Adam Rifkin

• Name — Adam Rifkin • Other Names — Rif Coogan • Born — 31 December 1966 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, United States • Occupation — Film director, screenwriter, producer, actor

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Rifkin graduated from the Chicago Academy for the Arts in 1984, after which he moved to Los Angeles. He attended the University of Southern California for one year before dropping out. He then began writing scripts and collaborating with Brad Wyman.

As a screenwriter, Rifkin has written several family-friendly movies. He wrote Knucklehead for WWE Studios, starring WWE star Big Show, Underdog for Walt Disney Pictures, Zoom, starring Tim Allen and two films for DreamWorks, Mouse Hunt and Small Soldiers. Continuing in the family film genre, he wrote an unmade big screen version of He-Man for John Woo and 20th Century Fox, that was abandoned by Fox 2000 Pictures. He also wrote the unused draft of Planet of the Apes in 1988. Rifkin's film The Dark Backward was named one of the top ten films of its year by The New York Post. He was then the director responsible for New Line Cinema's Detroit Rock City.

Rifkin directed his first film Never on Tuesday in 1989. As of December 6, 2007, he has directed eleven others, including The Chase (1994), Detroit Rock City (1999) and the Night at the Golden Eagle (2002).

Rifkin began his production career in 1999 on the production of Touch Me in the Morning by Giuseppe Andrews. Preceding his completion of that project, Rifkin produced his own film Night at the Golden Eagle as well as Getting Hal by Tony Markes.

Rifkin began his acting career in 1989 with his directorial debut Never on Tuesday. Rifkin has appeared in small roles and cameos in his other films, Night at the Golden Eagle, Without Charlie, Detroit Rock City, The Dark Backward, Denial and Psycho Cop 2. Rifkin also appeared as Croaker/Miss Spain in the 1989 film, Going Overboard, starring Adam Sandler and Burt Young. He also wrote, directed and acted in the 2007 film Homo Erectus, in which he portrays a wimpy caveman called Ishbo, the main character in the film. The film's ensemble cast includes Ali Larter, David Carradine, Talia Shire, Gary Busey, and Ron Jeremy.

• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Executive Producer — Creator • 1996 — Bone Chillers — Co-Executive • 2010 — Look: The Series • 2012 — Reality Show