Danny Leiner, a director best known for making Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, has died. He was 57.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1961, Leiner attended college at Purchase College in the State, he worked on short films before writing and directing his own first feature, Layin' Low, which was released in 1996. That got him the job directing 2000's Dude, Where's My Car? and he followed that up with Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (known as Harold & Kumar Get The Munchies in the UK due to our lack of White Castle fast food outlets.
His small screen career was even more prolific, with Leiner working on an eclectic mix of shows including Felicity, Freaks And Geeks, Sports Night, Gilmore Girls, The Tick, Arrested Development, The Sopranos, the US version of The Office and Selfie.
In addition to directing, he also worked as a producer, helping to shepherd other filmmakers' work. "If there’s one thing I can say about Danny the professional, it’s that he refused to let us settle for anything less than our best. He pushed us to do what he knew we were capable of," producer/director Ross Putman wrote on Facebook, revealing that Leiner had died. "Danny the person was sardonic, sharp, and savvy, with a love for culture and comedy of all kinds. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but the world has lost a good one." Leiner died Thursday following a long illness.
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