After graduating from the University of Southern California, Singer directed his first short film, "Lion's Den" (1988). On the basis of that film, he received financing for his next film, "Public Access" (1993), which was a co-winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. In the mid-1990s, Singer received critical acclaim for directing the neo-noir crime thriller "The Usual Suspects" (1995). He followed this with another thriller, "Apt Pupil" (1998), an adaptation of a Stephen King novella about a boy's fascination with a Nazi war criminal. In the 2000s, he became known for big budget superhero films such as "X-Men" (2000), for which Singer won the 2000 Saturn Award for Best Direction, its sequel "X2" (2003), and "Superman Returns" (2006). He then directed the World War II historical thriller "Valkyrie" (2008), co-wrote/co-produced ' (2011), and directed the fantasy adventure film "Jack the Giant Slayer" (2013), as well as two more "X-Men" films, ' (2014) and "" (2016). Singer also directed the Queen biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018), although he was fired from the film shortly before its completion.