Favorite Writers

1. Spike Lee

Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended ...

Do The Right Thing, Malcom X, Inside Man, Crooklyn, Jungle Fever

2. Robert Zemeckis

Writer | Back to the Future

A whiz-kid with special effects, Robert is from the Spielberg camp of film-making (Steven Spielberg produced many of his films). Usually working with writing partner Bob Gale, Robert's earlier films show he has a talent for zany comedy (Romancing the Stone (1984), 1941 (1979)) and special effect ...

Back to the Future 1,2,3, Contact, Forest Gump, Flight

3. Gerald Di Pego

Writer | Phenomenon

Gerald Di Pego was born in 1941. He is a writer and producer, known for Phenomenon (1996), Message in a Bottle (1999) and The Forgotten (2004). He has been married to Christine DiPego since 1992. He was previously married to Janet Kapsin.

Phenomenon, Message In The The Bottle, The Forgotten, Trial of The Incredible Hulk

4. Ronald D. Moore

Producer | Battlestar Galactica

Ron Moore was a member of the Kappa Alpha literary society during his time at Cornell University. He dropped out of college during his senior year, after which he moved to Los Angeles, California, with a friend in hopes of becoming a working writer. He was two weeks away from joining the United ...

STAR TREK F.C, Mission Impossible II, BSG,

5. George Lucas

Writer | Star Wars

George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Thomas Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional racecar ...

STARWARS, Raiders of The Lost Ark, THX 1138

6. Drew Goddard

Producer | The Martian

Drew Goddard was raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He attended Los Alamos High School in Los Alamos, New Mexico and graduated in 1993. He then attended the University of Colorado, and worked as a production assistant in L.A. after graduation. A spec script Drew wrote based on Six Feet Under (2001) ...

DAREDEVIL, The Cabin in The Woods, Robopocalypse

7. Shawn Ryan

Producer | The Shield

Shawn Ryan was born on October 11, 1966 in Rockford, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Shield (2002), S.W.A.T. (2017) and Timeless (2016). He has been married to Cathy Cahlin Ryan since April 25, 1998. They have two children.

The Shield, The Night Agent, S.W.A.T.

8. Kurt Sutter

Producer | Sons of Anarchy

Raised in the shadow of Rahway prison, Sutter spent most of his New Jersey childhood indoors, away from people, three feet from a TV screen. That's where he learned the essentials of storytelling and the comic significance of anvils.

After graduating from Rutgers University with a BA in Film, Kurt ...

The Sons of Anarchy, South Paw, This Beast

9. Allen Hughes

Director | The Book of Eli

Albert and Allen Hughes began making movies at age 12, but their formal film education began their freshman year of high school when Allen took a TV production class. They soon made a short film entitled How To Be A Burglar and people began to take notice. Their next work, Uncensored videos, was ...

Dead Presidents, Menace II Society, From Hell

10. Albert Hughes

Director | The Book of Eli

Albert and Allen Hughes began making movies at age 12, but their formal film education began their freshman year of high school when Allen took a TV production class. They soon made a short film entitled How To Be A Burglar and people began to take notice. Their next work, Uncensored videos, was ...

Dead Presidents, Menace II Society, From Hell

11. Mario Van Peebles

Actor | How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass

Mario Van Peebles is a highly regarded director, actor, producer and writer. His directorial skills can be seen in the retelling of the epic mini-series "Roots" starring Forest Whitaker and Matthew Goode. Van Peebles has directed award-winning shows such as the recent hit "Empire" and "The Last ...

Armed, Los Locos, Red Sky

12. Jon Favreau

Producer | Chef

Initially an indie film favorite, actor Jon Favreau has progressed to strong mainstream visibility into the millennium and, after nearly two decades in the business, is still enjoying character stardom as well as earning notice as a writer/producer/director.

The amiable, husky-framed actor with the ...

IRON MAN 1, 2, Chef, The Mandalorian, Jungle Book 1,2, ELF.

