Name	Morgan Spurlock
Height	6' 2"
Naionality	American
Date of Birth	7 November 1970
Place of Birth	Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA
Famous for

Though it took him fourteen months to recover from eating McDonald’s for thirty days after making his documentary “Super Size Me” (2004), filmmaker Morgan Spurlock gained more than just twenty five pounds and a forty percent increase in his cholesterol count—he earned critical kudos, comparisons to Michael Moore, the Best Director award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nomination. Though documenting the progression from healthy, active individual to overweight slob with high blood pressure and low sex drive had its risks, nothing prepared Spurlock for the praise—and flak—that followed. While Most critics enjoyed the film, there was no shortage of McDonald’s proponents willing to lambast Spurlock for his “insane” experiment and “anti-fast food elitism.” But nothing could stop “Super Size Me” from becoming a cultural phenomenon, a catalyst for change and the third-highest grossing documentary of all time.

Born and raised in Beckley, West Virignia, Spurlock was exposed to art, music and writing at an early age, and was encouraged by his mom to find his artistic voice. As one of three brothers who took ballet—not the macho thing to do in a rural southern state—Spurlock sometimes had to let his fists do the talking instead. But he also loved movies and decided to become a filmmaker. The road to becoming one, however, was tougher than expected. He was denied admission to film school at the University of Southern California five times before he was accepted at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, from which he graduated in 1993. While in school, he performed stand-up in comedy clubs; and after graduation he worked as a production assistant on various projects, including “Kiss of Death” (1995).

Urged by a friend, Spurlock auditioned for national spokesman at Sony Electronics. He earned the spot and spent the next two years fronting for the company. Spurlock later used his clout to become an announcer for the Sony-sponsored Bud Light Pro Beach Volleyball League. In 1996, Spurlock called matches at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta and later worked as announcer for extreme sports on ESPN. He then formed a production company and began making corporate videos. During the Internet boom, he created an online reality show, “I Bet You Will” (MTV, 2002-2003), which became the first show to go from the Web to television. Resembling “Fear Factor,” the show challenged contestants to perform outrageous stunts—like eating dog poop—for cash.

It looked as though he was on his way, but misfortune struck when MTV canceled the series after one season. More than $250,000 in debt, Spurlock was evicted from his apartment, forcing him to sleep in a hammock in his office. Then a year later at Thanksgiving dinner, inspiration struck. While on the couch stuffed with turkey and pants unbuttoned to make room, a news story aired about two girls suing McDonald’s for their being overweight. Then a McDonald’s representative claimed that they were not responsible for the girl’s heaviness. “Our food is nutritious,” he said. Bells and whistles went off in Spurlock’s head; he immediately placed a call to friend and cinematographer, Scott Ambrozy, telling him about his idea for “Super Size Me.” Ambrozy responded: “That’s a really great bad idea.” Six weeks later, they were in production.

For thirty days, Spurlock consumed food and beverage only from McDonald’s—even the bottled water he drank was from the Golden Arches. He limited exercise to walking around New York and whenever asked by employees if he wanted his meals super-sized, he gladly accepted. Meanwhile, Spurlock monitored his physical progress—or, rather, regression—with doctors and a nutritionist. At first, Spurlock appeared to be normal. But soon he began gaining weight and his cholesterol levels shot up. Then he started to experience mood-swings—ecstatic highs brought on by fat and sugar, followed by depressing lows after the crash—and even began to have sub-par performances in bed (“He gets tired easily,” said girlfriend Alexandra Jamieson.) After three weeks on the diet, one doctor expressed concern over the amount of fat stored in his liver and implored him to stop. Instead, he trooped on and ended the 30-day binge with a celebration—complete with clown and balloons—at a McDonald’s.

The documentary was selected to compete at Sundance the following Thanksgiving—one year after Spurlock conceived the idea. It became the darling of the festival, earning him Best Director for a documentary film and instant celebrity. The film then sold for a reported $2 million and hit theaters soon after. Meanwhile, Spurlock made the talk show rounds and was either cheered or castigated by pundits. Some felt that his intake of 5500 calories per day was not realistic; counter experiments were conducted where people ate an all-McDonald’s diet and actually lost weight. But such criticisms paled in comparison to the changes brought about by the film. Schools across the country began changing their menus, starting with eliminating fast food. Even McDonald’s joined the bandwagon by putting an end to super-sized portions and introducing healthier choices—including Fruit & Walnut Salad—to the menu. The fast food chain denied any connection between their decisions and Spurlock’s film.

In May 2005, Spurlock released his first book, Don’t Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America, a companion to his movie. Girlfriend Jamieson—a vegan chef—released her own book, The Great American Detox Diet. Then both appeared in a new reality series, “30 Days” (FX, 2005- ), where Spurlock and others spend thirty days living someone else’s life. Though he wanted to be in every episode, Jamieson had none of that—his “Super Size Me” experience was enough. But she agreed to appear in an episode where the happy couple moved to Columbus, Ohio and lived off minimum wage. Struggles and bickering ensued. Other segments included a Christian man who lives with Muslims, a conservative homophobe who lives with a gay man in San Francisco and two typical Americans who learn how to live in an eco village without fossil fuels.