Brady Corbet

Brady James Monson Corbet ( kor-BAY; born August 17, 1988) is an American filmmaker and actor. He had roles in films such as Thirteen (2003), Mysterious Skin (2004), Funny Games (2007), Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), Melancholia (2011), and Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), as well as the series 24 (2006) and Olive Kitteridge (2014).

Corbet made his directorial debut with The Childhood of a Leader (2015). He has since co-written and directed the musical drama Vox Lux (2018) and the period epic The Brutalist (2024). The latter earned him the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and the Best Director at Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award, as well as three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Early life

Brady James Monson Corbet was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, on August 17, 1988. He was raised by a single mother, whom he regards as the closest thing he has to "a hero". On his mother's side, he has Irish, Serbian (from Apatin), and "distant" Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry; he attended Catholic school.

Career

Corbet began an acting career at age eleven with a guest role in an April 2000 episode of CBS' The King of Queens, and he followed it up with voice work in the English version of the animated Japanese series NieA under 7. Over the next few years he was a regular on another animated series, I My Me! Strawberry Eggs (2001), and he guest-starred in a May 2002 episode of the WB sitcom Greetings from Tucson. He also appeared in a May 2003 episode of Fox's sitcom Oliver Beene. In 2003 he landed his first film role when he was cast in Thirteen.

In 2004 Corbet starred as the youngest son of a billionaire ex-astronaut in Thunderbirds, Jonathan Frakes' live-action movie based on the 1960s British T.V. series. Later that same year, Gregg Araki cast him in Mysterious Skin, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Scott Heim; Corbet portrayed a troubled teenager who is plagued by nightmares and believes that he may have been abducted by aliens. The film debuted in that year's Venice Film Festival and had a limited release in 2005.

In 2006, Corbet returned to television with a recurring role as the son of Jack Bauer's new girlfriend in the fifth season of 24. He also appeared in the independent rock band Bright Eyes' music video "At the Bottom of Everything" (2005). In October 2006, he was featured in the Ima Robot video for "Lovers in Captivity", which was produced independently of their Virgin Records label and was featured in an Out Magazine article. He played the role of Watts in the 2011 psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene.

In 2013, Corbet signed to direct his first feature film, The Childhood of a Leader. It premiered in the Horizons section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, where he won Best Director in the festival's Horizons (Orrizonti) section. In 2018, Corbet directed his second feature film Vox Lux.

In September 2020, it was reported that Corbet would direct his third feature film, the immigrant drama The Brutalist. The film was released in 2024 to critical acclaim and earned ten nominations at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He also won the Silver Lion at the 81st Venice International Film Festival and Best Director at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards.

Personal life

Since 2012, Corbet has been in a romantic relationship with Norwegian film-maker and actress Mona Fastvold, whom he met on the set of her film The Sleepwalker. They have since co-written five films together. They have a daughter named Ada (born 2014).