Sam Vinal is an American film director, writer, and producer. He is best known for his feature films The Whole Nine Yards and Man on the Moon.
Vinal was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Film Studies. After college, he worked as an assistant editor on various feature films. In 1987, he made his directorial debut with the short film, The Return of the Exterminator.
Vinal's first feature film, The Whole Nine Yards, was released in 1996. The film starred Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry and was a commercial success. It earned over $100 million at the domestic box office and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture.
Vinal followed up this success with the 1999 biopic Man on the Moon, which starred Jim Carrey and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning over $130 million at the domestic box office and garnering numerous awards.
Vinal went on to direct several more feature films, including the 2001 comedy Heartbreakers, which starred Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. He also directed the 2004 romantic comedy Along Came Polly, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston.
Vinal has since transitioned away from making feature films and into television. He has directed episodes of HBO's Entourage and Showtime's Dexter, as well as the pilot episode of the Fox drama series Human Target. He also wrote and directed the Lifetime original movie Unanswered Prayers, starring Eric Close and Rebecca De Mornay.
Vinal is a highly respected film director and has garnered numerous awards for his work. He has been nominated for two Academy Awards and has won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.
His films have earned over $500 million at the worldwide box office and he continues to be one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood.
