Jay Duplass

Jay Duplass Headshot

Director • Actor • Producer

Birth Date: March 7, 1973

Age: 51 years old

Birth Place: New Orleans, Louisiana

Siblings: Mark Duplass

Filmmaker Jay Duplass made his cinematic mark letting everyday characters tell simple stories. Renowned as one of the progenitors of the movement known as "mumblecore," Duplass and his brother (and regular collaborator) Mark were among the first to take advantage of faster and vastly less expensive digital filmmaking technology. With Jay frequently behind the camera and Mark acting, they employed the new tools to make specific and personal character pieces with little or no crew. In spite (or because) of their limited production value, the films won a significant niche audience for Duplass, which he parlayed into work in more traditional studio and TV fare, while still managing to find time for the indies that gave him his start.

Born March 7, 1973 in New Orleans, LA, Duplass majored in Psychology at the University of Texas and was planning a career in academia until his love of movies got the better of him. Inspired by Austin-based filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater, the Duplass brothers tried for years to make a "good" low budget short films until they realized that their personal stories and the actual events in their day to day lives were the ones that they enjoyed telling the most. Their short film, "This Is John," was based on Jay's soul-crushing experience trying to record an outgoing message on his answering machine. Shot in one documentary-style 20-minute take, the seven-minute finished film was embraced by the Sundance Film Festival and was the first evidence that filmmaking could be their career.

After a couple more short films (including "Scrapple" (2004) and "The Intervention" (2005)), they collaborated on their first feature, 2005's "The Puffy Chair," with Jay directing, Mark acting, and both brothers writing. Making the film with available materials ($15,000 of their parents' money, Mark's touring van, and friends playing lead characters), they decided on a road movie about a pair of brothers bringing a duplicate of the old family recliner back to their parent's house. The script again centered on the relationships and dynamics between the actors -- Mark Duplass and Rhett Wilkins as the brothers, and Kathryn Aselton (Mark's actual girlfriend) as Mark's girlfriend -- and left plenty of room for improvisation. The story itself is set up as a bunch of short films strung together over the course of the trip. The film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, won the audience award at SXSW the same year, and was given a limited release by Roadside Attractions in 2006.

The exposure and relative success of "The Puffy Chair" gave the brothers the opportunity to participate in studio fare, but they opted instead to stick with what got them there. The result was "Baghead," a mumblecore film based in horror film conventions. This time they used their own money and shot over three weeks outside Austin, TX. The film premiered at Sundance in 2008 and was released domestically the same year by Sony Classics. Although "Baghead" wasn't as financially successful as "The Puffy Chair," the brother's audience continued to grow, and they decided it was time to test the studio waters. In 2010, Fox Searchlight released "Cyrus." The film could have been a low budget Duplass brothers movie (character driven, limited locations and action), but this time, instead of Mark and their friends, the cast was headed by Hollywood veterans John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, and Marisa Tomei, and the filmmakers had the time and means to add production value missing from their lower budget work. The film was a critical success and the major studio release insured that the film would be their highest grossing up to that time. Also in 2010, Jay and Mark began to use their knowledge and connections to produce films created by others. "Lovers of Hate," written and directed by character actor David Poyser, was the first of these. It premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the John Casavetes Award (the award for the best film under $500,000) at the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards. Paramount Vantage took on their next directorial effort, "Jeff, Who Lives At Home" (2011). The film, starring Jason Segal, Ed Helms, and Susan Sarandon, was the first time the brothers felt they had a film that truly needed a multi-million dollar budget and studio resources. Although this movie (like their low budget films) is a character-based dramedy, it utilizes elements more frequently found in studio films (the trials and tribulations of a Porsche play a role). "The Do-Deca-Pentathalon" (2012) was a throwback for the brothers. Filmed in 2008, they became so busy with "Cyrus," then "Jeff, Who Lives At Home," that they didn't have time to finish the film for four years. With no stars and a story following a pair of ultra-competitive brothers who decide to finish a competition they began in high school, it was classic Duplass brothers: a personal story that incorporated actual events from their own lives. Once "The Do-Deca-Pentathalon" was released, the brothers took a break from making their own films in order to help produce more films for other creators. Mark's acting career gained momentum, and Jay found himself in front of the camera for an arc (co-starring with his brother) on "The Mindy Project" (Fox/Hulu, 2012-). The pair also stepped into the world of TV, writing and directing (with Mark also acting) the series "Togetherness" for HBO. Jay next appeared on camera in the critically-acclaimed comedy-drama "Transparent" (Amazon 2014- ).

