Roberto Benabib | |
---|---|
Born | Roberto Jack Benabib October 13, 1959 Mexico City, Mexico |
Occupation |
Film director Television writer Television producer |
Spouse |
Amy Marie Spindler (1998-2004) Samantha Gregory (2007-present) |
Roberto Jack Benabib is a Mexican American television writer, producer and film director best known for writing/directing the 1997 comedy film Little City. He served as a writer/producer on the Showtime dark comedy series Weeds beginning in 2005.
Born in Mexico City in 1959 to Elias and Elyssa Benabib, Roberto soon moved to New York City and graduated from the New York University film school and got his start in Hollywood as an assistant to The Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme. In 1997, he wrote and directed Little City, a romantic comedy film, for Miramax Films. He was married to journalist Amy Spindler from July 11, 1998 until her death, caused by a brain tumor, on February 27, 2004 In 2005, he joined the writing staff of Weeds as a co-executive producer and, in 2007, at the beginning of the third season was promoted to executive producer.
He has also served as a writer on a number of other television series, including Doctor Doctor, Herman's Head, Ally McBeal and Tilt.
In February 2014, trade website Deadline.com reported that HBO had given a greenlight to the dark comedy series The Brink, co-created by Benabib and his brother, novelist Kim Benabib. The series co-stars Tim Robbins and Jack Black, is produced by Jerry Weintraub, and directed by Jay Roach. It premiered on HBO in June 2015. The series was cancelled after one season.
In 2009, Benabib received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award when Weeds was up for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. He and the show lost out to the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.