Lilly Wachowski

Born on December 29. 1967 in Chicago, IL, Lilly Wachowski was raised by her father, Ron, a businessman and her mother, Lynne, a nurse and amateur painter. After graduating from Whitney Young High School, which had a noted performing arts curriculum, Wachowski studied at Emerson College in Boston before breaking into the comic book scene. Eventually, Lilly and her sister Lana, wrote issues of Clive Barker's Ectokid (1993-94) series for Marvel Comics' imprint Razorline, as well as Clive Barker's Hellraiser (1989-1992) and Clive Barker's Nightbreed (1990) for Epic Comics. The duo wrote and sold their first script to producer Dino De Laurentiis, which eventually became the action thriller "Assassins" (1995), starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas as rival hit men forced to work together. Following her directorial debut, "Bound" (1996), Wachowski was propelled to superstardom by "The Matrix" (1999), a sci-fi-action hybrid that morphed 17th century philosophy with futuristic technology to create a major blockbuster hit. Over a period of more than five years, Wachowski developed the story for this comic book-come-to-life.the arduous shoot required the actors to undergo extensive physical conditioning so the film's innovative, special effects-driven set pieces would have a unique visual flair. In the end, all the meticulous planning paid off, as the film opened at the top of the box office and eventually grossed over $450 million worldwide. Meanwhile, the film was a massive cultural touchstone and popularized the use of "bullet time" visual effects across every medium. The success of "The Matrix" spawned a franchise that consisted of multiple sequels, an animated series, and video games. After the straight-to-DVD release of the animated shorts "The Animatrix" (2003), Wachowski concurrently filmed "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003) and "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003), both of which toned down the philosophical underpinnings of the first film in favor of more amped-up action. Wachowski stepped back from directing to co-write the scripts for the comic book adaptation "V for Vendetta" (2006) and "The Invasion" (2007), an adaptation of Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Back in the director's chair, she helmed "Speed Racer" (2008), a live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese anime series of the same name. After producing the martial arts actioner "Ninja Assassin" (2009), starring Rain and Naomie Harris, Wachowski returned to directing with "Cloud Atlas" (2012), a complexly structured epic that traversed multiple characters and storylines throughout various time periods in order to show how one life can have a significant impact on others. Made outside the studio system for a whopping $100 million, "Cloud Atlas" was the most expensive independent movie ever made and received an enthusiastic standing ovation following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, though critics were divided upon its theatrical release. Later, Wachowski co-wrote and co-directed "Jupiter Ascending" (2015), a science fiction action-adventure story starring Mila Kunis. The same year, she created and produced her first venture for television, the telepathy-based thriller "Sense8" (Netflix 2015-17). In 2019, Wachowski joined the writing staff of Abby McEnany and Tim Mason's sitcom "Work In Progress" (Showtime 2019-), serving as showrunner and one of the executive producers. She has since appeared in "Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen" (2020) and "We Are Pat" (2025), and continues to develop multiple upcoming projects.