Moira Walley-Beckett

Last updated
Moira Walley-Beckett
DGCBC-444v4.jpg
Walley-Beckett in November 2023
Born
Canada
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • producer
  • actress

Moira Walley-Beckett is a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer, and former actress. She is best known for her work as a writer and producer on Breaking Bad . She wrote nine episodes of the series, including "Ozymandias", widely regarded as one of the greatest television episodes of all time.

Contents

For her work on Breaking Bad, Walley-Beckett won three Primetime Emmy Awards (including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series), three Writers Guild of America Awards, two Producers Guild of America Awards, one Golden Globe, and one Peabody. She also created the series Flesh and Bone and Anne with an E .

Early life

Walley-Beckett was raised in Vancouver and attended the Banff School of Fine Arts. [1] In 1982, she joined the Arts Club Theatre Company. [2]

Career

Walley-Beckett worked from the mid-1980s until the early-2000s as a television actress. She guest-starred on many series, including MacGyver , 21 Jump Street , Wiseguy , The Pretender , Chicago Hope , Diagnosis Murder, ER and Tropical Heat. ( only episode 6 season one ). [3]

She began writing for television in 2007 as a staff writer for the short-lived NBC detective drama Raines , starring Jeff Goldblum. In 2008 she joined the writing staff for the legal drama Eli Stone and penned the episode "Heal the Pain".

She joined Breaking Bad as a story editor for the second season and wrote the episodes "Breakage" [4] and "Over". [5] The second season writing staff were nominated for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for best drama series at the February 2010 ceremony for their work on the second season. [6] She was promoted to co-producer for the third season in 2010 and wrote the episodes "Mas" [7] and (with Sam Catlin) "Fly." She was promoted again to producer for the fourth season in 2011.

For the fifth season, Walley-Beckett wrote "Gliding Over All" and "Ozymandias"; the latter received universal praise from critics, and has since been called one of the greatest episodes of television ever broadcast. On August 25, 2014 she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for "Ozymandias", becoming the first solo woman to win the award in the Drama category since Ann Biderman won in 1994. [8]

After Breaking Bad ended, Walley-Beckett, a former ballet dancer, created the ballet drama miniseries Flesh and Bone for Starz. [9] The show premiered in November 2015.

In January 2016, it was announced that Walley-Beckett would create, write and executive produce a television series based on children's classic Anne of Green Gables for Canada's CBC. [10] Netflix came aboard in August to distribute the show internationally. [11] The series, Anne with an E (titled Anne during the first season) aired on CBC in Canada and was later made available for streaming on Netflix. The series premiered on March 19, 2017, on CBC and on May 12 internationally. It was renewed for a second season on August 3, 2017, and for a third season in August 2018. Shortly after the third season was released in Fall 2019, CBC and Netflix announced that the series was canceled.

She wrote the 2018 film The Grizzlies alongside Justified creator Graham Yost, directed by Miranda de Pencier. [12]

Filmography

Production staff

YearShowRoleNotes
2017–2019 Anne with an E Creator, showrunner, writerSeasons 1-3
2015 Flesh and Bone Creator, showrunner, writerSeason 1
2011–12 Pan Am ProducerSeason 1
2013 Breaking Bad Producer Season 5
2012
2011 Season 4
2010Co-producer Season 3
2009Story editor Season 2

Writer

YearShowSeasonEpisode TitleEpisodeNotes
2019 Anne with an E 3"The Better Feelings of My Heart"10
"A Secret Which I Desired to Divine"1
20182"The Growing Good of the World"10
"What We Have Been Makes Us What We Are"9
"Youth Is the Season of Hope"1
20171"Wherever You Are Is My Home"7
"Remorse Is the Poison of Life"6
"Tightly Knotted to a Similar String"5
"An Inward Treasure Born"4
"But What Is So Headstrong as Youth?"3
"I Am No Bird, and No Net Ensnares Me"2
"Your Will Shall Decide Your Destiny"1
2015 Flesh and Bone 1"Scorched Earth"8
"Cannon Fodder"2
"Bulling Through"1
2012 Pan Am 1"Romance Languages"13
2011"Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"9co-wrote with Lydia Woodward
"Eastern Exposure"4co-wrote with Jack Orman
2013 Breaking Bad 5"Ozymandias"14also appeared as an extra, a customer at the Whites’ car wash
2012"Gliding Over All"8
20114"End Times"12co-wrote with Thomas Schnauz
"Bug"9
"Bullet Points"4
20103"Fly"10co-wrote with Sam Catlin
"Mas" [7] 5
20092"Over" [5] 10
"Breakage" [4] 5
2008 Eli Stone 1"Heal the Pain"7co-wrote with Alex Taub

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References

  1. ↑ Patch, Nick (July 13, 2014). "Vancouver-raised 'Breaking Bad' scribe celebrates Emmy nod for beloved episode". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ Leiren-Young, Mark (March 11, 2014). "ARTS CLUB ANNIVERSARY ESSAY: "THE ARTS CLUB ON SCREEN"" (PDF). Arts Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Talking to Moira Walley-Beckett about the 'punishing, challenging' world of Flesh and Bone". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  4. 1 2 Johan Renck (director); Moira Walley-Becket (writer) (2009-04-05). "Breakage". Breaking Bad. Season 2. Episode 5. AMC.
  5. 1 2 Phil Abraham (director); Moira Walley-Becket (writer) (2009-05-10). "Over". Breaking Bad. Season 2. Episode 10. AMC.
  6. ↑ "2009 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced". WGA. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  7. 1 2 Johan Renck (director); Moira Walley-Becket (writer) (2010-04-18). "Mas". Breaking Bad. Season 3. Episode 5. AMC.
  8. ↑ Alter, Charlotte (August 26, 2014). "Vince Gilligan Thought True Detective Would Win the Emmy for Best Drama". Time. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (2014-01-26). "Ballet Drama 'Flesh And Bone' Gets Series Order At Starz, Casts Lead". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  10. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (2016-01-12). "'Anne Of Green Gables' Series Greenlit At CBC; Moira Walley-Beckett Writing". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  11. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (2016-08-22). "Netflix Boards CBC's 'Anne Of Green Gables' Adaptation; Niki Caro To Helm Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  12. ↑ McNary, Dave (2016-02-18). "'Goat' Actor Ben Schnetzer to Star in Arctic Drama 'The Grizzlies'". Variety. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
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