Barry Sonnenfeld

One of the most commercially successful director-producers of the 1990s, Barry Sonnenfeld experienced precipitous ups and downs in a lengthy career spanning both film and television. After cutting his teeth as a cinematographer for the likes of Joel and Ethan Coen on "Blood Simple" (1984) and "Raising Arizona" (1987), as well as Rob Reiner on "When Harry Met Sally" (1989) and "Misery" (1990), Sonnefeld made his directorial debut with the creepy comedy hit "The Addams Family" (1991). More box office success followed in the form of the crime-comedy "Get Shorty" (1995) and the blockbuster hit "Men in Black" (1997). Later efforts such as "Wild, Wild West" (1999) and "RV" (2006) proved disappointing, to say the least, although Sonnenfeld did have luck as a producer on films like Disney's "Enchanted" (2007) and the Emmy Award-winning fantasy series "Pushing Daisies" (ABC, 2007-09). After nearly six years away from the director's chair, he reteamed with Agents J and K (Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones) once again for "Men in Black III" (2012), this time with its eye-popping special effects delivered in 3-D. Boasting a 30-year career populated with smashing triumphs and unmitigated disasters, few understood the Hollywood axiom of "You're only as good as your last picture," better than Sonnenfeld.