Biography
Kenny Ortega is an American director, producer and choreographer. Born Kenneth John Ortega on 18 April 1950 in Palo Alto, California, he began his career as a choreographer on films including Dirty Dancing (1987) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), and worked as a protégé of Gene Kelly.
He made his directorial debut with the musical Newsies (1992) and went on to direct Hocus Pocus (1993) and the High School Musical trilogy (2006–2008). Ortega directed twelve episodes of the series Gilmore Girls (2000) between 2002 and 2006. He has also directed concert films and tours, including Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009), and the Descendants films (2015–2019).
Ortega has received three Emmy Awards and was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Disney Legends Award in 2019.
