J.J. Abrams

Son of Gerald W. Abrams.

Attended and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York .

Gave "Alias" star Jennifer Garner a pink bicycle for her birthday. She would often greet the production crew by ringing the bells on the bikes handlebars.

He says he got the job directing Mission: Impossible III after Tom Cruise watched early episodes of "Alias" on DVD and loved them. The two started hanging out together and Cruise offered him the job.

While he was writing scripts in college, he used the Alvin Sargent screenplay to Ordinary People as a guide.

Named one of Fade In magazines "100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know".

Has three children with his wife Katie McGrath: Henry Abrams , Gracie Abrams and August Abrams.

His debut film Mission: Impossible III was the most expensive film ever made by a first-time director until Tron , directed by Joseph Kosinski , which cost nearly $20 million more than MI3.

He had discussed wanting to be more involved in the third season of "Lost" (intermittently with his film schedule) because he had not been directly involved in the series since the sixth episode of the first season.

Sold his script for Forever Young for $2 million.

Is one of 115 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2007.

Ranked #29 on Entertainment Weekly magazines The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.

In 2007, Forbes magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $17 million.

He has been involved with several projects that advance the social theory called the "Milgram Small World Phenomenon", named after social psychologist Stanley Milgram , who conducted acquaintance path experiments. John Guare s play "Six Degrees of Separation" (and its film adaptation Six Degrees of Separation ) is in large part responsible for introducing to popular culture at large the notion that everyone in the world is separated by only six other people (Abrams had a small acting role in the film version). Abrams went on to produce "Six Degrees" , a television series with a premise predicated on this theory, and "Lost" , a television series in which seemingly unconnected and disparate characters often end up having hidden or unknown links to each other.

Is a fan of Howard Stern , who is also a fan of of Abrams work (particularly "Lost" and Star Trek ) and personally called Artie Lange through his agent to congratulate him on his being hired to replace Jackie Martling ("The Joke Man") as a sidekick in 2002. Also gave Sterns daughters a tour of the set of "Felicity" .

Best friends with Greg Grunberg. They have known each other since they were children and he frequently casts Grunberg in his films and television series.

Currently resides in Pacific Palisades, California.

In 2011, during an interview on the NPR program "Fresh Air with Terry Gross", writer/director Abrams told a story about getting to attend a very early rough-cut screening of Escape from New York with his father, producer Gerald W. Abrams (who knew that his then-15-year-old son was a huge fan of John Carpenter ). Abrams told Gross that during the discussion afterward, Gerald suggested cutting an opening sequence in which Snake tries to rob a bank and is caught, on the principle that Snake seems like a more imposing, mythic, tougher character if you dont see him defeated right away. Young J.J. suggested making it clearer that Adrienne Barbeau s character Maggie dies at the end. Both suggestions were followed in the final cut: the opening scene was deleted, and a shot was added showing Maggies body.

Is a huge fan of "The Twilight Zone" , with his favorite episode being "The Twilight Zone" {Walking Distance (#1.5)} .

Is an avid fan of "Downton Abbey" and has visited the set in Ealing Studios.

Is the first director to have directed both a Star Trek film and a Star Wars film.

Has had the visual effects studio Industrial Light & Magic fix his overuse of lens flares, by removing them in post-production.

Frequently uses the name Kelvin in his movies, which was the name of his grandfather. Examples: the character Kelvin Inman from "Lost" ; the postcard addressed to H. Kelvin from Mission: Impossible III ; the USS Kelvin from Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness , Kelvin Gasoline from Super 8 and a location named "Kelvin Ridge" from Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens .

The action scenes in his movies often focus on debris flying violently through the air or space (e.g. the opening scene of "Lost" ; the scenes in Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness where starships are under heavy attack; and the train accident and finale of Super 8 ).

His children, Henry and Gracie Abrams, provided the voices for his production company, Bad Robot.

His daughter Gracie Abrams is a professional singer.

Has cited Steven Spielberg is his hero.

I feel like in telling stories, there are the things the audience thinks,are important, and then there are the things that are actually,important.

Looking back on my childhood, I have a list of things that are massively,important to me. Without question, Star Wars was on the list, and Star,Trek was not.

To me the interesting main character is never the one without flaws.

I try to push ideas away, and the ones that will not leave me alone are,the ones that ultimately end up happening.

You can never guess or assume what anyone is going to think.

Robotics are beginning to cross that line from absolutely primitive,motion to motion that resembles animal or human behaviour.

My mother is the coolest, most amazing person I know.

Whenever a toddler sees a pile of blocks, he wants to tear it down.

Pitching is always a weird, difficult thing.

The goal is always to do B material in an A fashion.

When I was a little kid - and even still - I loved magic tricks. When I,saw how movies got made - at least had a glimpse when I went on the,Universal Studios tour with my grandfather, I remember feeling like,this was another means by which I could do magic.

I love working with the right actor, and if the right actor happens to,be unknown, that should be allowed, too, I think.

When you work on something that combines both the spectacular and the,relatable, the hyperreal and the real, it suddenly can become,supernatural. The hypothetical and the theoretical can become literal.

I believe in anything that will engage the audience and make the story,more effective.

I love the idea of anthropomorphizing machines. I love the idea of,taking technology and giving it a personality.

As a director/writer/producer, all you ever want is to work with actors,who make you look better, who make the work you do seem as good as it,can be and even better than it is.

Stories in which the destruction of society occurs are explorations of,social fears and issues that filmmakers, novelists, playwrights,painters have been examining for a long time.

Obviously with the Internet and increased access to other means of,watching shows, the audience has dispersed and is all over the place,and that is a challenge.

I love recording music.

I try to work on shows that I would want to watch.

I feel like obviously the standard for what television looks like,changes all the time.

I was never really a comic-book fanatic.

"Star Trek" (1966) was always a little bit closed emotionally. I,never connected to the characters.