Credits

American Conspiracy: The Octopus MurdersStream

Executive Producer
Docuseries
2024

Percy Jackson and the OlympiansStream

Actor
Hades
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Last Stop Larrimah

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2023

Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes ClosedStream

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The DropStream

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51%

Pain HustlersStream

Actor
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2023
23%

Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed

Executive Producer
Movie
2023

I'll Show You Mine

Executive Producer
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2023

The Caine Mutiny Court-MartialStream

Actor
Bird
Movie
2023
94%

Last Stop LarrimahStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2023
86%

Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall OffStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2022
96%

Somebody SomewhereStream

Executive Producer
Series
2022
100%

BiosphereStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2022
80%

The ChairStream

Actor
Professor Dobson
Series
2021
86%

Music BoxStream

Executive Producer
Series
2021

SasquatchStream

Executive Producer
Docuseries
2021
93%

Cinema Toast

Director
Show
2021

Cinema Toast

Executive Producer
Show
2021

Cinema Toast

Writer
Show
2021

The Lady and the DaleStream

Executive Producer
Miniseries
2021
100%

Language Lessons

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

Not Going Quietly

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

7 Days

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

As of Yet

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

Ghostwritten

Actor
Guy Laury
Movie
2021

IndustryStream

Actor
Jesse Boom
Series
2020
86%

Horse Girl

Executive Producer
Movie
2020

Drought

Executive Producer
Movie
2020

The MisEducation of Bindu

Executive Producer
Movie
2020

Young Hearts

Executive Producer
Movie
2020

The Ride

Executive Producer
Movie
2020

StumptownStream

Actor
Allen Watkins
Series
2019
93%

GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke

Guest
Show
2019

On Tour With Asperger's Are Us

Executive Producer
Show
2019

Phil

Actor
Malcolm
Movie
2019

PaddletonStream

Producer
Movie
2019
89%

Pink Wall

Actor
Leon
Movie
2019

Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist

Executive Producer
Show
2018

Wild Wild CountryStream

Executive Producer
Docuseries
2018
98%

Duck ButterStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2018
55%

Prospect

Actor
Damon
Movie
2018

Unlovable

Executive Producer
Movie
2018

The Opposition w/ Jordan KlepperStream

Guest
Talk
2017
75%

Room 104Stream

Actor
Daniel
Series
2017
88%

Room 104Stream

Creator
Series
2017
88%

Room 104Stream

Executive Producer
Series
2017
88%

Transparent: Extras

Actor
Show
2017

Take Me

Executive Producer
Movie
2017

Beatriz at DinnerStream

Actor
Alex
Movie
2017
76%

Landline

Actor
Ben
Movie
2017

Outside In

Actor
Chris
Movie
2017

Outside In

Executive Producer
Movie
2017

Outside In

Screenwriter
Movie
2017

AnimalsStream

Executive Producer
Series
2016
84%

Rainbow Time

Actor
Adam
Movie
2016

Blue Jay

Executive Producer
Movie
2016

Asperger's Are Us

Executive Producer
Movie
2016

The Late Show With Stephen ColbertStream

Guest
Talk
2015

The Late Late Show With James CordenStream

Guest
Talk
2015

TogethernessStream

Creator
Series
2015
90%

The Bronze

Executive Producer
Movie
2015

TangerineStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2015
96%

6 Years

Executive Producer
Movie
2015

Manson Family Vacation

Actor
Nick
Movie
2015

Manson Family Vacation

Executive Producer
Movie
2015

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

Guest
Show
2014

TransparentStream

Actor
Josh Pfefferman
Series
2014
91%

Late Night With Seth MeyersStream

Guest
Talk
2014

Scrapple

Director
Show
2014

The One I Love

Executive Producer
Movie
2014

The Skeleton TwinsStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2014
86%

Adult Beginners

Executive Producer
Movie
2014

21 Years: Richard Linklater

Self
Movie
2014

Milo

Executive Producer
Movie
2013

The Mindy ProjectStream

Guest Star
Series
2012
86%

Safety Not GuaranteedStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2012
91%

The Do-Deca-Pentathlon

Director
Movie
2012

The Do-Deca-Pentathlon

Producer
Movie
2012

The Do-Deca-Pentathlon

Screenwriter
Movie
2012

Black Rock

Executive Producer
Movie
2012

On Story

Guest
Show
2011

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Director
Movie
2011

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Screenwriter
Movie
2011

Maurice

Executive Producer
Movie
2011

ConanStream

Guest
Talk
2010

CyrusStream

Director
Movie
2010
80%

CyrusStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2010
80%

Lovers of Hate

Executive Producer
Movie
2010

Kevin

Cinematographer
Movie
2010

Kevin

Director
Movie
2010

Kevin

Producer
Movie
2010

Kevin

Screenwriter
Movie
2010

Kevin

Writer
Movie
2010

Baghead

Cinematography
Movie
2008

Baghead

Director
Movie
2008

Baghead

Producer
Movie
2008

Baghead

Writer
Movie
2008

The Puffy Chair

Cinematography
Movie
2005

The Puffy Chair

Director
Movie
2005

The Puffy Chair

Writer
Movie
2005

The Intervention

Director
Show
2004

This Is John

Cinematography
Movie
2003

This Is John

Director
Movie
2003

Last Call With Carson Daly

Guest
Talk
2002

Connect 5

Actor
Duplass, L. Jay
Movie
1996

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