13. Ryan Coogler

Director | Black Panther

Ryan Kyle Coogler is an African-American filmmaker and producer who is from Oakland, California. He is known for directing the Black Panther film series, Creed, a Rocky spin-off and Fruitvale Station. He frequently casts Michael B. Jordan in his works. He produced the Creed sequels, Judas and the ...

Black Panther, Creed, Fruitvale Station, Wakanda Forever, Black Panther 3.

14. John Singleton

Writer | Boyz n the Hood

Son of Danny Singleton, a mortgage broker, and Sheila Ward, a pharmaceutical company sales executive, and raised in separate households by his unmarried parents, John Singleton attended the Film Writing Program at USC, after graduating from high school in 1986. While studying there, he won three ...

BOY N Da HOOD, Higher Learning, Poetic Justice, Baby Boy, 2 Fast 2 Furious R.I.E.L.P.

15. Kenya Barris

Writer | Black·ish

Kenya Barris was born on August 9, 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Black-ish (2014), #BlackAF (2020) and You People (2023). He has been married to Rainbow Barris since December 3, 1999. They have six children.

Soul Food, Blackish, Oldish, Coming 2 America

16. Don Cheadle

Actor | Crash

Donald Frank Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 29, 1964. His childhood found him moving from city to city with his family: mother Bettye (née North), a teacher; father Donald Frank Cheadle Sr., a clinical psychologist; sister Cindy; and brother Colin. After graduating from high...

Miles Ahead

17. Boaz Yakin

Writer | Fresh

Boaz Yakin was born on June 15, 1965. He is a writer and producer, known for Fresh (1994), Remember the Titans (2000) and Aviva (2020).

The Punisher 1989, The Rookie, FRESH, Remember The Titans, SAFE

18. 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).

Michael Clayton, Duplicity, Nightcrawler, Rogue One

19. Richard Wenk

Writer | The Equalizer

Richard Wenk was born in 1956 in Metuchen, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and director, known for The Equalizer (2014), The Equalizer 3 (2023) and The Expendables 2 (2012).

The Equlaizer, The Equlaizer II, The Asset, The Expendables

20. Michael C. Martin

Writer | Brooklyn's Finest

Michael C. Martin is known for Brooklyn's Finest (2009), Lethal Weapon (2016) and 10 Cent Pistol (2014).

Brooklyn's Finest, 10 Cent Pistol, Shades of Blue

21. Nick Castle

Director | The Last Starfighter

Nick Castle was born on September 21, 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and director, known for The Last Starfighter (1984), The Boy Who Could Fly (1986) and Escape from New York (1981). He has been married to Mary Charlene Napp since December 31, 1981. They have one child.

Brooklyn's Finest, 10 Cent Pistol, Shades of Blue

22. John Carpenter

Writer | The Fog

John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, to mother Milton Jean (Carter) and father Howard Ralph Carpenter. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father, a professor, was head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky ...

Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York, They Live, Escape From L.A.

23. James Cameron

Writer | Avatar: The Way of Water

James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He moved to the United States in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University before switching to English, and eventually dropping out. He then drove a truck to support his ...

The Terminator, RAMBO First Blood, Aliens, Terminator 2, DARK ANGEL TV Series.

24. Richard Maibaum

Writer | Thunderball

The name is "Maibaum, Richard Maibaum".....the brilliant screenwriter who adapted the Ian Fleming 007 novels into the highly entertaining screenplays of nearly every James Bond film from Dr. No (1962) through to Licence to Kill (1989). Maibaum attended New York University, then studied acting at ...

Thunderball, O.H.M.S.S, The Spy Who Loved Me, License To Kill.

25. Tom Mankiewicz

Writer | Ladyhawke

Tom Mankiewicz was born on June 1, 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Ladyhawke (1985), Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). He died on July 31, 2010 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Diamonds are Forever, Live And Let Die, Man With The Golden Gun, Superman & Superman II, Lady Hawke.

26. Mario Puzo

Writer | The Godfather

Mario Puzo was born October 15, 1920, in "Hell's Kitchen" on Manhattan's (NY) West Side and, following military service in World War II, attended New York's New School for Social Research and Columbia University. His best-known novel, "The Godfather," was preceded by two critically acclaimed novels...

