Born in India but raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is the son of two doctors. His passion for filmmaking began when he was given a Super-8 camera at age eight, and even at that young age began to model his career on that of his idol, Steven Spielberg. His first film, Praying with Anger, was based somewhat on his own trip back to visit the India of his birth. He raised all the funds for this project, in addition to directing, producing and starring in it. Wide Awake, his second film, he wrote and directed, and shot it in the Philadelphia-area Catholic school he once attended--even though his family was of a different religion, they sent him to that school because of its strict discipline.
Signs (2002): $12,500,000
Unbreakable (2000): $10,000,000
The Sixth Sense (1999): $3,000,000

Episcopal Academy, the private school in Lower Merion, PA (one of the wealthiest suburbs in the U.S., and home at one time or another to the likes of Kobe Bryant and Blythe Danner, among others) where Shymalan was sent, is actually a private academy that is affiliated with the Episcopalian Church. Shymalan lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania, part of the affluent "Main Line" suburban region of Philadelphia that includes communities like Lower Merion, Upper Merion, Bala Cynwyd, Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and Villanova. His parents, wife and 9 other family members are MDs and/or Ph.Ds. Name pronounced "SHAH-ma-lawn". His middle name "Night" was made up during college. Aside from Wide Awake, Shyamalan has a credited appearance in each of the feature films he has directed. One of the first scripts he sold was called "Labor of Love" about a man who walks across country to prove his love for his recently deceased wife. As of March 2001, it has still not been made. Graduated from New York University. He is an avid comic book fan, which was made apparent in his film Unbreakable. Recipient of Episcopal Acamemy's 2001 Distinguished Alumni Award. 1988 Graduate of Episcopal Academy. The silver charm worn around his neck was given to him by his father and contains Sanskrit proverbs to keep him safe. Became the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood when Disney gave him $5 million to write Signs. Son of Jayalakshmi Shyamalan and Nelliate C. Shyamalan Said in the bonus disk that the movie Unbreakable was made from what started as only the first third of the original script. He said he felt no connection to the last two thirds of the text and decided to discard them. Ranked #21 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #64 in 2002. Ranked #23 in Premiere's 2004 annual Power 100 List. He was the 5th-highest ranked director. Had ranked #21 in 2003. Favorite film of all time is Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. His three supernatural thrillers, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs, grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide. Has in his office posters from 3 of his most favorite movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Exorcist, and Die Hard. Made many films using a video camera when he was young. When his theatrical films go to DVD, he puts in a scene from one of his childhood films that marks his first attempt at the same kind of movie. The Sixth Sense includes the ghost story Nightmare on Old Gulf, Unbreakable includes the action movie Millionaire, Signs includes the monster movie Pictures, and The Village includes an untitled period piece. His inspiration for The Sixth Sense was based on an episode from Are You Afraid of the Dark?. The Tale of the Dream Girl directed by David Winning. His Wide Awake was one of the year's lowest-grossing, least- profitable films; in contrast, The Sixth Sense was 1999's No.2 box-office phenomenon, surpassed only by Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Graduate of Waldron and Episcopal academies; NYU (1992) Tisch School of the Arts. Completed 45 homemade movies by age 17. Ranked #30 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. Had ranked #23 in 2004. Father of Saleka Shyamalan.