Kenny Ortega

Kenneth John Ortega (born April 18, 1950) is an American producer, director and choreographer. He directed the films Newsies (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), the High School Musical trilogy (2006–2008), Michael Jackson\'s This Is It (2009) and the Descendants trilogy (2015–2019). Ortega has choreographed films including St. Elmo\'s Fire (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), Ferris Bueller\'s Day Off (1986) and Dirty Dancing (1987). He has also directed multiple concert tours, including tours for Cher, Gloria Estefan and Michael Jackson. In 2019, Ortega was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.\n', 'Ortega was born in Palo Alto, California, the son of Madeline, a waitress, and Octavio "Tibby" Ortega, a factory worker. Both of his parents were also born in Palo Alto, though his paternal grandparents were Spanish immigrants. He attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, wher…