Daniel Scheinert Biography: Wife, Age, Movies, Net Worth, Parents, Children, Height, Family

Biography

Daniel Scheinert (born June 7, 1987, in Birmingham, Alabama) is a celebrated American filmmaker best known as one half of the directing duo Daniels, alongside Daniel Kwan.

The pair met while studying film at Emerson College and gained early fame directing inventive music videos, including the viral hit “Turn Down for What” by DJ Snake and Lil Jon.

They made their feature film debut with the absurdist comedy Swiss Army Man (2016), starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe, which won the Directing Award at Sundance.

Scheinert also solo-directed the black comedy The Death of Dick Long (2019). Their breakthrough came with Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), a multiverse-spanning action-comedy starring Michelle Yeoh, which became A24’s highest-grossing film and earned the Daniels Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

American filmmaker
Daniel Scheinert
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Daniel Scheinert
Born:	7 June 1987 (age 38 years old)
Place of Birth:	Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Nationality:	American
Education:	Oak Mountain Elementary School, Oak Mountain Middle School, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, Emerson College
Height:	1.73 m
Parents:	Ken Scheinert, Becky Scheinert
Siblings:	1
Spouse:	Not Married
Girlfriend • Partner:	Stefanie Lynch (2016)
Children:	N/A
Occupation:	Filmmaker • Director
Net Worth:	$10 million (USD)

Early Life & Education

Daniel Scheinert was born on June 7, 1987, in Birmingham, Alabama, specifically in the Oak Mountain area. He was raised in a supportive family environment that encouraged his creative pursuits from a young age.

His parents, Ken Scheinert and Becky Scheinert, fostered his interest in the arts and filmmaking. Scheinert has spoken about how they did not discourage his early experiments, including making disturbing horror films, perverted comedies, or even dressing in drag as a child.

His mother, Becky, has roots in Guntersville, Alabama, and comes from a family interested in music and the arts; she studied art at Auburn University before pursuing a business career.

Scheinert has an older brother, whose short films inspired him to start creating his own “Jackass“-style videos with friends, sparking his passion for filmmaking. He also participated in musical theater during high school and interned at Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Festival.

Regarding ethnicity, Scheinert is of German-American descent on his paternal side, with his paternal grandfather’s parents hailing from Prussia and Bavaria in Germany. He is a Christian.

For education, Scheinert attended Oak Mountain Elementary School and Oak Mountain Middle School in Shelby County, Alabama, followed by the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School (a magnet program on the campus of Shades Valley High School).

He later studied film (with a focus on theater and cinema) at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating in 2009. It was at Emerson where he met his longtime creative partner, Daniel Kwan, forming the directing duo known as “Daniels.”

Career

Daniel Scheinert, best known as one-half of the filmmaking duo Daniels alongside Daniel Kwan, began his professional career in the early 2010s after graduating from Emerson College.

The pair quickly made a name for themselves through inventive, visually bold music videos that pushed creative boundaries. Their breakout work came with DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What” in 2013, which went viral worldwide and earned a Grammy nomination.

They followed with acclaimed videos for artists including Foster the People (“Houdini”), The Shins, and Tenacious D, establishing a reputation for kinetic energy, surreal humor, and technical innovation.

In 2016, Scheinert and Kwan transitioned to feature filmmaking with Swiss Army Man, an absurdist comedy starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Directing Award, and announced the Daniels as distinctive new voices capable of blending offbeat comedy with unexpected emotional depth and surreal storytelling.

Scheinert branched out independently in 2019, directing the dark comedy-drama The Death of Dick Long, which premiered at Sundance to strong critical response. That same year, he also directed episodes of Showtime’s On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

Together and individually, the Daniels have continued to expand into television, with additional credits including Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and Legion.

Their career reached a global peak with Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022, a genre-bending multiverse action-comedy starring Michelle Yeoh. The film became A24’s highest-grossing release and went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, firmly cementing the Daniels as major creative forces in contemporary cinema.

Following this success, Scheinert and Kwan signed a five-year exclusive deal with Universal Pictures in 2022.

They developed a large-scale, untitled event film release on November 19, 2027. In June 2025, they also announced plans to produce a high-concept comedy written and potentially directed by Paul Dano, marking a reunion with their Swiss Army Man collaborator.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Daniels (directors)
• IMDb: Daniel Scheinert

Personal Life

Daniel Scheinert is 38 years old, having been born on June 7, 1987.

Scheinert has not publicly confirmed any marriages, spouses, or children. During his 2023 Academy Awards acceptance speeches for Everything Everywhere All at Once, he thanked his parents (Ken and Becky Scheinert), brother, and teachers. Still, he made no mention of a wife, partner, or family of his own.

An older 2016 interview (around the time of Swiss Army Man) mentioned that he had a girlfriend named Stephanie (sometimes referenced as Stefanie Lynch in photo captions), who appeared alongside him and his directing partner, Daniel Kwan (with Kwan‘s then-fiancée, Kirsten Lepore).

However, there has been no public confirmation of their relationship status since then, and Scheinert has not discussed any dating history in interviews.

His height is inconsistently reported across sources, with estimates ranging from approximately 5’8″ (1.73 m) to 6’2″ (1.88 m). Visual comparisons in photos with co-director Daniel Kwan (who is around 5’7″-5’8″) suggest Scheinert is noticeably taller, likely closer to the higher end of that range.

Net Worth

Daniel Scheinert‘s net worth is estimated at $10 million.

This figure accounts for his shared earnings as one half of the directing duo Daniels, including profits from the massive success of Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24’s highest-grossing film at over $143 million worldwide), earlier works like Swiss Army Man, music video directing fees, television episodes, and the duo’s exclusive five-year deal with Universal Pictures signed in 2022.

Filmography

Music Videos (primarily as Daniels)

Scheinert and Kwan gained early fame directing inventive music videos starting in the early 2010s. Notable examples include:

• “Turn Down for What” (DJ Snake ft. Lil Jon, 2013) – Viral hit with over a billion views, Grammy-nominated.
• “Houdini” (Foster the People, 2012)
• “Simple Math” (Manchester Orchestra, 2011)
• “Tongues” (Joywave ft. KOPPS, 2014)
• “The Sunshine” (Manchester Orchestra, 2017)
• Other credits include videos for The Shins, Tenacious D, and Battles.

Feature Films

• Swiss Army Man (2016, co-directed and co-written with Daniel Kwan) – Absurdist comedy starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe; won Directing Award at Sundance.
• The Death of Dick Long (2019, solo directed) – Black comedy-drama; premiered at Sundance.
• Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022, co-directed and co-written with Daniel Kwan) – Multiverse action-comedy starring Michelle Yeoh; A24’s highest-grossing film, won 7 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director.

Television

• Directed episodes of On Becoming a God in Central Florida (Showtime, 2019, solo)
• Co-directed episodes of Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (Comedy Central, 2020–)

Other Works

• Short films and experimental projects, including early collaborations like Puppets (2011) and interactive short Possibilia (2014).
• Contributed to anthology film Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia (2020, co-directed one segment).

Upcoming Projects

• Untitled large-scale “event film” (co-directed with Kwan for Universal Pictures, release slated for November 19, 2027).
• Producing an untitled high-concept comedy written (and potentially directed) by Paul Dano.

FAQ