Biography
Charles Stuart Kaufman (born November 19, 1958) is an American filmmaker and novelist. He wrote the films Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation (2002), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). He both wrote and directed the films Synecdoche, New York (2008), Anomalisa (2015), and I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020). In 2020, Kaufman made his literary debut with the release of his first novel, Antkind. One of the most celebrated screenwriters of his era, Kaufman has received an Academ...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Darkest Miriam
2025
Executive Producer
Miriam Gordon lives in a fog of grief while working in a downtown public library branch. When a burgeoning love affair coincides with her receiving a ...
The Actor
2025
Executive Producer
Paul Cole finds himself stranded in a mysterious small town with no memory of who he is or how he got here. As bits and pieces of his past slowly emer...
Orion and the Dark
2024
Writer
A boy with an active imagination faces his fears on an unforgettable journey through the night with his new friend: a giant, smiling creature named Da...
Michel Gondry: Do It Yourself
2023
as Self - Screenwriter
A portrait of French filmmaker Michel Gondry, creator, for three decades, of an imperfect, astonishing, fascinating, damaged and poetic work.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
2020
Director, Screenplay, Producer
Nothing is as it seems when a woman experiencing misgivings about her new boyfriend joins him on a road trip to meet his parents at their remote farm.
Beth Stelling: Girl Daddy
2020
Thanks
Comedian Beth Stelling takes the stage at Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater to talk sex, drugs, and babies in her hilarious new special Beth Stelling: Girl...
Ad Astra
2019
Script Consultant
The near future, a time when both hope and hardships drive humanity to look to the stars and beyond. While a mysterious phenomenon menaces to destroy ...
Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show
2017
as Self (archive footage)
It had all the makings of a huge television success: a white-hot comic at the helm, a coveted primetime slot, and a pantheon of future comedy legends...
None of Them Are You: Crafting Anomalisa
2016
as Self
A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson's 2015 stop-motion animated drama Anomalisa.
Anomalisa
2015
Writer, Theatre Play, Producer
An inspirational speaker becomes reinvigorated after meeting a lively woman who shakes up his mundane existence.
Her
2013
Thanks
In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theod...
Kung Fu Panda 2
2011
Script Consultant
Po and his friends fight to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but first the Dragon Warrior must come to terms wit...
Waking Up
2010
Thanks
Martin Brown, who dreams he's traveling backwards through time, attempts to fix his relationship with his recently deceased wife, Jennifer.
Synecdoche, New York
2008
Producer, Screenplay, Director
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as ...
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2004
Screenplay, Story, Executive Producer
Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his me...
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
2002
Screenplay
Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. Television producer by day, CIA assassin by night, Chuck Barris was recruited by...
Adaptation.
2002
Screenplay, Executive Producer
Charlie Kaufman is a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting amb...
Human Nature
2001
Producer, Writer
Obsessive scientist Nathan and his lover, the naturalist Lila, discover Puff: a man born and raised in the wild. As Nathan trains the wild man in the ...
Being John Malkovich
1999
Executive Producer, Writer
One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who ...
The Memory Police
N/A
Screenplay
On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, things have begun to disappear: at first little things: ribbons and then roses. Soon, photographs. However,...
Later the War
N/A
Director, Screenplay
The original short story follows a man who manufactures dreams for people but ultimately begins creating nightmares for them. Specific details of the ...
Anomalisa Tribute: Michael’s Speech
N/A
Original Film Writer
A scene adapted from Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson's film 'Anomalisa,' reinterpreted in live action.