Michael Bay
on the set of Transformers (May 30, 2006)
Born	Michael Benjamin Bay (1965-02-17) February 17, 1965 (age 47) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film director Film producer
Years active	1984–present

Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects.^[1][2] His films, which include The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and the Bad Boys and Transformers series, have grossed over three billion dollars world-wide.^[3] He is co-founder of commercial production house The Institute, a.k.a. The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness.^[4] He is co-chair and part-owner of the digital effects house Digital Domain.^[5] He co-owns Platinum Dunes, a production house which has remade horror movies including Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.^[6]

Early life[link]

Michael Bay was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He was raised by his adoptive parents Harriet, a bookstore owner/child psychiatrist, and Jim, a CPA.^[7] Bay's grandfather was Russian.^[8] His cousin, Susan Bay, is the wife of Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.^[9] He attended the exclusive Crossroads School, in Santa Monica, California.^[10] Bay often traces his interest in action films back to an incident during his childhood. As a boy, he attached some firecrackers to a toy train and filmed the ensuing fiery disaster with his mother's 8mm camera. The fire department was called and he was grounded.^[11]