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01
He created his middle name Night while in college.
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02
Disney paid him $5 million to write Signs 2002, making him the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood at the time.
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03
By age 17, he had completed 45 homemade movies.
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04
He turned down the opportunity to direct the Harry Potter franchise on three separate occasions, including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 2001 due to post-production on Unbreakable 2000.
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05
His three supernatural thrillers The Sixth Sense 1999, Unbreakable 2000, and Signs 2002 grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide.
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06
As a child, he made many films with a video camera; on DVD releases of his theatrical films, he includes a scene from one of his childhood films that marks his first attempt at the same genre.
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07
He maintains his offices and screening room in a converted barn in suburban Philadelphia.
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08
His six favorite movies are Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981, The Exorcist 1973, Die Hard 1988, Psycho 1960, Nayakan 1987, and Reservoir Dogs 1992.
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09
His film Wide Awake 1998 was one of the year’s lowest-grossing films, while The Sixth Sense 1999 was the second-highest-grossing film of 1999, behind Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
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10
His parents, wife, and nine other family members are MDs or Ph.Ds.
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11
He is an avid comic book fan, a passion evident in his film Unbreakable 2000.
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12
The silver charm he wears around his neck was given by his father and contains Sanskrit proverbs for protection.
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13
His name is pronounced SHAH-ma-lawn.
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14
He is known for casting A-list actors of his first choice in roles written specifically for them, including Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense 1999, Samuel L. Jackson in Unbreakable 2000, and Mel Gibson in Signs 2002.
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15
His inspiration for The Sixth Sense 1999 came from an episode of The Tale of the Dream Girl 1994 directed by David Winning.
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16
He was offered but turned down the chance to direct The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2005.
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17
He has made on-screen appearances in several of his own movies, beginning with a lead role in Praying with Anger 1992 and including cameos in The Sixth Sense 1999, Unbreakable 2000, Signs 2002, The Village 2004, and Lady in the Water 2006.
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18
He was set to direct an original screenplay called The Connected for Fox, starring Bruce Willis, Bradley Cooper, and Gwyneth Paltrow, but the project collapsed in 2011 for unknown reasons.
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19
He was offered the chance to write and direct new versions of Spider-Man circa 2000 and Superman or Batman circa 2002, but turned them down after already directing a superhero project with Unbreakable 2000.
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20
He and Dan Aykroyd are the only two men to direct themselves in performances that won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor; Shyamalan won for Lady in the Water 2006.
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21
He directed Haley Joel Osment to an Oscar nomination in The Sixth Sense 1999 and introduced Abigail Breslin in Signs 2002 before her nomination for Little Miss Sunshine 2006.
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22
One of the first scripts he sold was titled Labor of Love, about a man who walks across the country to prove his love for his deceased wife; as of January 2017, it remained unproduced.
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23
He lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania, part of Philadelphia’s affluent Main Line suburban region.
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24
In the bonus disk for Unbreakable 2000, he explained that the film was made from only the first third of his original script; he discarded the rest because he felt no connection to it.
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25
He was attached to write and direct an adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel The Life of Pi intended for 2005, but left to direct Lady in the Water 2006 after the project stalled.
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26
He directed two Oscar-nominated performances: Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette, both in The Sixth Sense 1999.
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27
His office contains posters from three of his favorite movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981, The Exorcist 1973, and Die Hard 1988.
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28
He graduated from New York University.
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29
Episcopal Academy, which he attended, is a private academy affiliated with the Episcopalian Church, located in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, one of the wealthiest suburbs in the U.S., home to alumni including Kobe Bryant and Blythe Danner.
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30
His favorite films also include The Godfather 1972, Jaws 1975, Being There 1979, and Rebecca 1940.
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31
He acted in the NYU short film The Guru, written and directed by Rob Schneider.
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32
He was ranked #21 in Premiere’s 2003 Power 100 List, #64 in 2002.
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33
In Premiere’s 2004 Power 100 List, he ranked #23, the fifth-highest ranked director.
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34
He ranked #30 on Premiere’s 2005 Power 50 List.
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35
He is the father of Saleka Shyamalan.
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36
He lives on the same street as Allen Iverson.
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37
He has directed one film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Sixth Sense 1999.
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38
After attending private schools Waldron and then Episcopal Academy, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the former in 2001.
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39
His parents are Jayalakshmi Shyamalan and Nelliate C. Shyamalan.
