Ron Nyswaner

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Ron Nyswaner
James Schamus and Ron Nyswaner.jpg
James Schamus (left) and Nyswaner (right), 2009
Born (1956-10-05) October 5, 1956 (age 68)
Education University of Pittsburgh (BA)
Columbia University (MFA)
Occupation(s)Film director, writer

Ronald L. Nyswaner (born October 5, 1956) is an American screenwriter and film director. [1] He is a Peabody Award [2] winner, and has been nominated for numerous awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Contents

He is known for his screenplays Smithereens (1982), Philadelphia (1993), The Painted Veil (2006), Freeheld (2015), and My Policeman (2022). He is also known as a writer and producer of the Showtime series Ray Donovan (2013–2015), Homeland (2017–2018), and the historical drama series Fellow Travelers (2023).

Early life and education

Nyswaner was born in Clarksville, Pennsylvania. He later attended the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University. [3]

Career

Nyswaner wrote his first screenplay for the Susan Seidelman film Smithereens . After two other notable screenplays for Swing Shift and Mrs. Soffel , he gave his directorial debut with The Prince of Pennsylvania in 1988, a film with Keanu Reeves and Fred Ward.

Nyswaner, who is openly gay [4] and an activist for gay rights, has often worked on movies dealing with subjects such as homosexuality, homophobia, and AIDS. In 1993, he came to worldwide prominence for his screenplay to the Academy Award-winning movie Philadelphia , directed by Jonathan Demme. It earned him nominations at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the BAFTAs.

After several years of working for television, he wrote the screenplay for the 2006 film The Painted Veil , based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. He received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award and won the award of the National Board of Review in 2006.

From 2015 to 2017, he was an executive producer for the Showtime TV series Homeland .

In 2015, Nyswaner directed the documentary film She's the Best Thing in It, featuring Mary Louise Wilson, which he coproduced along with Jeffrey Schwarz and Neda Armian. [5]

Nyswaner created the historical drama miniseries Fellow Travelers in 2023, which won a Peabody Award [6] at the 84th ceremony in 2024.

Filmography

Film

As a director

YearTitleNotes
1988 The Prince of Pennsylvania
2012 Why Stop Now?
2015She's the Best Thing in Itdocumentary

As a writer

YearTitleNotes
1982 Smithereens
1984 Mrs. Soffel
1989 Gross Anatomy
1990 Love Hurts
1993 Philadelphia
2006 The Painted Veil
2015 Freeheld
2022 My Policeman

Television

YearTitleNotesRef.
2003 Soldier's Girl Television movie
2006Filthy GorgeousTelevision movie
2013–2014 Ray Donovan Wrote 4 episodes; also co-executive producer
2015–2018 Homeland Wrote 9 episodes; also co-executive producer
2020 Murder on Middle Beach Co-executive producer only
2023 Fellow Travelers Screenwriter and executive producer [7]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryProjectResult
1988 Deauville Film Festival Critics Prize The Prince of Pennsylvania Nominated
1989 Independent Spirit Awards Best First Feature Nominated
1993 Academy Award Best Original Screenplay Philadelphia Nominated
1993 Golden Globe Awards Best Screenplay Nominated
1993 British Academy Film Awards Best Original Screenplay Nominated
1993 Writers Guild of America Awards Best Original Screenplay Nominated
2006 Independent Spirit Awards Best Screenplay The Painted Veil Nominated
2006 National Board of Review Best Adapted Screenplay Won
2014 Writers Guild of America Awards New Series Ray Donovan Nominated
2015 SXSW Film Festival Grand Jury Documentary PrizeShe's The Best Thing in ItNominated
2015 Woodstock Film Festival Audience AwardWon
2016 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Drama Series Homeland Nominated
2024 Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Fellow Travelers Nominated
2024 Peabody Awards Chronicling LGBTQ+ History Over 50 Years Fellow Travelers Won

Bibliography

In 2004, he published Blue Days, Black Nights: A Memoir, which chronicles his relationship with alcohol, drugs, and hustlers.

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References

  1. "Ron Nyswaner". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  2. "Fellow Travelers".
  3. Soloski, Alexis (October 23, 2023). "To Make 'Fellow Travelers,' Ron Nyswaner Had to Fall in Love". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  4. Nyswaner, Ron (2004), Blue Days, Black Nights: A Memoir , Advocate Books, ISBN   1-55583-889-8
  5. Setoodeh, Ramin (December 18, 2015). "SXSW Doc 'She's the Best Thing in It' Sells to GoDigital (EXCLUSIVE)". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  6. "Fellow Travelers".
  7. Otterson, Joe (July 11, 2022). "'Bridgerton' Star Jonathan Bailey Joins Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers'". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2022.