| Bruno Heller | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960 London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Spouse | Miranda Phillips Cowley[1] |
| Children | 2 sons |
Bruno Heller (born 1960) is an English screenwriter. His most notable works are the television series Rome (HBO) and The Mentalist (CBS).
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Heller was born and raised in London, England with three siblings, one of whom is the novelist Zoë Heller. He is the son of Caroline (née Carter) and Lukas Heller, a successful screenwriter. His father was a German Jewish immigrant and his mother was English and a Quaker.[2][3][4] His mother was instrumental in keeping up the Labour Party's "Save London Transport Campaign". Heller credits his father's success with likely keeping him from becoming a writer for many years.[5]
Before venturing into his writing career, Bruno Heller graduated from The University of Sussex in Brighton, and spent years working various film jobs, eventually becoming a successful boom operator.[5]
Heller would make his screenwriting debut on the 1994 Portuguese film PAX, which starred Amanda Plummer. Following the European release of PAX, Heller would move to Los Angeles in 1997. Bruno then began work on two television projects for the USA Network: Touching Evil and The Huntress, before co-creating the HBO series Rome. He is now working on the CBS program, The Mentalist, which he created, and is now writing.
In 1993, Heller married Miranda Phillips Cowley,[1] a Senior Vice President at HBO. Together they have two sons and currently reside in Los Angeles.
Heller is probably most associated with the television series Rome, co-produced by HBO and the BBC, which Heller created along with John Milius and William J. MacDonald. In addition to creating the series, Heller is also an executive producer and head writer, penning a total of 11 episodes for the series, including the pilot episode.
The series primarily chronicles the lives and deeds of the rich, powerful, and "historically significant", yet it also focuses on the lives, fortunes, families, and acquaintances of two common men: Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, two Roman soldiers mentioned historically in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico. The fictionalised Vorenus and Pullo manage to witness and often influence many of the historical events presented in the series.
Episodes written by Heller:
In 2008, Heller created the hit CBS television series, The Mentalist. The show stars Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, the series protagonist and the titular mentalist of the show.[6] He currently serves as executive producer and head writer for the show.[7] On 7 January 2009, the show won the award for "Favorite New TV Drama" at the 35th People's Choice Awards and since then, Simon Baker has received several nominations for his portrayal of the lead character, Patrick Jane.
The Mentalist follows Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the now-defunct California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) based in Sacramento, California. He has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his amazing skills of observation. Jane also makes frequent use of his mentalist abilities and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium using paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. He abandoned his pretense out of remorse when his attention-seeking behaviour attracted the attention of a serial killer who killed his wife and daughter.
Episodes written by Heller: