsure "what to expect."
The director also had experience working on TV series. In 2021, the mystical series "Servant" began airing on AppleTV+, with Shyamalan serving as showrunner. The show ran for four seasons and received mixed audience ratings.
M. Night Shyamalan's Personal Life
Shyamalan met his future wife while studying at New York University. In 1993, he married psychologist Bhavna Vaswani, who is of Indian descent. Three years later, their eldest daughter Saleka was born. The couple later had two more daughters.The director's daughters also chose creative careers. His youngest daughter, Ishana, became a director and in 2024 released her debut film – the thriller "The Watchers" starring Dakota Fanning.
Shyamalan's eldest daughter Saleka became a successful R&B singer. She released her first single in 2020, and two years later, her debut album came out. She also recorded the soundtrack for the series "Servant."
The director and his family lived for many years on an estate near Philadelphia. In 2023, he bought a large building complex from the Rockefeller family in Willistown, Chester County, Pennsylvania.
M. Night Shyamalan Now
In early 2023, it was announced that M. Night Shyamalan had started working on his next film. In spring 2024, a trailer for the upcoming film was released. The film is titled "The Trap." The main character, played by Josh Hartnett, brings a child to a concert of a popular singer (played by Saleka Shyamalan). He soon realizes that the performance is bait for a maniac, and the criminal is among the audience. The thriller was scheduled for release on August 2, 2024. Critics had high expectations for the film.Interesting Facts
- Shyamalan kept all 45 home movies he'd made by age 17 and actually recycled scenes from them in his later feature films.
- During film school, he started going by "Night" for convenience and eventually made it official on all his documents.
- In 2004, the SyFy channel aired a documentary claiming young Shyamalan had fallen through ice, nearly drowned, and was clinically dead for 30 minutes—giving him the ability to speak with spirits. The network later admitted (along with Shyamalan) that the whole thing was completely made up.
- Shyamalan faced multiple plagiarism accusations over the years. In 2003, screenwriter Robert McIlhinney spotted similarities between "Signs" and his unpublished script. A year later, author Margaret Peterson Haddix claimed "The Village" borrowed heavily from one of her novels. Shyamalan's team dismissed all claims as baseless.