Frank Spotnitz | |
---|---|
Born | 1960 (age 63–64) Camp Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | UCLA (BA) American Film Institute (MFA) |
Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, producer |
Known for | The X-Files The Man in the High Castle |
Website | frankspotnitz |
Frank Charles Spotnitz (born 1960 [1] ) is an American television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the series The X-Files (1995-2002) and its spin-off The Lone Gunmen (2001), and as the developer/creator of The Man in the High Castle (2015-19), [2] Medici (2016-19), Ransom (2017-19), and Leonardo (2021)
Spotnitz is also the chief executive officer and founder of Big Light Productions, a London- and Paris-based production company, which specializes in international television series, including drama, comedy and documentaries. Spotnitz's career includes creating, writing and producing series with networks, cable, streaming and other broadcast platforms around the world. [3] [4]
Sponitz has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The X-Files, and won a Canadian Screen Award for creating the CTV comedy-drama series The Indian Detective .
Born in Camp Zama, Japan. Spotnitz's father is Jewish, [5] though Spotnitz was not raised religiously. [5] [6] [7] Spotnitz's father was a doctor in the US Army. His family moved around until they settled in Phoenix, Arizona. As a child, Spotnitz consumed television shows and films as much as he could, sometimes watching the same film two or three times in a row. Spotnitz attended Camelback High School, where he was inspired to pursue a career in Hollywood. [8]
Spotnitz graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a bachelor's degree in English literature in 1982, where he was a reporter for the Daily Bruin . He later received a MFA in screenwriting from the AFI Conservatory in 1991. [8]
Upon graduation from UCLA, Spotnitz was employed as a wire-service reporter for the United Press International in Indianapolis and New York. He also briefly worked for the Associated Press in Paris. Spotnitz freelanced for Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone before returning to his passion and studying screenwriting at AFI.
Spotnitz's first television role was on The-X-Files , which he described as being "like a second film school." [9] His writing and producing credits include: counter-terrorism drama series Strike Back (HBO/Cinemax, Sky); action series Transporter: The Series (TNT); ABC's mystery series Night Stalker (ABC), starring Stuart Townsend and Gabrielle Union; Michael Mann’s crime series Robbery Homicide Division (CBS); unconventional heroes comedy-drama The Lone Gunmen (Fox); sci-fi drama Harsh Realm (Fox); and crime thriller Millennium (Fox).
Spotnitz served on The X-Files for eight of its nine seasons after joining the show in 1994. He called it "a life-changing experience", graduating from staff writer to executive producer after three seasons. [10] He directed two episodes and wrote or co-wrote more than 40 instalments of the series, including the Emmy-nominated "Memento Mori" with Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban in 1997. He served for four years as executive producer and three years as president of Carter's Ten Thirteen Productions. He was a producer and co-writer of both The X-Files feature films, Fight the Future (1998) and I Want to Believe (2008). Spotnitz shares three Golden Globes for Best Dramatic Series and a Peabody Award for his work on The X-Files. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for writing and three times for Outstanding Drama Series.
In 2012, Spotnitz created, wrote and executive-produced the international spy drama series Hunted for BBC1 and HBO/Cinemax, starring Melissa George, Adam Rayner, Stephen Dillane and Patrick Malahide. [11] The series follows Sam Hunter, an operative for a private spy agency, Byzantium. After she is betrayed and nearly killed by one of her colleagues, Sam returns to London in an attempt to root out the traitor, while working undercover in the home of a wealthy and dangerous London gangster on an assignment that could cost her life. The series was BAFTA nominated for cinematography and won the ASC Award. It was also nominated for Best Editing by the Royal Television Society.
