Raja Raymond Gosnell (born December 9, 1958)^[1] is an American film editor and director. He is known for directing comedies and family films. Among his best known works are Never Been Kissed (1999), Big Momma's House (2000), the two Scooby-Doo movies (2002 and 2004), Home Alone 3 (1997), Yours, Mine & Ours (2005), and two Smurfs movies (2011 and 2013).

Early life

Gosnell is named after his father's friend Raja Mohideen.^[2] He was born in Los Angeles, California on December 9, 1958.^[3]

Career

Gosnell's career started in 1980 when he worked with director Robert Altman as an assistant editor on Popeye. His first solo credit as an editor was on the film The Silence. Afterward, Gosnell would serve as editor on a number of films, including Teen Wolf Too, Pretty Woman, and Rookie of the Year.^[3]

He is also known for his collaboration with director Chris Columbus, for whom he edited the films Home Alone (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), and Mrs. Doubtfire (1993).^[3]

Gosnell made his directorial debut with Home Alone 3 after learning writer and producer John Hughes was looking for a director for the project. Afterwards, he went on to direct more theatrical films, including Never Been Kissed (1999), Big Momma's House (2000), Scooby-Doo (2002), Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008), and The Smurfs (2011) and its sequel, The Smurfs 2 (2013).^[3] While many of his films have been met with poor reception from critics, they have generally been very successful at the box office. In 2021, Gosnell co-directed his son, Bradley, in Gun and a Hotel Bible alongside Alicia Joy LeBlanc.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Director

Executive producer

• Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)
• Show Dogs (2018)

Editor