Levy was born to a Jewish family with two siblings, Jodi and Debby, in Montreal, Quebec. As a teenager, he attended St. George's High School in Montreal and trained at the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in New York's Catskills. Pursuing a career in acting, he attended the performing arts program at Yale University, graduating in 1989; during his time there, he became interested in directing and moved to Los Angeles to study film directing. He received an MFA degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1994.
Levy began his professional career while pursuing his undergraduate and graduate degrees in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s. While studying performing arts, he made his acting debut in Zombie Nightmare (1987), a low-budget horror film in which he portrayed the character Jim Bratten, the leader of a group of teenagers. The film is best known for being featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He also appeared in the 1988 film Liberace: Behind the Music.
He pursued his MFA in production, during which time he continued to act with a guest spot on 21 Jump Street and a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210. Since this time, he has acted in primary small and cameo roles as well, like on 30 Rock as TV producer Scottie Shofar.
1995–2014: Directorial career and 20th Century Fox
In the mid-2000s, Levy and his company 21 Laps signed a production deal with 20th Century Fox; it was renewed in 2010. Following this deal, Levy created a new television company with Marty Adelstein at 20th Century Fox TV to develop comedy series. Levy and 21 Laps were with the company until 2020. Since 2011, he has been the executive producer of the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing. He also executive produced the short-lived ABC sitcoms Cristela (2014–2015) and Imaginary Mary (2017). Film projects with FOX include the 2012 Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill comedy The Watch (directed by Akiva Schaffer), Levy's comedy The Internship (2013), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), Why Him? (2016), and The Darkest Minds (2018).
Outside of 20th Century Fox, Levy worked to expand 21 Laps' range outside of primarily family-friendly comedies; this included producing the A24 drama The Spectacular Now (2013), the ensemble dramedy This Is Where I Leave You (2014), and the Academy Award-winning sci-fi film Arrival (2016). For his role in Arrival, Levy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
In December 2017, Levy signed a four-year contract with Netflix to create TV projects exclusively for the streaming entertainment company. In 2020, 21 Laps extended its deal with Netflix and signed a first look deal.
In August 2023, Levy was the inaugural recipient of the Norman Jewison Award for career achievement at the TIFF Tribute Awards.
On April 17, 2025, Lucasfilm announced Star Wars: Starfighter, a film directed by Levy that stars Ryan Gosling and set to be released in theaters on May 28, 2027. It takes place five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In June 2026, it was reported that Levy was attached to executive produce a television adaptation of the Japanese role-playing game series Persona for Netflix with his 21 Laps Entertainment partner Robert Atwood.
In July 2026, it was announced that Levy would direct a Ghost Rider movie for Marvel Studios, with Ryan Gosling playing the titular hero. Ghost Rider will be released in 2028.
Levy has been married to his wife Serena since 1995. They have four daughters together; Sophie, Tess, Charlie, and Colette. He became a U.S. citizen in 2008. Following many years living in Los Angeles, the Levy family moved to Manhattan in the early 2020s. Since 2009, he has also maintained a family home in the Hudson Valley community of New Paltz, New York.
Levy was a signatory of "No Hostage Left Behind," a 2023 open letter espousing support for Israel in the Gaza war and asking US President Joe Biden to ensure the release of hostages kidnapped during the October 7 attacks.
