Michael Scott (film director)

Last updated
Michael Scott
Born
Michael M. Scott

(born 1955) [1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Occidental College
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • documentary filmmaker
Years active1983–present
Known for
Relatives Winston M. Scott (father)

Michael M. Scott (born 1955) is an American film director, producer and documentary filmmaker. [2] [3] He is best known as producer and film director for Dangerous Lies (2020 film), [4] [5] [6] Cedar Cove (2013), [7] Trading Christmas (2011), [8] The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2008) [9] and other films. [10] [11]

Contents

Background

Michael M. Scott was raised in Mexico City, Mexico, the adopted son of Winston Scott, a U.S. intelligence officer, and Paula Maev Scott, a native of Ireland. [1] [12] His father, Winston M. Scott (Winston Mackinley Scott) worked for the CIA during the Cold War in Mexico. [13] [14] In 1970, Michael and his brother George were sent to Connecticut. From 1970 to 1973, Michael Scott was a student at Taft School, a preparatory private school in Watertown, Connecticut. [1] Michael Scott is a graduate of the Occidental College. [15]

Filmmaking career

While still an undergraduate at Occidental College in 1975, Scott interviewed Clarence Carnes, an inmate who had done time on Alcatraz and was known to be the youngest inmate in the Federal prison. The interview resulted in documentary aired later on PBS. [16] In 1980s, Scott began to work with Dave Bell Associates production company, where he produced HBO’s "Decoys", a documentary about undercover police officers in New York City. [16] [17] Scott made his directorial and writing debut with 1983's One Man's Fight for Life – a story about a school teacher struggling with lung cancer. [16]

Scott is credited as director and executive producer of the Netflix movie Dangerous Lies (2020 film) that premiered on May 30, 2020. In October 2020, the film was nominated for People's Choice Awards in the drama movie category. [18] [19] Scott’s long term relationship with writer David Golden resulted in the spec thriller being picked up as a Netflix Original. [20] [21] Since 1983, Michael Scott has worked with a number of production and entertainment companies including Crown Media, Hallmark Channel, PBS, HBO, Netflix and more. [16] Overall, Scott has over fifty credits as director and producer. [10] [22]

Michael Scott vs CIA

Scott’s father, Winston M. Scott, wrote a manuscript about his life titled, "It Came To Little" which was confiscated by James Jesus Angleton, the CIA's counter intelligence chief, shortly after Winston Scott's death in 1971. [2] The manuscript became the object of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that was denied, resulting in a lawsuit filed by Michael Scott (Scott vs CIA). A settlement with the CIA was reached in 1996. [1] Later, Jefferson Morley, a veteran Washington journalist, collaborated with Scott and wrote "Our Man in Mexico", a biography of Winston M. Scott and CIA's operations in Mexico during the Cold War. [1] [13] [23]

Filmography

YearTitleCreditNotes
2020 Dangerous Lies (2020 film) Director/Producer(TV movie) (as Michael Scott)
(Nominated for People's Choice Awards) [6]
2016Second SightDirector/Producer(TV movie) (as Michael Scott) [24]
2014Heavenly MatchDirector/Executive Producer(TV movie)
(as Michael Scott) [25]
2014 Run for Your Life Director(TV movie)
(as Michael Scott) [26]
2014Apple Mortgage CakeDirector/Producer(TV movie)
2013 Cedar Cove Director/Executive Producer(TV Movie/2 hour series pilot) [27] [28]
2012Hitched for the HolidaysDirector//Executive Producer(TV movie)
2011 Trading Christmas Director/Executive Producer(TV movie)
2008 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Director/Executive Producer(TV movie)
2006Murder on Pleasant DriveDirector/Co-executive Producer(TV movie)
(as Michael Scott)
2004 Deadly Visions DirectorTV movie [29]
1999 The Soul Collector DirectorTV movie [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andie MacDowell</span> American actress and model (born 1958)

Rosalie Anderson MacDowell is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell is known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. She has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been a spokeswoman for L'Oréal since 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teryl Rothery</span> Canadian actress

Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress of stage, television, and film. She is best known for portraying Dr. Janet Fraiser in the TV series Stargate SG-1. She co-starred as Grace Sherman in Cedar Cove, and has had major roles as Muriel in Virgin River, Jean Loring in Arrow and Celia Hudson in Nancy Drew. She has been involved in a number of television movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan Neal</span> Canadian actor (born 1969)

