Gavin O'Connor (filmmaker)
Encyclopedia
Gavin O'Connor is an American
film director
, screenwriter
, producer
, playwright
and actor
.
, he became interested in all aspects of film production, and in 1992, he wrote and produced Ted Demme
's directorial debut, the short film The Bet
. Three years later, he made his own feature film
, co–writing and directing debut with Comfortably Numb, about the moral dilemmas facing a Connecticut
preppie-turned-NYC prosecutor
; the film was screened at both the Cannes Film Festival
and the Boston Film Festival
. O'Connor then turned to the stage, producing, writing, and starring in the off-Broadway
play Rumblings of a Romance Renaissance in 1997.
At the same time, O'Connor began work on a screenplay based on then-wife Angela Shelton
's memories of her childhood spent on the road with her serial-marrying mother. Impressed by Tony Award
-winning British actress Janet McTeer
's appearance on Charlie Rose
's talk show in 1997, he was determined to cast her in what had become Tumbleweeds
(in which he co-starred); he was forced to finance the film himself when potential backers expressed their concern at McTeer's relative anonymity in the States. His perseverance paid off: The 1999
film won him the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival
; McTeer's performance earned her a Golden Globe as Best Actress and Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild
nominations in the same category; and Kimberly J. Brown
, cast as her pre-teen daughter, won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. O'Connor and Shelton were asked to write a script for the pilot of a TV series based on the film, but nothing ever materialized with the project. The couple divorced shortly afterward.
After executive producing several smaller, independent projects, O'Connor went mainstream in 2004
with Miracle, a film about the United States
hockey
team's victory in the 1980 Winter Olympics
, which he directed for Walt Disney Pictures
. He also produced the highly acclaimed HBO Film, "The Smashing Machine", that chronicled the struggles of fighter Mark Kerr.
With his twin brother Greg, O'Connor founded Final Cut Features, designed to assist independent filmmakers with post-production financing and services. As either producer or director (or both), he became involved in six projects that were scheduled for release in 2007
and 2008
.
O'Connor filmed the MMA
film Warrior, for which he wrote the screenplay
and directed
. The film received a 2011 release, through Lions Gate Entertainment
.
O'Connor is currently working on adapting The Hustler
into a stage play which he hopes to take to Broadway in the future.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Life and career
Gavin O'Connor was born on Long Island, New York. After attending the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, he became interested in all aspects of film production, and in 1992, he wrote and produced Ted Demme
Ted Demme
Edward K. "Ted" Demme was an American film director and producer.- Early life and career :Born in New York City, Demme grew up in Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York and attended South Side Senior High School. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1985. His media career likely began with a...
's directorial debut, the short film The Bet
The Bet
The Bet is an 1889 short story by Anton Chekhov about a banker and a young lawyer who make a bet with each other about whether the death penalty is better or worse than life in prison. The story has a twist ending....
. Three years later, he made his own feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, co–writing and directing debut with Comfortably Numb, about the moral dilemmas facing a Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
preppie-turned-NYC prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
; the film was screened at both the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and the Boston Film Festival
Boston Film Festival
Boston Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September....
. O'Connor then turned to the stage, producing, writing, and starring in the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
play Rumblings of a Romance Renaissance in 1997.
At the same time, O'Connor began work on a screenplay based on then-wife Angela Shelton
Angela Shelton
Angela Shelton is an American screenwriter, actress, and documentary film producer, best known for the film Tumbleweeds and the documentary Searching for Angela Shelton, which she wrote, directed, and edited...
's memories of her childhood spent on the road with her serial-marrying mother. Impressed by Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning British actress Janet McTeer
Janet McTeer
Janet McTeer, OBE is a British actress.-Life and career:McTeer was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom, the daughter of Jean and Alan McTeer...
's appearance on Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
's talk show in 1997, he was determined to cast her in what had become Tumbleweeds
Tumbleweeds (1999 film)
Tumbleweeds is a 1999 American drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor. He co-wrote the screenplay with his then-wife Angela Shelton, who was inspired by her memories of a childhood spent on the road with her serial-marrying mother.-Plot:...
(in which he co-starred); he was forced to finance the film himself when potential backers expressed their concern at McTeer's relative anonymity in the States. His perseverance paid off: The 1999
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
film won him the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
; McTeer's performance earned her a Golden Globe as Best Actress and Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
nominations in the same category; and Kimberly J. Brown
Kimberly J. Brown
Kimberly J. Brown is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Marah Lewis #3 on The Guiding Light and Marnie Piper in the Halloweentown film series .-Career:...
, cast as her pre-teen daughter, won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. O'Connor and Shelton were asked to write a script for the pilot of a TV series based on the film, but nothing ever materialized with the project. The couple divorced shortly afterward.
After executive producing several smaller, independent projects, O'Connor went mainstream in 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
with Miracle, a film about the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team's victory in the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
, which he directed for Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
. He also produced the highly acclaimed HBO Film, "The Smashing Machine", that chronicled the struggles of fighter Mark Kerr.
With his twin brother Greg, O'Connor founded Final Cut Features, designed to assist independent filmmakers with post-production financing and services. As either producer or director (or both), he became involved in six projects that were scheduled for release in 2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
and 2008
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
.
O'Connor filmed the MMA
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
film Warrior, for which he wrote the screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. The film received a 2011 release, through Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
.
O'Connor is currently working on adapting The Hustler
The Hustler
The Hustler is a 1959 novel by American writer Walter Tevis. It tells the story of a young pool hustler, Edward "Fast Eddie" Felson, who challenges the legendary Minnesota Fats .The Hustler was adapted into a 1961 film of the same title, starring Paul...
into a stage play which he hopes to take to Broadway in the future.