Rise to Fame
He started with a 125-watt high school radio station that barely covered the parking lot, and somehow used it to cold-call Jerry Seinfeld and Garry Shandling. He dropped out of USC, moved in with Adam Sandler, and spent the early '90s writing for The Larry Sanders Show. His first TV shot, Freaks and Geeks, got canceled after one season. Then The 40-Year-Old Virgin made four times its budget, and in 2007 he had both Knocked Up and Superbad in theaters at the same time.
In the Spotlight
The 40-Year-Old Virgin/Knocked Up/Superbad run from 2005-2007 defined what mainstream American comedy looked and felt like for a decade. That's a hard act to follow. His box office since then has been uneven, and the Apatow-style R-rated bromance has aged into something critics pick apart for its gender politics. He's pivoted toward documentary, co-directing a two-part Mel Brooks film for HBO and co-directing a Bob Newhart and Don Rickles friendship short. A Glen Powell country music comedy is in development at Universal. Still active, still connected, but the cultural moment he owned in 2007 isn't coming back.
Side Notes
The high school radio hustle is genuinely absurd. WKWZ had a 125-watt signal that barely cleared the school parking lot, but Apatow cold-called Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Howard Stern, and Harold Ramis anyway. They picked up. He met Adam Sandler at the Improv, dropped out of USC, and became his roommate. He met Ben Stiller while both were waiting in line for an Elvis Costello show, which turned into a writing job on The Ben Stiller Show. Both daughters, Maude and Iris Apatow, grew up appearing in his films and are now working actors.