Gigi Levangie Grazer

Gigi Levangie Grazer (born Georgianne Levangie; January 2, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer. She has written numerous screenplays but is most widely known for the movie Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon.^[1] Levangie Grazer is also the author of many New York Times best-selling novels including The Starter Wife, Maneater, Queen Takes King, and The After Wife. Her latest novel Seven Deadlies was released October 17, 2013 by Blue Rider Press and is set to adapt as a drama series for MTV.^[2][3]

Biography

Levangie Grazer was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she lived most of her life on the Eastside of Hollywood. She played violin in a junior orchestra and was also voted Class Clown at LeConte Junior High. She was a student at Hollywood High when she gave up violin to become a cheerleader. She also attended UCLA, where she majored in political science. Gigi reportedly never joined a sorority at UCLA because she couldn't afford it as well as not being able to stand authority, especially from "smug rich kids." Her Hollywood career began as an intern on a late-night talk show, for which she wrote sketches; she later became an assistant to producer Fred Silverman, who dissuaded her from attending law school by offering her a substantial raise and writing assignments for the television series In the Heat of the Night.^[4]

Career

Author

Levangie Grazer is the New York Times best selling author of six novels: Rescue Me (2000), Maneater (2003), which was turned into a Lifetime miniseries, and The Starter Wife (2006), which was adapted for a 2007 miniseries on the USA Network. Its success led to a regular series. Her fourth novel, "Queen Takes King," was released in 2009, and was developed by Lifetime for a television movie. Her fifth novel, "The After Wife", will be released in July, 2012, Random House. She has written numerous magazine articles, featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Glamour. She recently published "Wasbands and Wives, Seven Reasons to Stay Married", in The Huffington Post.^[5]

Screenwriter

Her screenwriting debut film Stepmom was a hit at the box office grossing over $91,137,662 in the United States. Stepmom grossed $159,710,793 Worldwide from a budget of $50 million. Stepmom was ranked #2 in the genre of mother. Stepmom opened #2 in weekend gross on Dec 25th – 27th in 1998 at $19,142,440.^[6]

Levangie-Grazer's screenplay for the Susan Sarandon-Julia Roberts film Stepmom was based on her experience dealing with husband Brian Grazer's children Riley and Sage from his first marriage.^[7][8]

Television

Levangie Grazer is a host and judge for the Logo original series The Arrangement, a floral arranging competition reality television series.^[9]

She has also appeared as a guest judge in Seasons 2 and 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo.

The Starter Wife (miniseries)

The Starter Wife is a 2007 USA Network television miniseries based on the novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer titles The Starter Wife. The plot focuses on Molly Kagan (Debra Messing) who after years of marriage to a Hollywood film mogul is forced to redefine herself and her role in society when her husband leaves her for a younger woman. The miniseries premiered with a two-hour presentation on May 31, 2007. The premiere of The Starter Wife miniseries delivered strong ratings attracting 5.4 million viewers and marked USA’s biggest original premiere among adults 18-49. Gigi Levangie Grazers miniseries was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries, Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Debra Messing, Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Judy Davis, and Writing for a Miniseries or Movie. Judy Davis won an Emmy for her portrayal as Joan McAllister in The Starter Wife miniseries.^[10]

Maneater (miniseries)

Part two of Lifetime (TV Network) movie “Maneater” was the network’s highest-rated television program of the year among adult women. Maneater, starring Sara Chalke and based on Levangie Grazer’s New York Times bestseller, was seen by 2.9 million viewers and averaged a 2.1 among women 18 to 49. Maneaters finale would go on to double its ratings from the previous night. k

Personal life

In her 20s she was married to an "alluring Indian, Italian, African-American blues musician". They separated after three years and later divorced.^[11]

Soon after she would meet her future husband, Brian Grazer by accident at Orlando-Orsini on Pico Blvd at a lunch with a Playboy executive. They married on September 20, 1997. They have two sons together, Thomas (born November 15, 1999) and Patrick (born September 27, 2003). Two weeks after her novel The Starter Wife was published on April 4, 2006, Brian filed for legal separation. The two later reconciled; however they have since divorced but remain good friends and are happily raising their family together.^[12]

Works

Films

Television

References

External links

• Official website
• Gigi Levangie on IMDb