The Godfather, Earthquake, Superman, The Cotton Club

27. Francis Ford Coppola

Producer | Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and musician. His mother, Italia Coppola (née Pennino), had been an actress. Francis Ford Coppola graduated ...

The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Dracula Frakenstein

28. Michael Crichton

Writer | Jurassic Park

Michael Crichton was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in Roslyn, New York. His father was a journalist and encouraged him to write and to type. Michael gave up studying English at Harvard University, having become disillusioned with the teaching standards--the final straw came when he ...

Westworld, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, ER, Twister

29. John D.F. Black

Writer | Star Trek

John D.F. Black was born on December 30, 1932 in the USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Star Trek (1966), Mr. Novak (1963) and Shaft (1971). He was married to Mary Black. He died on November 29, 2018.

Star Trek 1966, SHAFT, Troubleman, Thief 1971, Mission: Impossible (TV Series)

30. Ernest Tidyman

Writer | The French Connection

Ernest Tidyman was born on January 1, 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The French Connection (1971), High Plains Drifter (1973) and Shaft (2019). He was married to Chris Clark and Susan Gould. He died on July 14, 1984 in London, England, UK.

Shaft, The French Connection, High planes drifter, Stark

31. Roald Dahl

Writer | The Witches

Dahl was born in Wales in 1916. He served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He made a forced landing in the Libyan Desert and was severely injured. As a result, he spent five months in a Royal Navy hospital in Alexandria. Dahl is noted for how he relates suspenseful and...

You Only Live Twice, Tales of The Unexpected

32. Stirling Silliphant

Writer | In the Heat of the Night

Detroit-born Stirling Silliphant (born Sterling Dale Silliphant) was the son of a Canadian immigrant. The family moved to California when he was about two. He grew up in Glendale and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1938. During World War II he was an army lieutenant, and ...

In The Heat of The Night, Towering Inferno, Shaft In Africa

33. Matt Nix

Producer | Burn Notice

Matt Nix was born on September 4, 1971 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Burn Notice (2007), The Good Guys (2010) and True Lies (2023). He has been married to Melinda Stahl since July 2, 2000.

Burn Notice, Comedians

34. Gary Spinelli

Writer | American Made

Gary Spinelli is known for American Made (2017), Impulse (2018) and Motorcade.

Stash House, American Made, Impulse, Cannonball Run

35. Alfred Hitchcock

Director | Psycho

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, Essex, England. He was the son of Emma Jane (Whelan; 1863 - 1942) and East End greengrocer William Hitchcock (1862 - 1914). His parents were both of half English and half Irish ancestry. He had two older siblings, William Hitchcock (born 1890) and ...

North By Northwest, To Catch A Thief, Vertigo, Psycho, Rope.

36. Alan Trustman

Writer | Bullitt

Alan Trustman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is a lawyer, writer and producer, best known for the original screenplay of The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) and subsequent Steve McQueen movies. . In 2008 he married the love of his life, physiologist Dr. Barbara Buchwald. They live on Fisher ...

Bullitt, The Thomas Crown, The Next Man

37. Kathryn Bigelow

Director | Zero Dark Thirty

A very talented painter, Kathryn spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute. At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building, literally in an old bank vault, where she made art and waited to be ...

Blue Steel, Near Dark, The Hurt Locker

38. Jon Watts

Director | Cop Car

Jon Watts is an American filmmaker and screenwriter. He directed Cop Car and Clown before he was picked by Marvel and Sony to direct Spider-Man: Homecoming starring Tom Holland and Zendaya. It's success resulted in two sequels, Far from Home in 2019 and No Way Home in 2021. He was also picked by ...

Clown, Cop Car, Spider-Man Homecoming, Spider-Man Far From Home, Spider-Man No Way Home, Fantastic Four.

39. Michael Mann

Producer | The Insider

As a director, screenwriter, and producer, four-time Academy Award nominee Michael Mann has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema. After writing and directing the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television movie The Jericho Mile (1979), Mann ...

Starsky & Hutch, VEGA$, HEAT, Ali, Miami Vice.

