Meaghan Oppenheimer

Last updated

Meaghan Oppenheimer
Meaghan Oppenheimer 2022.jpg
Oppenheimer in 2022
Born1986 (age 3738)
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, producer
Years active2010–present
Known for Tell Me Lies
Spouse
(m. 2019)
Children1

Meaghan Oppenheimer (born 1986) [1] is an American television and movie screenwriter, producer and former child actor.

Contents

Early life and education

Meaghan Oppenheimer grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, [2] and was a former child actor, working in various regional theatre productions and television shows. [3] She graduated from Holland Hall, and then New York University—Tisch School of the Arts in 2009. Afterward, she relocated to Los Angeles to begin a screenwriting career. [4] [5] [6]

Career

In 2010, Oppenheimer wrote and starred in Hot Mess, a film about two roommates that become friends-with-benefits. She has written screenplays for a number of projects, including Fear the Walking Dead [lower-alpha 1] She co-wrote the screenplay for 2015's We Are Your Friends with film maker Max Joseph. [7] [8]

In December of that year, ABC announced that Reese Witherspoon would be producing a new drama series for TV written by Oppenheimer, with the working title Please Don't Go, about the personal and professional life of a ruthless divorce attorney in Dallas whose past continues to haunt her. [9] In March 2016, ABC announced that Penelope Ann Miller had been cast opposite T. R. Knight in the project [lower-alpha 2] that in 2016 was released as Broken—a series pilot that halted production after the first episode aired. [lower-alpha 3]

In 2018, Oppenheimer penned the script for the Facebook Watch TV show, Queen America . [11]

She adapted Carola Lovering's Tell Me Lies for Hulu that was filmed and released in 2022. [12] [11] She also served as co-executive producer and showrunner of the series, which starred Grace Van Patten and Jackson White. [13]

Personal life

Oppenheimer has been married to actor Tom Ellis since June 1, 2019. [14] [15] [16] Oppenheimer is the stepmother to his two children that Ellis shares with his ex wife Tamzin Outhwaite and one from a previous relationship. [1] [17] Ellis and Oppenheimer announced the birth of their daughter on November 8, 2023. [18] The couple opted for surrogacy and welcomed their daughter. Oppenheimer and Ellis named their daughter Dolly Ellis-Oppenheimer. [19]

Screenwriting credits

YearTitleRoleNotes / Vehicle
2010Hot MessScreenwriter / actressshort film
2015 Fear the Walking Dead ScreenwriterS1 E4: "Not Fade Away"
2015 We Are Your Friends [8] ScreenwriterTV film
2016Broken [10] Screenwriterone episode (TV pilot)
2018 Queen America [11] Screenwriterone episode / series creator (10 episodes)
2022-present Tell Me Lies [12] [13] Screenwriter / Executive Producer and Showrunner three episodes / series creator (10 episodes) / TV Film

Acting credits

YearTitleRoleNotes / Vehicle
2010stalkTALKDrew WalkerTV series: 8 episodes
2010 The Rock 'n' Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher Reneecomedy film
2011LoveFinderLexiTV movie
2011How to Marry a BillionaireBreeTV movie
2012LoveFinder: The ViralsLexishort film

Accolades and reception

Oppenheimer's un-filmed screenplay, The Remains, was selected for the 2013 Black List—a yearly list of "...best Screenplays not yet made into films..." [20] Dana Feldman of Forbes wrote while reviewing Tell Me Lies: "...[the production] received a straight-to-series order, and we definitely need another season..." [13] The Her Voice podcast hosts exclaimed: "From script to screen, she is clear in her purpose and powerful in her ability to manifest the right people and circumstances to be able to develop female driven stories about mental health, relationships, and generational trauma." [21] Keely Weiss of Elle Magazine writes: "...showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer pulled [the adaptation] off with aplomb, turning Lovering's novel into a visually propulsive show populated by a rich cast of characters, all while preserving the core themes of the book. [22]

Notes

  1. Season 1, Episode 4 ("Not Fade Away.")
  2. which was given the working title Meaghan Oppenheimer Pilot
  3. Miller's role was that of "Elizabeth Hamilton, the wife of a Texas oil billionaire who is seeking revenge after having been left for a woman 20 years younger than she". [10]

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