Steven Zaillian
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Near the top of the A-list of Hollywood screenwriters, Steven Zaillian has proved himself to be a capable writer and director.
The California native began his career as an editor, cutting films like "Breaker, Breaker" (1976), "Kingdom of the Spiders" (1977), "Starhops" (1978) and "Below the Belt" (1980), it would be years before Zaillian would have his first produced script with 1985's "The Falcon and the Snowman".
Zaillian followed up with the Penny Marshall-directed "Awakenings" (1990), which netted him a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination.
At the behest of producer Scott Rudin, he made his directorial debut with "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (1993). Despite its enthusiastic reception by critics, the film, along with another Zaillian-scripted drama "Jack the Bear" (1993), failed at the box office.
But it was the success of Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List" (1993) that brought him an Oscar for his screenplay (adapted from Thomas Keneally's book) about the morally ambiguous German businessman who saved hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust.
Zaillian went mainstream with his next two projects, "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), and providing the story for "Mission: Impossible" (1996).
After working as a script doctor on a few films, Zaillian returned behind the camera to helm "A Civil Action" (1998), a drama which opened to mostly favorable reviews.
The California native began his career as an editor, cutting films like "Breaker, Breaker" (1976), "Kingdom of the Spiders" (1977), "Starhops" (1978) and "Below the Belt" (1980), it would be years before Zaillian would have his first produced script with 1985's "The Falcon and the Snowman".
Zaillian followed up with the Penny Marshall-directed "Awakenings" (1990), which netted him a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination.
At the behest of producer Scott Rudin, he made his directorial debut with "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (1993). Despite its enthusiastic reception by critics, the film, along with another Zaillian-scripted drama "Jack the Bear" (1993), failed at the box office.
But it was the success of Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List" (1993) that brought him an Oscar for his screenplay (adapted from Thomas Keneally's book) about the morally ambiguous German businessman who saved hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust.
Zaillian went mainstream with his next two projects, "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), and providing the story for "Mission: Impossible" (1996).
After working as a script doctor on a few films, Zaillian returned behind the camera to helm "A Civil Action" (1998), a drama which opened to mostly favorable reviews.