Spotnitz created, executive-produced and wrote several episodes of The Man in the High Castle , [12] based on the classic alternative history novel by Philip K. Dick, which upon its release became Amazon's most viewed series ever. [13] Starring Alexa Davalos, Rufus Sewell and Joel de la Fuente, the series explores life in a 1962 America where the Allies lost the war and the country is divided between the fascist Japanese in the West and the Nazis in the East. [14] The series won two Emmy Awards, was nominated for two others, and named Best Drama Series at the Roma Fiction Festival. It was also nominated for an ASC Award for Outstanding Cinematography, the USC Scripter Award and Best Drama at Monte Carlo Television Festival's Golden Nymph Awards. [15]
Spotnitz co-created, executive-produced and co-wrote Medici: Masters of Florence, starring Richard Madden, Dustin Hoffman and Annabel Scholey. [16] Chronicling the rise of the Medici family during the Italian Renaissance, it shows how the family's ascent from simple merchants to power brokers sparked an economic and cultural revolution, creating powerful enemies in the process. [17] The Netflix Original Series was produced with Lux Vide Productions for RAI, Italy's largest broadcaster, and SFR in France. [18] The RAI premiere attracted a record-breaking seven million viewers in Italy, becoming the country's most-watched new series. [19] [20]
Set 20 years later, Medici: The Magnificent starred Daniel Sharman, Bradley James and Sean Bean, and was also co-created, executive-produced and co-written by Spotnitz. [21] After an attempt on Piero de Medici's life, his son Lorenzo is forced to assume leadership of the family-run bank. Once in power, young Lorenzo resolves to abandon the cynical politics of the past to usher in a new era of creative and political revolution, bringing him into open conflict with rival banker Jacopo Pazzi, who will stop at nothing to defeat him. Their clash gives rise to one of the most thrilling true-life political intrigues of all time, the infamous Pazzi conspiracy. [22] The second season of Medici: The Magnificent was broadcast on RAI in December 2019 and premieres as a Netflix Original Series in May 2020.
In 2017, Spotnitz co-created, executive-produced and co-wrote the comedy-drama series The Indian Detective for Canadian broadcaster CTV and Netflix. It starred international comedy sensation Russell Peters, whom Forbes magazine ranked three times in its Top 10 highest-grossing comics list. Peters portrays Doug D’Mello, a charming, smart Toronto cop, who unexpectedly finds himself investigating murder in his parents’ Indian homeland, where, despite his heritage, he remains an outsider. Canada's biggest series debut in two years was the second-most watched programme on the day of its CTV premiere, with 1.6 million viewers. It was bestowed the Golden Screen Award by the Canadian Screen Academy.
Ransom , produced for CBS in the US, France's TF1, Canada's Corus/Global and RTL in Germany, [23] was a suspense drama set against an international backdrop. It starred Luke Roberts and was co-created, executive-produced and co-written by Spotnitz. [24] The thriller follows crisis and hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont, whose team is brought in to save lives when no one else can. Beaumont understands criminals better than they understand themselves and uses his insight into human behaviour to resolve the most difficult kidnap and ransom cases. Despite the stakes, Beaumont refuses to resort to violence, even when confronted by some of the world's most dangerous criminals. Ransom was VOX Germany's highest rated drama premiere for over 15 months and France's TF1 premiere reached over 4 million viewers for a market share of 25%. [25] The show ran for three seasons. [26]
Mr. Spotnitz produced Leonardo . Among the first TV shows completed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, the show was a dramatization of what might Leonardo Da Vinci's life have been like. [27] [28] The series was released in early 2021 in RAI for Italy, Amazon Prime for the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as Sony LIV in India, and PikTV in Canada. [29] This eight-part series was a depiction of personal sacrifice, leading Da Vinci on a pathway that changed the world. [30] Two of the main characters were portrayed by Aidan Turner and Freddie Highmore. Additionally it was produced by The Alliance (RAI, France Télévisions, ZDF and RTVE). [31]
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(April 2020) |
Spotnitz adopted the writers' room process from his experience in the US, which he brought to the UK when he founded Big Light Productions. He cards the story scene by scene on a corkboard, with one board for each episode. [32] Spotnitz favours carding in order to better analyse the story and to enable better collaboration. [33] He always asks: why do I care about this story? Why do I care about this character? And aims to draw in the audience early on. [33]
