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Len Wiseman
at the Live Free or Die Hard London premiere, June 2007
Born	Len Ryan Wiseman March 4, 1973 (1973-03-04) (age 37) Fremont, California, U.S.
Occupation	Director, writer
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Kate Beckinsale (2004–present)

Len Ryan Wiseman (born March 4, 1973)^[1] is an American director and screenwriter. He directed the first two Underworld films and Live Free or Die Hard. He is also in talk with Cliff Bleszinski about the production of a movie based on the popular video game Gears of War.

Early life

Wiseman was born in Fremont, California. He grew up reading comics and dreaming of becoming a filmmaker and had a particular interest in genre films, which would clearly inform his career choices later on. After graduating from Fremont's American High School, Wiseman studied film at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, making two short films there — the second of which helped him land his first professional talent.

Career

He began his career in film as a property assistant in the film Stargate (1994), and also Independence Day (1996). He also directed advertisements for PlayStation console games and music videos for groups, such as Second Coming, En Vogue, Megadeth, Quarashi, and Static-X.

In 2003, Wiseman co-created and directed the film, Underworld, and its sequel, Underworld: Evolution, in 2006. Despite receiving negative to mixed reviews from critics, the films did moderately well at the box office and have gained a cult following. He produced the next installment in the Underworld series in 2009; Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a prequel to the first film and his wife, Kate Beckinsale, did not return to star, although she did provide a voice-over for the film's opening.^[2]

New Line is putting the film version of Gears of War in motion, setting Len Wiseman to direct the adaptation. More recently, Len has been attached to direct the upcoming Shrapnel film. The film is based on the comic book series of the same name. On 10 November 2009 was announced he planned with Nocturne and End of the World thriller.^[3]

Personal life

Wiseman married English actress Kate Beckinsale, star of the Underworld films, on May 9, 2004. He met Beckinsale when she and her longtime boyfriend Michael Sheen, with whom she has a daughter, starred in Underworld. During filming, Beckinsale began a relationship with Wiseman, while he was still directing her and Sheen together. At his wedding to Beckinsale, it was reported that Wiseman gave his new stepdaughter her own "wedding" ring.

Filmography

• Shrapnel (TBA)
• Gears of War (TBA)
• Black Chapter (TBA)
• Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans (2009) (producer)
• Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
• Underworld: Evolution (2006)
• Underworld (2003)
• Godzilla (1998) (props)
• Men in Black (1997) (props assistant) (uncredited)
• Independence Day (1996) (assistant props)
• Stargate (1994) (property assistant)

References

External links

• Len Wiseman at the Internet Movie Database