Todd Phillips is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He began his career directing controversial documentaries such as *Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies*, before achieving international fame with commercially successful comedies. His early fiction works include *Road Trip* (2000) and *Old School* (2003), but it was with *The Hangover* trilogy that he established himself as one of the most influential comedy directors of the 2000s. The first installment of the saga earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in 2010. Subsequently, his career took a dramatic turn with the psychological thriller *Joker* (2019). The film received universal critical acclaim, winning the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 76th Venice International Film Festival. For the same film, Phillips received three Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.