40. Carl Franklin

Director | One False Move

Carl Franklin studied history and dramatic arts at UC Berkeley. After several years as a television actor with guest shots, roles in TV movies, miniseries, and appearing as a regular on a few unsuccessful series, he returned to school and received his master's degree in directing from the American ...

Devil In A Blue Dress, Bless Me, Ultima

41. Graham Yost

Producer | Justified

Graham Yost was born on September 5, 1959 in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. He is a producer and writer, known for Justified (2010), From the Earth to the Moon (1998) and Speed (1994).

SPEED, Boom Town, Justified

42. Nic Pizzolatto

Writer | True Detective

A producer, writer, director and award-winning novelist. He is the author of the collection 'Between Here and the Yellow Sea' and the novel 'Galveston.' He is originally from Southwest Louisiana, and taught literature at several universities, including the University of Chicago, before going into ...

True Detective, The Magnificint Seven, The Guilty

43. Wes Anderson

Director | Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wesley Wales Anderson was born in Houston, Texas. His mother, Texas Ann (Burroughs), is an archaeologist turned real estate agent, and his father, Melver Leonard Anderson, worked in advertising and PR. He has two brothers, Eric and Mel. Anderson's parents divorced when he was a young child, an ...

The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox

44. Daniel Pyne

Writer | Where's Marlowe?

Daniel Pyne is known for Where's Marlowe? (1998), The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and Fracture (2007).

Miami Vice, The Sum of Our Fears, BOSCH

45. David Franzoni

Writer | Gladiator

David Franzoni grew up in Vermont, attended the University of Vermont where he studied geology and paleontology and was a partner in a commercial film company. After attending a semester of graduate school, David dropped out, went to Berlin where he bought a motorcycle. He traveled eastern and ...

Jumping Jack Flash, Armistad, Gladiator

46. Chris Brancato

Writer | Godfather of Harlem

Chris Brancato was born on July 1, 1962 in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Godfather of Harlem (2019), Species II (1998) and First Wave (1998).

Spicies II, Godfather of Harlem, Firstwave, Narcos

47. Drew Goddard

Producer | The Martian

Drew Goddard was raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He attended Los Alamos High School in Los Alamos, New Mexico and graduated in 1993. He then attended the University of Colorado, and worked as a production assistant in L.A. after graduation. A spec script Drew wrote based on Six Feet Under (2001) ...

Cabin in the Woods, Daredevil, The Sinister Six, Robopocalypse

48. Bruce Lee

Actor | Jing wu men

Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular media. Had it not been for Bruce Lee and his movies in the early 1970s, it's arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream North American and ...

The Big Boss 1972 Enter the Dragon (written by - uncredited) 1972 The Way of the Dragon 1972, Game of Death (uncredited)1973

49. Jonathan Nolan

Writer | Westworld

Attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, graduating in 1994.

Graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1999. Majored in English.

Shortly after graduating from Georgetown University, Jonathan Nolan served as a production assistant on Memento (2000).

Wrote the short story, "...

Batman The Dark Knight, West World, Person of Interest.

50. Matt Reeves

Producer | The Batman

Matthew George "Matt" Reeves was born April 27, 1966 in Rockville Center, New York, USA and is a writer, director and producer. Reeves began making movies at age eight, directing friends and using a wind-up camera. He befriended filmmaker J.J. Abrams when both were 13 years old and a public-access ...

Under Seige 2 : Dark Territory, Dawn of Planet of The Apes, War of The Planet of The Apes, Let Me in, The Batman.

51. Taylor Sheridan

Writer | Hell or High Water

Taylor Sheridan is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He is best known for writing the screenplay for 'Sicario' (2015) and 'Hell or high water' (2016), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

He also starred in the FX television series 'Sons of ...

Sicario, Yellowstone

52. Mike Judge

Writer | Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

Mike Judge is an American actor, animator, film director, screenwriter, and television producer.

In 1962, Judge was born in Guayaquil, the largest city of Ecuador and the country's main port. His parents were expatriate Americans. His father was archaeologist William James Judge and his mother was ...

Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill