Kenny Ortega Biography
(Director and Choreographer Known for His Films: ‘Newsies’, ‘Hocus Pocus’ and ‘High School Musical’)
Birthday: April 18, 1950 (Aries)
Born In: Palo Alto, California, United States
Kenny Ortega is an American film and television producer, director, and choreographer. He began his career working with the dancer and choreographer Gene Kelly in the film ‘Xanadu.’ He went on to choreograph several music videos and in time, established himself as a reputed professional in this field. He made his directorial debut with the musical comedy drama film ‘Newsies’. The film, however, was a flop commercially and was met with mixed to negative reviews. Even though disappointed, he did not let his initial failure affect his future works. In the coming years he directed many other films, including the super-hit ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year’, which made more than $250 million on a $11 million budget. The film was the third installment of the ‘High School Musical’ trilogy. The previous two installments were TV films which were also directed by Ortega. He has also directed many episodes of TV shows, such as the medical drama series ‘Chicago Hope’ and the comedy drama series ‘Gilmore Girls’. Ortega has won several awards in his career, including two Emmy Awards out of five nominations.