Brian Helgeland

Brian Thomas Helgeland (born January 17, 1961) is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He is most known for writing the screenplays for L.A. Confidential (for which he received an Academy Award), Mystic River, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.^[1] Helgeland wrote and directed 42 (2013), a biopic of Jackie Robinson.

Early life

Helgeland was born in Providence, Rhode Island to Norwegian-born parents Aud-Karin and Thomas Helgeland. He attended Loyola Marymount University and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.^[2][3][4]

Career

In 1998, Helgeland won both an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (for L.A. Confidential) and a Razzie (for The Postman) the same year. Only one person had previously achieved the dubious feat (Alan Menken in 1993), and only one other (Sandra Bullock in 2010) has achieved it since. He accepted the Razzie and became only the fourth person in its history to be personally presented with the statuette. He keeps both statuettes on his mantle as "a reminder of Hollywood's idealistic nature and unrealistic expectations."^[5]

Helgeland wrote and directed the films A Knight's Tale (2001), The Order (2003) and 42 (2013). He has worked with director Clint Eastwood twice, in 2002 on Blood Work, and in 2003 on Mystic River, for which he was Oscar nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, and has written an as yet unproduced adaptation of Moby-Dick.

In 2004, Helgeland co-wrote the screenplay for the major motion picture The Bourne Supremacy, for which he was uncredited.^[6] In early 2008, he was attached to shape the script of the thriller Green Zone^[7] after screenwriter Tom Stoppard had to drop out,^[8] again collaborating with director Paul Greengrass, whom he worked with on The Bourne Supremacy, as well as reuniting with actor Matt Damon, who played Jason Bourne.

Helgeland wrote the screenplay for the remake of The Taking of Pelham 123. The film was released on June 12, 2009.^[9]

Works

Films

References

External links

• Brian Helgeland at the Internet Movie Database
• Brian Helgeland at AllMovie