Dylan Jeremy Neal is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of the character Dylan Shaw on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, Doug Witter on Dawson's Creek, and Detective Mike Celluci in the supernatural series Blood Ties. He also played Aaron Jacobs on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Ferguson</span> Canadian-American actor, director and producer (born 1972)

Colin Ferguson is a Canadian-American actor, director and producer. He is known for playing Sheriff Jack Carter on the Syfy series Eureka, the Maytag Man, and Lewis on Then Came You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Evans (actor)</span> American actor (born 1981)

Christopher Robert Evans is an American actor. He began his career with roles in television series such as Opposite Sex in 2000. Following appearances in several teen films, including 2001's Not Another Teen Movie, he gained attention for his portrayal of Marvel Comics character the Human Torch in Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Evans made further appearances in film adaptations of comic books and graphic novels: TMNT (2007), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), and Snowpiercer (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Anderson (director)</span> American film director (born 1964)

Brad Anderson is an American film director, producer and writer. A director of thriller and horror films and television projects, he is best known for directing The Machinist (2004), starring Christian Bale, psychological horror film Session 9 (2001) and The Call (2013), starring Halle Berry. He also produced and directed several episodes of the Fox science fiction series Fringe. Earlier in his career he directed the romantic comedies Next Stop Wonderland (1998) and Happy Accidents (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Sevier</span> Canadian actor

Corey Daniel Sevier is a Canadian actor, known for his role on the Fox television series North Shore as Gabriel McKay and as Timmy Cabot in Lassie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Michael Murray</span> American actor (born 1981)

Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, writer, and former model. He played the lead role of Lucas Scott in The WB/CW teen drama series One Tree Hill, and recurring roles as Tristin DuGray on Gilmore Girls (2000–01), Charlie Todd on Dawson's Creek (2001–02), and Edgar Evernever on Riverdale (2019), all on the same network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Macomber</span> American writer

Debbie Macomber is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Six of her novels have become made-for-TV movies and her Cedar Cove series of novels was adapted into a television series of the same name. Macomber was the inaugural winner of the fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005 and has been awarded both a RITA Award and a lifetime achievement award by the Romance Writers of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Budd</span> Australian film actor, director and producer

Michael Hamish Budd is an Australian film actor, director and producer. Budd is best known for playing Esmael in The Cold Light of Day.

<i>Cedar Cove</i> (TV series) American-Canadian drama television series

Cedar Cove is a drama television series on the Hallmark Channel that aired from July 20, 2013 to September 26, 2015. Based on author Debbie Macomber's book series of the same name, Cedar Cove focused on Municipal Court Judge Olivia Lockhart's professional and personal life and the townsfolk surrounding her. It was the network's first original scripted series, and lasted three seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tope Tedela</span> Nigerian actor (born 1990)

Temitope Christopher Tedela is a Nigerian actor and producer. He has received several awards for his work including Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Award, Nigeria Entertainment Award, Best of Nollywood Award and Nollywood Movies Award.

Madeleine Arthur is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Mae in the Netflix suspense thriller series Devil in Ohio, Hannah Hadman in the workplace comedy series Blockbuster, and Christine in the To All the Boys film series.

<i>Jack Ryan</i> (TV series) American television series

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is an American political action thriller television series based on characters from the fictional "Ryanverse" created by Tom Clancy. Replacing the characters of the novels with those set in modern time, it depicts CIA analyst Jack Ryan who is played by John Krasinski. The series was created by Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland. Cuse, Roland, and Krasinski serve as executive producers, alongside Michael Bay, Morten Tyldum, and Brad Fuller, among others.

<i>Messiah</i> (American TV series) 2020 American thriller streaming television series

Messiah is an American thriller television series created by Michael Petroni. It consists of ten episodes, which were released on Netflix on January 1, 2020. The series stars Mehdi Dehbi, Tomer Sisley, Michelle Monaghan, John Ortiz, Melinda Page Hamilton, Stefania LaVie Owen, Jane Adams, Sayyid El Alami, Fares Landoulsi, and Wil Traval.

<i>Dangerous Lies</i> (2020 film) 2020 American psychological thriller film

Dangerous Lies is a 2020 American psychological thriller film, directed by Michael Scott from a screenplay by David Golden. It stars Camila Mendes, Jessie T. Usher, Jamie Chung, Cam Gigandet, Sasha Alexander and Elliott Gould. It was released on April 30, 2020, by Netflix. In October 2020, Dangerous Lies was nominated for People's Choice Awards in the drama movie category.

