Samuel Abraham Levinson (born January 8, 1985) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is the son of director Barry Levinson. In 2010, he received his first writing credit as a co-writer for the action comedy film Operation: Endgame. The following year, he made his directorial film debut with Another Happy Day (2011), which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. He then received a writing credit on his father's HBO television film The Wizard of Lies (2017). He continued writing and directing for the feature films Assassination Nation (2018) and Malcolm & Marie (2021).
Sam Levinson | |
|---|---|
 Levinson at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival | |
| Born | Samuel Abraham Levinson January 8, 1985 United States |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | Ashley Lent |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | Barry Levinson |
In 2019, Levinson created the HBO teen drama series Euphoria which was adapted from the Israeli series of the same name. The series is popular with audiences and received positive reviews from critics. In 2023, he created the HBO series The Idol, which was controversial and received negative reviews.
Early life
Levinson was born on January 8, 1985, and is the son of Diana Rhodes, a production designer for TV commercials, and filmmaker Barry Levinson. His father is from a Russian-Jewish family. Levinson studied method acting for four years. He has a brother, Jack Levinson, who is also an actor, and two half-siblings, Michelle and Patrick, from his mother's first marriage.
Career
Levinson made his film debut as an actor in his father, director Barry Levinson's 1992 fantasy comedy Toys, alongside his brother Jack. He continued to appear in his father's films such as the comedy-drama film Bandits (2001) and the satirical comedy film What Just Happened (2008). In 2009, he acted in the Uwe Boll film Stoic. In 2011, Levinson premiered his directorial film debut, Another Happy Day, which starred Ellen Barkin at the Sundance Film Festival. Despite the film's negative reviews, it received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.
Levinson co-wrote the 2017 television film The Wizard of Lies, which was directed by his father Barry Levinson. The film focuses on Bernie Madoff, who is played by Robert De Niro. Levinson wrote and directed the film Assassination Nation which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival to mixed reviews from critics, who praised its "frenetic and visually stylish" action but criticized the thinly-written characters. In June 2019, Levinson created the HBO television drama series Euphoria, based on the Israeli series of the same name. The series has received both praise and criticism for its direction, writing, and acting. It is infamous for its raw and graphic portrayal of teenagers wrestling with drug addiction and sexuality.
In 2020, Levinson wrote and directed the film Malcolm & Marie, reuniting him with Euphoria star Zendaya, which was distributed by Netflix in February 2021. The film was received poorly by critics. Aisha Harris of NPR wrote, "All that's left are two characters rendered awkwardly as vessels for a director's odd hang-ups about his own identity and craft". Shirley Lee of The Atlantic described the film simply writing "Malcolm & Marie isn't Art. It's a meltdown" and that it "seems to use the titular couple as mouthpieces for a litany of his own gripes." Levinson co-wrote the screenplay for the psychological erotic thriller Deep Water (2022), based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. The film debuted on Hulu where the adaptation was poorly received. The Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw specifically panned the film's script, writing "Deep Water looks like a huge amount of material has been shaped in the edit but there are odd gaps and elisions". Levinson has executive produced Pieces of a Woman (2020), Breaking (2022), X (2022), and Pearl (2022).
On June 29, 2021, Levinson announced that he was co-creating, writing and executive producing another HBO television drama series The Idol, alongside recording artist Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye and his producing partner Reza Fahim. The series garnered controversy following an exposé in Rolling Stone which featured allegations against Levinson and Tesfaye of creating a toxic work environment, and crew members alleging the script involved explicit sexual content which amounted to "sexual torture porn." The first episode premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to negative reviews. Time Magazine critic Stephanie Zacharek wrote, "The Idol pretends to expose exploitation while reveling in it",Variety critic Peter Debruge noted "The script seems calculated to fool audiences into thinking they're observing how Hollywood operates, when so much of it amounts to tawdry clichés" and that the series "plays like a sordid male fantasy." The series premiered on Max on June 4, 2023. Noting that the season had been cut short by an episode without explanation, The Telegraph critic Ed Power expressed that the finale "had deepened the suspicion that, as far back as teen drama Euphoria, he was a voyeur without a soul." HBO announced the show's cancellation after one season on August 28, 2023.
Personal life
From 2008 to 2011, Levinson dated actress Ellen Barkin. Levinson is married to Ashley Lent Levinson. The couple have a son.
Levinson has discussed his struggles with drugs as a teenager and young adult.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | ||
| 2010 | Operation: Endgame | No | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | Another Happy Day | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | Assassination Nation | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2021 | Malcolm & Marie | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Deep Water | No | Yes | No | |
| 2024 | Borderlands | No | Uncredited | No | Additional literary material |
Executive producer
- Pieces of a Woman (2020)
- Breaking (2022)
- X (2022)
- Pearl (2022)
- MaXXXine (2024)
- Place to Be (TBA)
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Toys | War Room Player |
| 2001 | Bandits | Billy Saunders |
| 2008 | What Just Happened | Carl |
| 2009 | Stoic | Peter Thompson |
Television
| Year | Title | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Creator | Notes | ||
| 2017 | The Wizard of Lies | No | Yes | No | No | TV movie |
| 2019–present | Euphoria | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 seasons |
| 2022 | Irma Vep | No | No | Yes | No | Miniseries |
| 2023 | The Idol | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 episodes |
Critical reception
| Year | Title | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film | ||||
| 2010 | Operation: Endgame | 40% | ||
| 2011 | Another Happy Day | 46% | 46/100 | |
| 2018 | Assassination Nation | 74% | 54/100 | |
| 2021 | Malcolm & Marie | 57% | 53/100 | |
| 2022 | Deep Water | 36% | 53/100 | |
| Television | ||||
| 2019 | Euphoria: Season 1 | 80% | 68/100 | |
| 2022 | Euphoria: Season 2 | 80% | 74/100 | |
| 2023 | The Idol | 18% | 27/100 | |
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sundance Film Festival | Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award | Another Happy Day | Won | |
| Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Television: Long Form – Adapted | The Wizard of Lies | Nominated | |
| Toronto International Film Festival | People's Choice Award: Midnight Madness | Assassination Nation | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | British Academy Television Awards | Best International Programme | Euphoria | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directing – Drama Series | Won |