Alex Kurtzman

Biography

Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work on the Star Trek franchise since 2009, co-writing the scripts to Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) with his writing and producing partner Roberto Orci, and directing and co-writing The Mummy (2017).

He made his directorial debut with People Like Us (2012), co-written by him, Orci, and Jody Lambert from a story by him.

Kurtzman is known, alongside Orci, for frequently collaborating with Michael Bay and J.J. Abrams, as well as co-creating the more recent Star Trek shows, including Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

In 2011, Forbes magazine described Orci and Kurtzman as "Hollywood's Secret Weapons" as, over the course of the previous six years, their films had grossed a combined total of over $3 billion at the box office.

The partnership also wrote People Like Us, originally known as Welcome to People, which was Kurtzman's theatrical directorial debut.

In 2018, Kurtzman signed a new five-year deal with CBS Television Studios to oversee and expand the Star Trek franchise on television, including serving as executive producer on Star Trek: Discovery (which he also co-showruns with Michelle Paradise), Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks.

In August 2021, Kurtzman and his production company Secret Hideout extended their overall deal with CBS Studios through 2026.

In 2002, Kurtzman married Samantha Counter, the daughter of lawyer Nick Counter.