Born Name
Joseph Hill Whedon
Nick Name
Joss
Sun Sign
Cancer
Born Place
New York City, New York, United States
Residence
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
Education
Joss Whedon went to the Riverdale Country School in New York City. He later studied at Winchester College in Hampshire, England.
After completing his school education, he got enrolled at the Wesleyan University and graduated with a film degree in 1987.
Occupation
Filmmaker, comic book writer, composer
Family
- Father – Tom Whedon (Screenwriter of the popular TV series Alice and The Golden Girls)
- Mother – Ann Lee Whedon (Worked as teacher at Riverdale Country School and was an aspiring novelist)
- Siblings – Jed Whedon (Younger Half-Brother) (Screenwriter), Zack Whedon (Younger Half-Brother) (Screenwriter), Samuel Whedon (Older Brother), Matthew Whedon (Older Brother)
- Others – John Whedon (Paternal Grandfather) (Screenwriter of TV shows like The Donna Reed Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show), Louise Carroll Angell (Paternal Grandmother), James Harvey Jeffries (Maternal Grandfather), Anna Lee Hill (Maternal Grandmother)
Manager
Joss Whedon is represented by Mutant Enemy Productions, Inc.
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 10 in or 178 cm
Weight
80 kg or 176 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Joss Whedon has dated
- Kai Cole (1995-2016) – In 1995, Joss Whedon married Kai Cole, who is an architect and the co-founder of Bellwether Pictures. In December 2002, she gave birth to their son, Arden, whose godparents are actress Alyson Hannigan and husband Alexis Denisof. Two years later, Kai gave birth to a baby girl, Squire. However, they decided to separate in 2012, and their divorce was finalized in 2016. She wrote a scathing letter, in 2017, accusing Joss of being a hypocrite, who pretended to believe in feminist ideals to promote his career. She alleged that he had multiple affairs, including emotional ones, with co-workers, actresses, friends, and fans during the course of their marriage. She also claimed that Joss himself had confessed of his adulterous behavior in a letter he wrote while their marriage was falling apart.
Race / Ethnicity
White
He has English and Scottish ancestry.
Hair Color
Red
Eye Color
Gray
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Balding hairline
- Often sports a trimmed reddish beard
Religion
He considers himself an absurdist and an atheist.
Best Known For
- Having created popular TV series such as Angels, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Writing and directing Marvel superhero movies – The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
First Scriptwriting Job
In 1989, Joss made his debut as a scriptwriter with The Little Sister episode of the comedy TV series, Roseanne.
First Film
In 2005, he lent his voice to the role of a Trade Agent in the sci-fi action movie, Serenity. However, his work was uncredited.
First TV Show
In 1997, he made his first TV show appearance in the I, Robot… You, Jane episode of the action fantasy TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, his appearance wasn’t credited.
His first credited TV show appearance came in Through the Looking Glass episode of drama fantasy TV series, Angel for his role as Numfar.
Joss Whedon Favorite Things
- Characters to Write – Spike, the Cheese Man, Illyria, Andrew, Captain Hammer, River, and Loki
- Ice Cream Flavor – Salted caramel
- Science Fiction Work – Dune book series
- Movie – The Matrix
- Influences – Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, James Cameron, Stephen Sondheim, William Shakespeare, and Steven Spielberg.
Source – Flavor Wire, IMDb
Joss Whedon Facts
- When he was creating Buffy’s character for the popular TV series, he intended to create an alternative feminist icon.
- The producers of the 2000 movie X-Men asked him to revise the script of the movie. Joss, however, felt that the whole script had to be rewritten. In the end, his rewritten script was rejected as they only wanted him to add a couple of jokes.
- He has revealed in his interviews that the X-Men Character Kitty Pryde (AKA Shadowcat) served as one of the major inspirations for the character of Buffy.
- He is credited as the driving force behind making Thanos, the main villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- He has been honored twice (in 2006 and 2013) by the Equality Now organization, which works to promote and protect the human rights of women all over the world. Additionally, he has also been appointed to the advisory board of the Equality Now Organization.
- In February 2021, Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress, Charisma Carpenter accused him of on-set abuse and misconduct.
Featured Image by Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
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