Charlie McDowell
Charles Malcolm McDowell (born July 10, 1983) is an American film director and screenwriter. McDowell made his directorial film debut with the romantic thriller The One I Love (2014). He has since written and directed the Netflix drama films The Discovery (2017) and Windfall (2022).
Also recorded as Charles Malcolm McDowell
Charlie McDowell

Dora Britt · The Discovery premiere during day 2 of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 20, 2017 in Park City, Utah · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Charlie McDowell
- Birth Name
- Charles Malcolm McDowell
- Born
- 10 July 1983
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Film director
- Education
- AFI Conservatory
- Nationality
- United States.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Charles Malcolm McDowell (born July 10, 1983) is an American film director and screenwriter. McDowell made his directorial film debut with the romantic thriller The One I Love (2014). He has since written and directed the Netflix drama films The Discovery (2017) and Windfall (2022).
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Charlie McDowell (born 1983) is an American actor, film director and screenwriter. The actor was born in Los Angeles. Charlie McDowell studied at AFI Conservatory. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Charlie McDowell. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q21872603 · wikipedia · Charlie McDowell
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Charlie McDowell • Birth Name — Charles Malcolm McDowell • Born — 10 July 1983 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Occupation — * Film director • screenwriter • Children — 1 • Education — AFI Conservatory • Father — Malcolm McDowell • Mother — Mary Steenburgen • Relatives — Ted Danson (stepfather) Phil Collins (father-in-law) Alexander Siddig (cousin)
Early life
Early life
McDowell was born on July 10, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, to English actor Malcolm McDowell and American actress Mary Steenburgen. He has an older sister named Lilly (born January 22, 1981) and three younger half-brothers from his father's marriage to Kelley Kuhr. His stepfather is actor Ted Danson, who married Steenburgen in 1995.
Career
Career
In 2011, McDowell's Twitter feed, @charliemcdowell, was described by Time as "one of the most hilarious Twitter feeds out there," and in 2013 Three Rivers Press published McDowell's book, Dear Girls Above Me, based on his Twitter feed. His debut film, The One I Love, starring Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014, where shortly after it was acquired by RADiUS-TWC and released in August 2014. In 2015, McDowell directed Sarah Silverman's untitled HBO series pilot. The project was not picked up by the network. McDowell's next film, The Discovery, starred Rooney Mara, Jason Segel, and Robert Redford. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Netflix for a global release in 2017. In March 2017, filmmaker McDowell announced he was adapting author Don DeLillo's novel Zero K as a limited series for FX with Noah Hawley and Scott Rudin producing. McDowell previously directed an episode of Hawley's television series Legion, also for FX. In 2019, McDowell directed the first and last episodes of the Showtime series On Becoming a God in Central Florida and also served as an executive producer. He also directed episodes of Silicon Valley, Dear White People, Tales from the Loop, and Dispatches from Elsewhere. His next film, Gilded Rage, was based on the infamous murder of investment banker Thomas Gilbert Sr. Bill Skarsgård and Christoph Waltz were set to portray the character in different periods of his life. Lily Collins was also set to star in the film.
Personal life
Personal life
Since 2014, McDowell has had a running joke at his mother Mary Steenburgen's expense, claiming on numerous occasions on social media that his mother is actually actress Andie MacDowell. McDowell dated Emilia Clarke from 2018 to 2019. In 2019, McDowell began a relationship with actress Lily Collins, the daughter of English drummer and singer Phil Collins. In September 2020, they announced their engagement. They were married on September 4, 2021, in Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado. In 2025, Collins announced on Instagram that their first child was born via surrogacy.
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Notes • 2016 — Silicon Valley — 2 episodes • Untitled Sarah Silverman project — TV pilot • 2017-2018 — Dear White People — 2 episodes • 2018 — Legion — Episode: "Chapter 15" • 2019 — On Becoming a God in Central Florida — 2 episodes, Also executive producer • 2020 — Tales from the Loop — Episode: "Parallel" • Dispatches from Elsewhere — Episode: "The Boy"
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the heading Charles Malcolm McDowell. His recorded language was English. He was the child of Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen. He married Lily Collins. Other recorded relations include Alexander Siddig.
