American director known for his dramatic and biographic films starring some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Some of his most well known movies include 2017's The Glass Castle from 2017 and Just Mercy from 2019.
He attended and graduated from San Diego State's film school. He made his directorial debut with the 90-minute movie I Am Not A Hipster, which premiered at the Sundance festival in 2012.
His 22-minute independent short film Short Term 12 was later adapted into a full-length movie.
He was raised in Haiku, Hawaii. His parents' names are Daniel and Janice Harue Cretton. His father is a fireman of Irish-Slovakian heritage. His mother is a Japanese-American hairdresser. He is married to Nikki Chapman, and they have two kids.
He is a frequent collaborator with the actress Brie Larson, who starred in Short Term 12, The Glass Castle and Just Mercy.