Timur Bekmambetov
Personal details
  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1961-06-25
    • Born Place: Guryev, Kazakh SSR, USSR [now Atyrau, Kazakhstan]
  • Also Known As:

    Timur Bekmambetov, Timur Bekmambetow, Тимур Бекмамбетов, Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov

Timur Bekmambetov

Timur Bekmambetov (born June 25, 1961) is a visionary Kazakh-Russian director, producer, and screenwriter recognized for his high-octane visual style and pioneering use of digital technology in cinema. He first gained international acclaim for the Russian supernatural blockbusters Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006), which shattered box-office records in his home country and introduced his frantic, imaginative editing style to the West. His Hollywood breakthrough came with the stylish action hit Wanted (2008), starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, followed by the genre-bending Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) and the epic remake of Ben-Hur (2016). Beyond traditional directing, Bekmambetov is a digital innovator who founded the Bazelevs Company and pioneered the "Screenlife" filmmaking format—where stories unfold entirely on computer and smartphone screens—seen in films he produced or directed like Unfriended (2015), Searching (2018), and Profile (2018). In 2026, Bekmambetov is set to return to major studio filmmaking with Mercy, a sci-fi thriller for Amazon MGM Studios that reunites him with his Wanted producer Charles Roven and star Chris Pratt. Throughout his career, he has balanced large-scale Hollywood spectacles with experimental digital projects, earning a reputation as one of the most innovative voices in modern genre cinema. His work often explores the intersection of humanity and technology, a theme that remains central to his upcoming AI-focused project Mercy.

Person History