Identity
Identity
Charlie McDowell is recorded as screenwriter, actor and film director.
Short film
Short film
• Year — Title — Director — Writer • 2006 — Bye Bye Benjamin
Feature film
Feature film
• Year — Title — Director — Producer — Writer • 2014 — The One I Love — Executive • 2017 — The Discovery • 2022 — Windfall • 2024 — The Summer Book • 2025 — Lurker
Awards and nominations
• Year — Association — Category — Title — Result • 2014 — San Francisco Film Critics Circle — Special Citation — The One I Love
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Charles Malcolm McDowell. California Birth Index.
- 2.Charlie McDowell. Celebrity-birthday.sorg.
- 3.Patches, Matt. Sundance Preview: Mark Duplass is Both Mentor and Star on Set of 'The One I Love'. The Hollywood Reporter. January 8, 2014.
- 4.Smith, Nigel M. The Indiewire Springboard: Meet Twitter Sensation, Published Author and Director of 'The One I Love, Charlie McDowell. Indiewire. April 18, 2015.
- 5.Mattern, Jessica Leigh. How Ted Danson Found Love With Mary Steenburgen After Leaving Whoopi Goldberg. Country Living. September 17, 2018.
- 6.Megan Gibson. Charlie McDowell. Time. March 28, 2011.
- 7.Dear Girls Above Me [review]. Publishers Weekly. July 1, 2013.
- 8.Bielski, Zosia. 'Forced to listen' to the girls upstairs, Charlie McDowell took to Twitter. The Globe and Mail. June 27, 2013.
- 9.Bahr, Lindsey. Sundance: You're not supposed to know anything about 'The One I Love'. Entertainment Weekly. January 22, 2014.
- 10.Fleming, Mike Jr. Sundance: Radius-TWC Acquires 'The One I Love'. Deadline. January 23, 2014.
- 11.D'Alessandro, Anthony. Hot Trailer: Elisabeth Moss & Mark Duplass Get Trippy In 'The One I Love'. Deadline. July 19, 2014.
- 12.Andreeva, Nellie. Charlie McDowell To Direct HBO's Sarah Silverman Pilot, Jeremy Garelick To Helm Fox's 'Detour'. Deadline. February 13, 2015.
- 13.McNary, Dave. Nicholas Hoult, Rooney Mara Starring in Romance 'The Discovery'. Variety. October 27, 2015.
- 14.Busch, Anita. Robert Redford & Jason Segel Join Rooney Mara In 'The Discovery'. Deadline. March 9, 2016.
- 15.Jafaar, Ali. Netflix Acquires The World On 'The Discovery' With Rooney Mara, Robert Redford And Jason Segel. Deadline. June 13, 2016.
- 16.Swinson, Brock. The Discovery: A Big Premise Character Piece. Creative Screenwriting. March 30, 2017.
- 17.Sneider, Jeff. Jake Gyllenhaal, Conde Nast Team to Produce True-Crime Movie 'Gilded Rage'. Collider. May 20, 2019.
- 18.All the times Mary Steenburgen's son Charlie McDowell trolled her by pretending actress Andie MacDowell was his mother. Celebrity. October 8, 2020.
- 19.Bonner, Mehera. Here's What You Need to Know About Emilia Clarke's Dating Life. Cosmopolitan. December 22, 2020.
- 20.Flanagan, Hanna. Lily Collins Is Engaged to Charlie McDowell: See Her Unique Diamond Ring. People. October 1, 2020.
- 21.Adams, Abigail. Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell Are Married: 'We Officially Became Each Other's Forever'. People. September 7, 2021.
- 22.Welcome to the center of our world Tove Jane McDowell. Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again….
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,408 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Charlie DanielsPerson
- Charlie DupontPerson
- Charlie HunnamPerson
- Charlie KaufmanPerson
- Charlie MurphyPerson
- Charlie O'ConnellPerson
- Charlie RivelPerson
- Charlie RowePerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Charlie McDowell?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.