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Kenny Ortega
Born April 18, 1950 in Palo Alto, California, United States (76 years old)
Musical Theatre
Kenneth John Ortega is an American director, producer, choreographer, and concert creator. He is best known for his work with Disney Channel, notably the High School Musical film trilogy, cult classics such as Newsies and Hocus Pocus, The Cheetah Girls 2, and the first three Descendants films. In 2019, he signed a five year deal with Netflix, producing the original series Julie and the Phantoms, which was cancelled after only one season. He has also choreographed multiple iconic ‘80s films such as, Xanadu, One from the Heart, St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Dirty Dancing. Ortega has worked on multiple music videos and produced concert tours for the likes of Kiss, Olivia Newton-John, Cher, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, and Michael Jackson, notably the cancelled This i
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Signature Roles
2 Signature Roles3 Principal Houses
Spotlight
Career Trajectory
Kenny Ortega began his career as a dancer and choreographer in the 1970s, transitioning to film and television direction with remarkable success. His breakthrough came with Dirty Dancing (1987), where his choreography and directorial sensibility created an enduring cultural phenomenon. Over the following three decades, he became one of Hollywood's most reliable architects of ensemble-driven musical entertainment, particularly excelling in youth-oriented projects like High School Musical and in the monumental live-event documentation of Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009).
Career Highlight
Directed and choreographed Dirty Dancing (1987), creating one of cinema's most iconic dance sequences and establishing himself as a major directorial talent
At a Glance
- Discipline
- Director
- Nationality
- United States
- Born
- 1950 · Palo Alto, California, United States
- Active since
- 1987
Principal Houses
Engagements
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