Spotnitz lives with his family in London. [8]
Spotnitz said in an interview about his show The Man in the High Castle : "Frank is the closest to me in the TV series, because my father's Jewish, my mother's not. I don't identify as Jewish in a religious way. I'm not a religious person, and yet if you were living in a Nazi state, that would be no defense. Jews don't get to decide if they're Jews. That's really terrifying to me." [6]
Year | Title | Distributor |
---|---|---|
1996 | Millennium | Fox |
1996–2002 | The X-Files | Fox |
1998 | Inside the X-Files | Fox |
1998 | The X-Files: Fight the Future | 20th Century Fox |
1999 | Harsh Realm | Fox |
2001 | The Lone Gunmen | Fox |
2002–2003 | Robbery Homicide Division | CBS |
2005–2006 | Night Stalker | ABC |
2007 | A.M.P.E.D. | Spike |
2008 | The X-Files: I Want to Believe | 20th Century Fox |
2008 | Samurai Girl | ABC Family |
2011 | Strike Back: Project Dawn | Sky One/Cinemax |
2012 | Hunted | BBC One/Cinemax |
2014 | Transporter: The Series | M6 |
2015 | Crossing Lines | NBC |
2015–2019 | The Man in the High Castle | Amazon |
2016–2019 | Medici | RAI |
2017 | The Indian Detective | CTV |
2017–2019 | Ransom | CBS |
2021– | Leonardo | RAI |
No. overall | No. of season | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod.code | US viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
41 | 2 | 17 | "End Game" | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz | February 17, 1995 | 2X17 | 17.5 |
48 | 2 | 24 | "Our Town" | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz | May 12, 1995 | 2X24 | 14.5 |
58 | 3 | 9 | "Nisei" | David Nutter | Chris Carter, Howard Gordon, Frank Spotnitz | November 24, 1995 | 3X09 | 16.36 |
59 | 3 | 10 | "731" | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz | December 1, 1995 | 3X10 | 17.68 |
64 | 3 | 15 | "Piper Maru" | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz, Chris Carter | February 9, 1996 | 3X15 | 16.44 |
65 | 3 | 16 | "Apocrypha" | Kim Manners | Frank Spotnitz, Chris Carter | February 16, 1996 | 3X16 | 16.71 |
81 | 4 | 8 | "Tunguska" | Kim Manners | Frank Spotnitz, Chris Carter | November 24, 1996 | 4X09 | 18.85 |
82 | 4 | 9 | "Terma" | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz, Chris Carter | December 1, 1996 | 4X10 | 17.34 |
85 | 4 | 12 | "Leonard Betts" | Kim Manners | Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | January 26, 1997 | 4X14 | 29.15 |
87 | 4 | 14 | "Memento Mori" | Rob Bowman | Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | February 9, 1997 | 4X15 | 19.10 |
90 | 4 | 17 | "Tempus Fugit" | Rob Bowman | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | March 16, 1997 | 4X17 | 18.85 |
91 | 4 | 18 | "Max" | Kim Manners | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | March 23, 1997 | 4X18 | 18.34 |
94 | 4 | 21 | "Zero Sum" | Kim Manners | Howard Gordon, Frank Spotnitz | April 27, 1997 | 4X21 | 18.60 |
101 | 5 | 4 | "Detour" | Brett Dowler | Frank Spotnitz | November 23, 1997 | 5X04 | 22.88 |
103 | 5 | 6 | "Christmas Carol" | Peter Markle | Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | December 7, 1997 | 5X05 | 20.91 |
104 | 5 | 7 | "Emily" | Kim Manners | Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | December 14, 1997 | 5X07 | 20.94 |
110 | 5 | 13 | "Patient X" | Kim Manners | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | March 1, 1998 | 5X13 | 20.21 |
111 | 5 | 14 | "The Red and the Black" | Chris Carter | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | March 8, 1998 | 5X14 | 19.98 |
112 | 5 | 15 | "Travelers" | William A. Graham | John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | March 29, 1998 | 5X15 | 15.06 |
114 | 5 | 17 | "All Souls" | Allen Coulter | Story by: Billy Brown, Dan Angel Teleplay by: Frank Spotnitz, John Shiban | April 26, 1998 | 5X17 | 13.44 |
121 | 6 | 4 | "Dreamland" | Kim Manners | Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | November 29, 1998 | 6ABX04 | 17.48 |
122 | 6 | 5 | "Dreamland II" | Michael Watkins | Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | December 6, 1998 | 6ABX05 | 17.01 |
128 | 6 | 11 | "Two Fathers" | Kim Manners | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | February 7, 1999 | 6ABX11 | 18.81 |
129 | 6 | 12 | "One Son" | Rob Bowman | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | February 14, 1999 | 6ABX12 | 16.57 |
135 | 6 | 18 | "Milagro" | Kim Manners | Story by: John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz Teleplay by: Chris Carter | April 18, 1999 | 6ABX18 | 15.2 |
138 | 6 | 21 | "Field Trip" | Kim Manners | Story by: Frank Spotnitz Teleplay by: John Shiban, Vince Gilligan | May 9, 1999 | 6ABX21 | 15.38 |
