Happy Birthday! J.J. Abrams Turns 50 Years Old Today

Today is J.J. Abrams' birthday.

Abrams has been producing some of the most popular genre fiction in Hollywood for decades now, although he's best known for his TV work -- at least until recently.

Abrams wrote and/or produced feature films such as Regarding Henry, Forever Young, Armageddon, Cloverfield, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

He directed The Force Awakens, along with two Star Trek installments -- the 2009 reboot and Star Trek Into Darkness. He will produce this year's Star Trek Beyond. On the heels of the success of Cloverfield, he not only landed the Star Trek gig but also made Super 8.

Abrams created or co-created a number of TV drama series, including Felicity, Alias, Lost, and Fringe. He won two Emmy Awards for Lost: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series. He has also won three Saturn Awards and was honored with the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television award for his long career.

Abrams's frequent creative collaborators include producer Bryan Burk, actors Greg Grunberg and Simon Pegg, writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, composer Michael Giacchino, cinematographers Daniel Mindel and Larry Fong, and editors Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey.

Besides Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abrams has recently executive produced 11.22.63, the Hulu time-travel drama based on Stephen King's novel of the same name; Roadies, Cameron Crowe's forthcoming dramedy about life on the road with a rock band; and Westworld, a Jonathan Nolan-run science fiction project based on the work of Jurassic Park writer Michael Chricton.

Born in New York City, Abrams turns 50 today. Happy Birthday, J.J. Abrams!