Chris Bender

Chris Bender (also credited as Christopher Bender) is an American producer born in 1971 in New Jersey. He first broke through by helping develop and co-produce the American Pie films, drawing on the kind of real high-school misadventures he and writer Adam Herz knew firsthand.

In 1998, Bender teamed with fellow Bucknell alumnus J.C. Spink to launch the management and production banner Benderspink. The company became a steady studio partner, holding a long-running first-look relationship with New Line Cinema and later deals spanning television, including Universal Cable Productions, after earlier arrangements with CBS Studios and Fox 21.

After Bender and Spink parted ways in 2016, Bender co-founded Good Fear Content with Jake Weiner, aiming to champion distinctive new voices across film and TV. His recent producing work includes David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake (Cannes competition; released domestically by A24), Amazon’s My Spy, and Disney’s live-action Mulan.

Across genres, Bender has helped shape major franchises such as Final Destination, The Ring, The Hangover, and more, alongside hits like We’re the Millers. He has also appeared on screen in small roles, including American Wedding and an uncredited part in Red Eye.