---
name: "Kenny Ortega"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/kenny-ortega"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "18 April 1950"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 67
updated: "2026-09-16T23:53:34.697672+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Kenny Ortega

Director. Born 18 April 1950 in Palo Alto, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 18 April 1950, Palo Alto, California, USA
- **Active:** 1980–2000
- **Also known as:** Kenneth Ortega, کنی اورتگا

## 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.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, televisionacademy.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Gilmore Girls* (2000), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/gilmore-girls.md)
- *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* (1986), Fi1m 81, Second Unit Director — [page](https://film.one/film/ferris-buellers-day-off.md)
- *Xanadu* (1980), Fi1m 38, Choreographer — [page](https://film.one/film/xanadu.md)

## Also known for

- *High School Musical* (2006), Director
- *High School Musical 2* (2007), Director
- *High School Musical 3: Senior Year* (2008), Director
- *Hocus Pocus* (1993), Director
- *Descendants* (2015), Director
- *Descendants 2* (2017), Director
- *Descendants 3* (2019), Director
- *This Is It* (2009), Director, Writer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/kenny-ortega