Tanya Wexler (born August 6, 1970) is an American film director. She is known for her 2011 feature film ''

Hysteria Hysteria is a term used colloquially to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that ...

''.

Early life and education

Wexler is the daughter of Chicago real estate developer

Jerrold Wexler Jerrold Wexler (June 27, 1924 – November 10, 1992) was a noted American businessman and film producer. He was the brother of cinematographer Haskell Wexler and the stepfather of actress Daryl Hannah. Early life and education Wexler was born ...

, and his second wife, Susan Jeanne ( Metzger).Crain's Chicago Business: "HEIR-SPLITTING" By Betsy Wangensteen
March 24, 1997 She is the niece of cinematographer

Haskell Wexler Haskell Wexler, ASC (February 6, 1922 – December 27, 2015) was an American cinematographer, film producer, and director. Wexler was judged to be one of film history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the Int ...

. Her mother has two other daughters,

Daryl Hannah Daryl Christine Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American actress and environmental activist. She made her screen debut in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film '' The Fury'' (1978). She has starred in various movies across the years, i ...

and

Page Hannah Patricia Alberta "Page" Adler (née Hannah) is an American philanthropist and former actress. Life and career Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is married to producer Lou Adler, and the couple have four sons. She is the younger siste ...

, as well as a son, Donald, from a previous marriage. Wexler's father is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, whereas her mother is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. She attended

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

('92) where she was roommates with actress

Bellamy Young Bellamy Young (born Amy Maria Young; February 19, 1970) is an American actress, producer and singer, best known for her role as Melody "Mellie" Grant in the ABC drama series'' Scandal'' (2012–2018). In 2014 for her portrayal of Mellie, she won t ...

. Wexler also holds a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

('95).

Career

Wexler has directed five

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s: ''

Finding North ''Finding North'' is a 1998 gay-themed independent comedy-drama film. Written by Kim Powers and directed by Tanya Wexler, the film stars Wendy Makkena and John Benjamin Hickey. Plot ''Finding North'' tells the story of Rhonda (Makkena), a bank ...

'' (1998), ''Ball in the House'' (2001), ''

'' (2011), ''

Buffaloed ''Buffaloed'' is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Tanya Wexler and written by Brian Sacca. It stars Zoey Deutch, Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler, Noah Reid, and Jai Courtney. The film tells the story of a paroled convict who will do anythi ...

'' (2019), and '' Jolt'' (2021).

Personal life

Wexler has four children: a son named Jerrold (born 1999) and three daughters named Ella (born 2000), Ruby (born 2003), and Violet (born 2006) with her former wife, Amy Zimmerman. They met while they were both students at Yale University. Wexler and Zimmerman married on May 19, 2004, in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, the first

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

to issue marriage licenses to

same-sex couples A same-sex relationship is a Romance (love), romantic or Human sexuality, sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil ...

Filmography

*''

'' (1998) *''Ball in the House'' (2001) *''

'' (2011) *''

'' (2019) *'' Jolt'' (2021)

References

External links