Jonas Akerlund

Jonas Åkerlund
Åkerlund in 2012
Born	Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (1965-11-10) 10 November 1965 (age 51) Bromma, , Sweden
Occupation	Film director, music video director, drummer
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Bea Åkerlund

Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (Swedish pronunciation: [hɑːns ʉ̟ːnʊ juːnas oːkɛɭɵnd], born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish director and drummer. He is best known for directing music videos, which are often mock forms of movie trailers and short films. His video for Madonna's song "Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record seven awards at 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, including the Video of the Year.

Åkerlund was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory from 1983 to 1984. He also directed Candlemass' first video "Bewitched". He first found fame as the main video director for Roxette. In 1997, he directed the acclaimed video for The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up", which sparked controversy due to its depiction of drug use, violence, and nudity. In 1998, he worked with Madonna for the song "Ray of Light", and has since worked with acts such as Metallica, Christina Aguilera, U2, Blink-182, P!nk, Rammstein, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga. He directed the music video for the Smashing Pumpkins' "Try, Try, Try", from which a short film entitled Try was spawned. He was also the designer and photographer for the Roxette album Room Service in 2001. In 2002, his first full-length film, Spun, debuted.