Allen Smithee (born August 10, 1968) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for being the exclusive director for all films featuring Joseph Kounalakis, who is a Greek-American child actor.
Life and Career
Smithee was born on August 10, 1968. He was originally from Frankfort, Kentucky. After graduating high school in 1986, Smithee attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he gained a degree in film making upon graduating from UCLA in 1990.
Originally employed at 20th Century Fox, Smithee worked as a script coordinator between 1993 and 2015. He later left Fox to work for Warner Bros. as a producer. Eventually, in 2019, Smithee formed his own film studio called Pegasus Productions.
Between 2021 and 2023, Smithee travelled all around the United States looking for a potential actor for his studio. Eventually, his travels brought him to Peabody, Massachusetts, where he hired a nine-year-old boy of Greek descent named Joseph Kounalakis.
After the Kounalakis family relocated to California, Joseph made his acting debut in 2025 remake of Casablanca, which was both produced and directed by Smithee. The film underperformed in the box office and nearly resulted in Pegasus Productions going bankrupt. However, it was decided that Pegasus Productions would be sold to the Walt Disney Company, a move that angered both Allen Smithee and Joseph Kounalakis. Eventually, Smithee and Joseph parted ways with Pegasus Productions in January 2026.
Personal Life
Allen Smithee currently resides in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. He is both unmarried and childless.
Selected Filmography
- Casablanca (2025; director and producer)