<i>Clickbait</i> (miniseries) American-Australian television series

Clickbait is a drama television miniseries, created by Tony Ayres and Christian White. Ayres serves as showrunner, while Brad Anderson, Emma Freeman, Ben Young, and Laura Besley are directors. It was released on Netflix on August 25, 2021.

<i>Dangerous</i> (2021 film) 2021 film by David Hackl

Dangerous is a 2021 action thriller film directed by David Hackl and starring Scott Eastwood, Tyrese Gibson, Famke Janssen, Kevin Durand, and Mel Gibson. The film was released on November 5, 2021. It was David Hackl's fifth film as director. Dangerous was produced by Kevin DeWalt, Ben DeWalt and Doug Falconer under the banners of Mind's Eye Entertainment and Falconer Pictures; and marks the last film of Falconer as a producer - he suddenly died in July 2021 before the release of the film. The film was distributed in the United States and the United Kingdom by Lionsgate. It received negative reviews from critics for its plot and action.

<i>We Have a Ghost</i> 2023 film by Christopher Landon

We Have a Ghost is 2023 American supernatural horror comedy film written and directed by Christopher Landon, based on the 2017 short story "Ernest" by Geoff Manaugh. It stars David Harbour, Jahi Winston, Tig Notaro, Jennifer Coolidge, and Anthony Mackie. It was released on February 24, 2023, by Netflix and received mixed reviews from film critics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Spy Who Loved Him". The Washington Post (1996).
  2. 1 2 "The Spy Who Loved Me: Michael Scott believes a manuscript by his secret agent father is the key to his past. But the CIA says releasing it—and the secrets it holds—is too risky". LA Times.
  3. "FILM REVIEW: DANGEROUS LIES". Slug Mag. 30 April 2020.
  4. "Dangerous Lies' holds back the truth about who can be trusted". Chicago Sun Times. 30 April 2020.
  5. "Dangerous Lies". Roger Ebert Reviews.
  6. 1 2 "See all the nominees for the 2020 People's Choice Awards". USA Today.
  7. Genzlinger, Neil (19 July 2013). "Dialing Down the Adrenaline in a town with a laid-back judge". The New York Times.
  8. Hinckley, David (25 November 2011). "Hallmark's 'Trading Christmas' does a good job telling Debbie Macomber holiday tale". New York Daily News. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  9. "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Dove reviews.
  10. 1 2 "Michael M. Scott". IMDb .
  11. "Michael M. Scott". BFI. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020.
  12. "Winston Scott". Spartacus Educational.
  13. 1 2 Silverstein, Ken (17 April 2008). "Harper's Magazine". Six Questions for Jefferson Morley on Our Man in Mexico.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  14. "Our Man in Mexico Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA". University Press of Kansas.
  15. "About George Leddy and his family". Agricanto.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Bridal Wave Bios" (PDF). Hallmark.
  17. "DECOYS (TV) Summary and credits". The Paley Center for Media.
  18. "E! People's Choice Awards Nominees List: 'The Old Guard', 'Birds Of Prey' Among Honorees". Deadline. October 2020.
  19. "2020 People's Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominees". EonLine. 15 November 2020.
  20. "There Are DANGEROUS LIES in Latest Netflix Thriller". Nightmarish conjurings. 13 April 2020.
  21. "Netflix's 'Dangerous Lies' offers a small thrill or two to help pass the time – Streaming movie review". The News Herald.
  22. "Michael Scott". TV Guide.[ dead link ]
  23. "Assassination Archives & Research Center v. CIA, 48 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 1999)". Justia Law.
  24. "Tatyana Ali headlines TV One's original thriller 'Second Sight' premiering April 23". The Philadelphia Sunday Sun. 22 April 2016.
  25. "Heavenly Match". The Christian Film Review. 8 November 2017.
  26. "Life or a Half-Life". The movie scene.[ dead link ]
  27. "Cedar Cove". TV Guide.[ dead link ]
  28. "Hallmark Channel Reaffirms Series Order To 'Cedar Cove' Starring Andie MacDowell". Yahoo Entertainment.
  29. "Deadly Visions". Radio Times.
  30. "The Soul Collector". Variety. 20 October 1999.