Best Screenwriters
by thilakshan-112-360775 | created - 25 May 2012 | updated - 01 Jun 2012 | PublicExceptional storytellers...
1. Alan Ball
Producer | American Beauty
Alan Ball is an American writer, director, and producer who is known for writing the acclaimed film American Beauty and creating the HBO series True Blood starring Anna Paquin. He also wrote the films Towelhead and Uncle Frank. He also created Here and Now, Six Feet Under, and Banshee. He won ...
Alan Ball for American Beauty
2. Tony Gilroy
Writer | Michael Clayton
Tony Gilroy was born in Manhattan, New York, New York, USA; and raised in upstate New York. His father, Frank D. Gilroy, was a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, director, and screenwriter. Tony has penned many films, including The Devil's Advocate (1997) and The Cutting Edge (1992).
Tony Gilroy for The Bourne Identity
3. John Logan
Writer | Skyfall
John Logan was a playwright in Chicago for ten years before writing, on spec, his first screenplay, "Any Given Sunday." He won the 2010 Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle awards for his play RED, which premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London and the Golden Theatre on ...
John Logan for Gladiator, Last Samurai
4. Terry Rossio
Writer | Aladdin
Terry Rossio was born on July 2, 1960 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. He is a writer, known for Godzilla VS. Kong (2021), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Aladdin (1992), and Shrek (2001). Additional credits for Rossio include Deja Vu, G-Force, Lovestruck, The Long Ranger...
Terry Rossio for Deja Vu
5. John Briley
Writer | Gandhi
John Briley was born on June 25, 1925 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Gandhi (1982), Molokai (1999) and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992). He was married to Nancy Helmich Whitcomb , Dorothy Reichart and Valerie Belsky. He died on December 14, 2019 in ...
John Briley for Gandhi
6. Eric Roth
Writer | Dune
Mr. Roth won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump & has been nominated for his screenplays of The Insider, Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, A Star is Born, & Dune. He wrote Mr. Kurosawa's Rhapsody in August, The Horse Whisperer, Ali, & Best Picture Nominee, Extremely ...
Eric Roth for The Insider
7. Randall Wallace
Writer | We Were Soldiers
Randall Wallace was born on July 28, 1949 in Jackson, Tennessee, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for We Were Soldiers (2002), Pearl Harbor (2001) and Braveheart (1995).
Randall Wallace for Braveheart
8. Anthony Minghella
Writer | The Talented Mr. Ripley
Anthony Minghella was the son of immigrants from Italy, who own an ice-cream factory on the Isle of Wight, where Anthony was born on January 6, 1954. He and his two siblings, Edana Minghella and Dominic Minghella, grew up there, a popular British holiday spot. After graduating from the University of...
Anthony Minghella for Cold Mountain
9. William Wisher
Writer | Terminator 2: Judgment Day
William Wisher is known for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), The Terminator (1984) and Judge Dredd (1995).
William Wisher for Terminator II
10. Brian Helgeland
Writer | Finestkind
Brian Helgeland was born in Providence, Rhode Island and raised in New Bedford Massachusetts. A born worker, Helgeland has endeavored to achieve in the following fields: snow shoveler, scrap newspaper collector, dishwasher, nursing home janitor, drug store clerk and unreliable nightshift gas ...
Brian Helgeland for Green Zone
11. Shane Black
Actor | Predator
Considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the action genre, Black made his mark with his Lethal Weapon (1987) screenplay. He also collaborated on the story of the sequel, Lethal Weapon 2 (1989). Each successive script he turned in had a higher price attached it, from The Last Boy Scout (1991) ...
Shane Black for Lethal Weapon
12. Jonathan Lemkin
Writer | The Devil's Advocate
Jonathan Lemkin was born on April 25, 1961 in the USA. He is a writer, known for The Devil's Advocate (1997), Shooter (2007) and Red Planet (2000). He was previously married to Kiersten Warren.
Jonathan Lemkin for The Devil's Advocate
13. Nora Ephron
Writer | Julie & Julia
Nora Ephron was educated at Wellesley College, Massachusetts. She was an acclaimed essayist (Crazy Salad 1975), novelist (Heartburn 1983), and had written screenplays for several popular films, all featuring strong female characters, such as anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood (Silkwood (1983), ...
Nora Ephron for When Harry Met Sally
14. Mark Andrus
Writer | As Good as It Gets
Mark Andrus is known for As Good as It Gets (1997), Georgia Rule (2007) and Life as a House (2001).
Mark Andrus for As Good As It Gets
15. David Weisberg
Writer | Criminal
David Weisberg is known for Criminal (2016), The Rock (1996) and Double Jeopardy (1999).
David Weisberg for The Rock
16. Dean Georgaris
Writer | Meg 2: The Trench
Dean Georgaris is known for Meg 2: The Trench (2023), The Meg (2018) and Paycheck (2003).
Dean Georgaris for Paycheck
17. David Self
Writer | Road to Perdition
David Self is known for Road to Perdition (2002), Thirteen Days (2000) and The Haunting (1999).
David Self for Thirteen Days
18. Tom Schulman
Writer | Dead Poets Society
Tom Schulman graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Philosophy. He studied at the USC Graduate School of Cinema, the Actors and Directors Lab with Jack Garfein, and more recently with director Joan Darling. He directed the Actors' Studio, West production of Harold Pinter's The ...
Tom Schulman for Dead Poets Society
19. David Koepp
Writer | Jurassic Park
David Koepp is an American film director and screenwriter. He is known for writing Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spider-Man directed by Sam Raimi and Panic Room directed by David ...
David Koepp for Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible etc
20. Adam Brooks
Writer | Definitely, Maybe
Adam Brooks was born on September 3, 1956 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is a writer and producer, known for Definitely, Maybe (2008), Whatever Works (2009) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004).
Adam Brooks for French Kiss, Wimbleton
21. Mark Stein
Writer | Housesitter
Mark Stein is known for HouseSitter (1992), Mating Dance (2008) and A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001).
Mark Stein for Housesitter
22. Kamlesh Pandey
Writer | Rang De Basanti
Kamlesh Pandey is known for Rang De Basanti (2006), Tezaab (1988) and Virrudh: Har Rishta Ek Kurukshetra (2007).
Kamlesh Pandey for Rang De Basanti
23. Manish Gupta
Writer | Section 375
Manish Gupta is a film director and writer in the Indian film industry.
Manish has directed the movies One Friday Night (2023), 420 IPC (2021), Rahasya (2015), Hostel (2011), The Stoneman Murders (2009) and Darna Zaroori Hai (2006).
Manish has written the screenplay and dialogues for the movies Sarkar...
Manish Gupta for Sarkar
24. Steven Zaillian
Writer | Searching for Bobby Fischer
Steven Zaillian was born on January 30, 1953 in Fresno, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), The Irishman (2019) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). He is married to Elizabeth Zaillian. They have two children.
Steven Zaillian for Schindler's List
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