139 | 6 | 22 | "Biogenesis" | Rob Bowman | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | May 16, 1999 | 6ABX22 | 15.86 |
143 | 7 | 4 | "Millennium" | Thomas J. Wright | Vince Gilligan, Frank Spotnitz | November 28, 1999 | 7ABX05 | 15.09 |
147 | 7 | 8 | "The Amazing Maleeni" | Thomas J. Wright | Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | January 16, 2000 | 7ABX08 | 16.18 |
149 | 7 | 10 | "Sein und Zeit" | Michael Watkins | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | February 6, 2000 | 7ABX10 | 13.95 |
150 | 7 | 11 | "Closure" | Kim Manners | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | February 13, 2000 | 7ABX11 | 15.35 |
153 | 7 | 14 | "Theef" | Kim Manners | Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | March 12, 2000 | 7ABX14 | 11.91 |
168 | 8 | 7 | "Via Negativa" | Tony Wharmby | Frank Spotnitz | December 17, 2000 | 8ABX07 | 12.37 |
172 | 8 | 11 | "The Gift" | Kim Manners | Frank Spotnitz | February 4, 2001 | 8ABX11 | 14.6 |
173 | 8 | 12 | "Medusa" | Richard Compton | Frank Spotnitz | February 11, 2001 | 8ABX13 | 13.8 |
174 | 8 | 13 | "Per Manum" | Kim Manners | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | February 18, 2001 | 8ABX08 | 16.0 |
175 | 8 | 14 | "This Is Not Happening" | Kim Manners | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | February 25, 2001 | 8ABX14 | 16.9 |
176 | 8 | 15 | "Deadalive" | Tony Wharmby | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | April 1, 2001 | 8ABX15 | 12.4 |
177 | 8 | 16 | "Three Words" | Tony Wharmby | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | April 8, 2001 | 8ABX18 | N/A |
180 | 8 | 19 | "Alone" | Frank Spotnitz | Frank Spotnitz | May 6, 2001 | 8ABX19 | 12.7 |
183 | 9 | 1 | "Nothing Important Happened Today" | Kim Manners | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | November 11, 2001 | 9ABX01 | 10.6 |
184 | 9 | 2 | "Nothing Important Happened Today II" | Tony Wharmby | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | November 18, 2001 | 9ABX02 | 9.4 |
185 | 9 | 3 | "Dæmonicus" | Frank Spotnitz | Frank Spotnitz | December 2, 2001 | 9ABX03 | 8.7 |
188 | 9 | 6 | "Trust No 1" | Tony Wharmby | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | January 6, 2002 | 9ABX08 | 8.4 |
191 | 9 | 9 | "Provenance" | Kim Manners | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | March 3, 2002 | 9ABX10 | 9.7 |
192 | 9 | 10 | "Providence" | Chris Carter | Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz | March 10, 2002 | 9ABX11 | 8.4 |
197 | 9 | 15 | "Jump the Shark" | Cliff Bole | Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz | April 21, 2002 | 9ABX15 | 8.6 |
198 | 9 | 16 | "William" | David Duchovny | Story by: David Duchovny, Frank Spotnitz, Chris Carter Teleplay by: Chris Carter | April 28, 2002 | 9ABX17 | 9.3 |
Christopher Carl Carter is an American television and film producer, director and writer who gained fame in the 1990s as the creator of the Fox science fiction supernatural drama series The X-Files.
Fox William Mulder is a fictional FBI Special Agent and one of the two protagonists of the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series The X-Files, played by David Duchovny. Mulder's peers dismiss his many theories on extraterrestrial or paranormal activity as those of a conspiracy theorist and supernaturalist; however, his skeptical but supportive partner, Special Agent Dana Scully, often finds them to be unexpectedly correct. He and Scully work in the X-Files office, concerned with unsolved FBI cases that are often revealed to be supernatural or extraterrestrial in nature. Mulder was a main character for the first seven seasons, but was limited to a recurring character for the following two seasons. He returns as a main character for the tenth and eleventh seasons.
The second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on September 16, 1994, concluded on the same channel on May 19, 1995, after airing all 25 episodes. The series follows Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, portrayed by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson respectively, who investigate paranormal or supernatural cases, known as X-Files by the FBI.
The third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on Fox in the United States on September 22, 1995, concluded on the same channel on May 17, 1996, and contained 24 episodes. The season continues to follow the cases of FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, portrayed by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson respectively, who investigate paranormal or supernatural cases, known as X-Files by the FBI.
The fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on October 4, 1996, concluding on the same channel on May 18, 1997, and contained 24 episodes. Following the filming and airing of the season, production began on The X-Files feature film, which was released in 1998 following the show's fifth season.
