Joss Whedon Bio: In His Own Words – Video Exclusive, News, Photos

Joss Whedon Biography

Joss Whedon, born Joseph Hill Whedon, was destined to be a television writer given his history — his father, Tom Whedon, wrote for television programs such as Golden Girls and Benson, and his grandfather, John Whedon, wrote for shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show and Leave It To Beaver. Joss has been the creator, writer, producer and director of some of the most highly-acclaimed films and television programs of the last 20 years.

Whedon was born June 23, 1964, in New York City. He is the middle of five brothers — which includes older brothers Samuel and Matthew, and younger brothers Zack and Jed. His mother, Lee Stearns, was a history teacher at Riverdale Country School and an aspiring writer. Whedon attended Riverdale, before moving to England for two years to attend Winchester College. After two years at Winchester, he transferred to Wesleyan University, from which he graduated in 1987.

Joss Whedon ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’

Whedon created his first television show in 1997, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendan. Buffy was one of the first television programs to feature a female protaganist and hero. He created the character to challenge the cliché of “the little blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed in every horror film.” The show has become a cult classic and was the start of “Whedonism” — the name given by Whedon fans to his work and philosophy. From Buffy came the spinoff Angel, which followed several of the original characters. Some of Whedon’s other notable television work include Dollhouse, Firefly, Serenity and Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Joss Whedon ‘Dr. Horrible’

During the 2007-2008 Writer’s Guild Strike, Whedon funded, wrote, produced, and directed a webseries called Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion. The series won a number of awards, including a Creative Arts Emmy Award, a Best Directing and a Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series awards at the Streamy Awards, and a Hugo Award for Best Short Form Dramatic Presentation. Whedon also appeared in the online short The R. Tam Sessions, all three episodes of the second season of the webseries Husbands, a Cracked.com video called Potty Training A 25-Year-Old, and the first episode of Written By A Kid.

Joss Whedon Movies, ‘The Avengers’

Whedon has also written, directed and produced several movies. In 2010 Whedon wrote and produced the horror film The Cabin in The Woods. However, it was shelved for three years while MGM Studios dealt with bankruptcy. In 2011, Lionsgate picked up the film for distribution — and through the ordeal, Whedon never lost hope that his movie would be released. “I knew that it was gonna come around — not to be that guy – but I knew how good it was,” Whedon told Uinterview exclusively. “Watching it with audiences at South by Southwest, and various places, and seeing them respond to it, I knew that somebody would look at the movie and go, ‘This is gonna happen.’ Lionsgate knew instantly, as soon as they saw it, that they had to get it out of that mire it was stuck in. I never lost faith.” The film was released in theaters in April, 2012.

In 2010, Whedon directed the blockbuster action film The Avengers, which premiered in April, 2012 to high reviews. The movie starred such actors as Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Hiddleston. In 2015, Whedon directed another movie in the series, Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Joss Whedon Comic Books

Whedon is also a big fan of comic books. He wrote the Dark Horse Comics series “Fray,” set in the future of the Buffyverse (Buffy universe). He also wrote the three part miniseries “Serenity: Those Left Behind” in 2005 based on the Firefly series and leading up to the film Serenity. In 2008 he released the second part of the series, entitled “Serenity: Better Days.” Whedon also wrote a 24 issue “Astonishing X-Men” series for Marvel comics, ending his run in 2008. Additionally, Whedon contributed to “Superman/Batman #26,” the introduction to “Identity Crisis,” and Marvel Comics’ Civil War crossover event. He also created the webcomic Sugarshock!, and directed the 2017 film Justice League, which was based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name.

Despite Whedon’s massive success, he also has had many projects go unrealized, such as an animated Buffy series, a series about the Buffy character Rupert Giles called Ripper, and a film titled Goners.

Joss Whedon Wife And Family

Not much is known about Whedon’s dating history. In 1995, he married Kai Cole. Cole and Whedon have two children who bear her last name — Arden Cole (born in 2002) and Squire Cole (born in late 2004/early 2005). The couple divorced in 2016 after Cole alleged that Whedon cheated on her multiple times throughout their marriage. He has been dating artist Heather Horton since 2022.

Whedon identifies as an atheist, and supported Barack Obama‘s 2012 campaign for president, likening Mitt Romney‘s campaign to a zombie apocalypse.