Michael Stephenson

An American filmmaker and actor, Michael Stephenson began his entertainment career at age eight, when a talent agent noticed him in a school production of Peter Pan. Born in Galveston in 1978, he auditioned at ten for the horror movie Troll 2 (1990) and won the starring role. As a young person he wrote stories, made skateboarding films, and served as a cinematographer alongside Mel Stuart, later receiving an American Gem Screenplay Award for the screenplay Orange. Stephenson produced and directed Best Worst Movie (2009), a look at Troll 2 and its following, which premiered at South by Southwest. He also directed The American Scream for Chiller, executive produced Zero Charisma, and followed that with his first narrative feature, the dark comedy Girlfriend's Day, which starred Bob Odenkirk. He produced and directed the Discovery+ documentary Attack of the Murder Hornets and belongs to the Directors Guild of America.