The fifth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on November 2, 1997, concluding on the same channel on May 17, 1998, and contained 20 episodes. The season was the last in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; subsequent episodes would be shot in Los Angeles, California. In addition, this was the first season of the show where the course of the story was planned, due to the 1998 The X-Files feature film being filmed before it, but scheduled to be released after it aired.
The sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on November 8, 1998, concluding on the same channel on May 16, 1999, and consisted of twenty-two episodes. The season continued from the 1998 feature film and focused heavily on FBI federal agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully's separation from the X-Files Division and the demise of the Syndicate—a "shadow government" group attempting to cover up the existence of extraterrestrials—in the two-part episode "Two Fathers" and "One Son".
The seventh season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 1999, concluded on May 21, 2000, and consists of twenty-two episodes. This season marks the end of various story lines; during this season, Fox Mulder learned the true fate of his sister, Samantha.
The ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing in the United States on November 11, 2001, concluded on May 19, 2002, and consists of twenty episodes. The season takes place after Fox Mulder goes into hiding, following the events of the eighth season finale, "Existence". As such, the main story arc for the season follows Dana Scully, John Doggett, and Monica Reyes on their hunt to reveal a government conspiracy involving the elaborate and malevolent creation of "Super Soldiers".
The Well-Manicured Man is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series The X-Files. He serves as an antagonist to FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, being a member of the sinister Syndicate the agents seek to foil. Introduced in the third season, the Well-Manicured Man served to highlight discord within the ranks of the Syndicate, and ultimately betrayed them by leaking information to Mulder before committing suicide in the series' first feature film.
Glen Morgan is an American television producer, writer and director. He is best known for co-writing episodes of the Fox science fiction supernatural drama series The X-Files with his partner, James Wong. He served as an executive producer on the show's eleventh season. He also executive produced The Twilight Zone reboot by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions.
George Vincent Gilligan Jr. is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known as the creator, primary writer, executive producer, and occasional director of the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and its spin-off prequel series Better Call Saul (2015–2022). He also wrote, directed, and produced the Breaking Bad sequel film El Camino (2019).
John Shiban is an American television writer and producer.
Hunted is a 2012 British television drama series created and written by Frank Spotnitz and produced by Kudos and Big Light Productions for British broadcaster BBC, for its main channel BBC One and American premium cable broadcaster Cinemax. The series premiered on Thursday 4 October 2012 on BBC One and on Friday 19 October 2012 on Cinemax.
The Man in the High Castle is an American dystopian alternate history television series created for streaming service Amazon Prime Video, depicting a parallel universe where the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan rule the world after their victory in World War II. It was created by Frank Spotnitz and produced by Amazon Studios, Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions, Headline Pictures, Electric Shepherd Productions, and Big Light Productions. The series is based on Philip K. Dick's 1962 novel of the same name.
Headline Pictures Limited is an International Emmy-winning British film and television production company founded in 2005 by BAFTA nominee Stewart Mackinnon, former BBC Head of Drama Mark Shivas and screenwriter Kevin Hood. The company is now part of the UGC group.
Medici is a historical drama television series created by Frank Spotnitz and Nicholas Meyer. The series was produced by Italian companies Lux Vide and Rai Fiction, in collaboration with Spotnitz's Big Light Productions. The series follows the House of Medici, bankers of the Pope, in 15th-century Florence. Each season follows the events of a particular moment of the family's history exploring the political and artistic landscape of Renaissance Italy.
Stewart Mackinnon is a Scottish film and television producer, founder and former CEO of Headline Pictures. He produced the film Quartet, the international Emmy winning television film Peter And Wendy, and the Amazon Studios series The Man in the High Castle. In 2020, he founded Circle Pictures.
Eisenhorn is a trilogy of science fantasy / crime novels by the British writer Dan Abnett, set in the fictional universe of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game. It is the first in a series of trilogies and separate novels by Abnett, which are some of the most popular works of Warhammer 40,000 tie-in fiction.
Leonardo is a historical drama television series created by Frank Spotnitz and Steve Thompson. The series was produced by Italian Lux Vide in collaboration with Rai Fiction, Sony Pictures Entertainment, with Frank Spotnitz's Big Light Productions and Freddie Highmore's Alfresco Pictures in association with France Télévisions and RTVE.
I was born in Camp Zama in Japan in 1960.