Ron Shelton | |
---|---|
Born | Ronald Wayne Shelton September 15, 1945 Whittier, California, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
Spouse(s) | Lois Shelton (divorced) |
Children | 4 |
Ronald Wayne Shelton (born September 15, 1945) is an American film director and screenwriter [1] [2] and former minor league baseball infielder. Shelton is known for the many films he has made about sports. His 1988 film Bull Durham , based in part on his own baseball experiences, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
A former minor league baseball infielder in the Baltimore Orioles's farm system, Shelton played with the Bluefield Orioles, Stockton Ports, Florida Instructional League Orioles, Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs, and Rochester Red Wings from 1967 through 1971.
After working on the scripts for a number of films, including co-writing the Nick Nolte and Gene Hackman political drama Under Fire , Shelton made his directorial debut with Bull Durham [3] in 1988. Set in the world of minor league baseball, the romantic comedy stars Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. Shelton's screenplay netted him multiple awards, including Best Original Script from the Writers Guild of America and Best Script from the US National Society of Film Critics. It was also nominated for an Academy Award. In 2022, Shelton's book The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings, and a Hit was published by Vintage Books. [4]
In 1990, Ron Shelton received a three-year first look writing and producing deal with 20th Century Fox. [5]
Shelton worked with Costner again on the 1996 golf-themed romantic comedy Tin Cup . [6] Other films as writer and director included the boxing comedy Play It to the Bone , a critical and commercial flop, and the acclaimed 1992 comedy White Men Can't Jump , [3] starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as two basketball hustlers. Calling the latter film "very smart and very funny," and "not simply a basketball movie," critic Roger Ebert wrote that Shelton "knows how his characters talk and sound, and how they get into each other's minds with non-stop talking and boasting."
Shelton has also written and directed two biopics: Cobb , in which Tommy Lee Jones portrayed record-breaking baseballer Ty Cobb, and Blaze , which starred Paul Newman as Louisiana Governor Earl Long. [2] Parts of Cobb were filmed at Rickwood Field, leading to its restoration. [7] Shelton wrote or co-wrote other sports-themed films including The Best of Times , starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell as former football teammates; the basketball drama Blue Chips , starring Nick Nolte, and a boxing comedy, The Great White Hype , starring Samuel L. Jackson.
He also directed two Los Angeles-based crime films, Dark Blue , a drama starring Kurt Russell, [3] and Hollywood Homicide , a comedy with Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett.
In 2022, Shelton received the Leonard Maltin Award at the Coronado Island Film Festival. [8]
Shelton grew up in Montecito, California, the oldest of four brothers. He is an alumnus of Santa Barbara High School and of the University of Arizona and Westmont College.
Shelton is married to Canadian-born actress Lolita Davidovich, who has appeared in several of his films, including taking the title role of Blaze Starr in Blaze. [2] The couple have two children and reside in Los Angeles and Ojai, California. Shelton has two daughters with his first wife, filmmaker Lois Shelton.
On July 7, 2017, Shelton was inducted into the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame. [9]
Year | Title | Director | Writer |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Under Fire | 2nd unit | Yes |
1986 | The Best of Times | 2nd unit | Yes |
1988 | Bull Durham | Yes | Yes |
1989 | Blaze | Yes | Yes |
1992 | White Men Can't Jump | Yes | Yes |
1994 | Blue Chips | No | Yes |
Cobb | Yes | Yes | |
1996 | The Great White Hype | No | Yes |
Tin Cup | Yes | Yes | |
1999 | Play It to the Bone | Yes | Yes |
2002 | Dark Blue | Yes | No |
2003 | Hollywood Homicide | Yes | Yes |
Bad Boys II | No | Yes | |
2011 | Hound Dogs | Yes | Yes |
2017 | Just Getting Started | Yes | Yes |
Associate
Executive producer
Special thanks
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the Low-A East before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.
Nicholas King Nolte is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nolte first came to prominence for his role in the ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie nomination. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for The Prince of Tides (1991). He received three Academy Award nominations for The Prince of Tides (1991), Affliction (1998) and Warrior (2011).
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, producer, and director. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Tin Cup is a 1996 American romantic comedy and sports film co-written and directed by Ron Shelton, and starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo with Cheech Marin and Don Johnson in major supporting roles. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and performed moderately at the box office, grossing $75.8 million against its $45 million budget. Costner received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
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Bull Durham is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film. It is partly based upon the minor-league baseball experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor-league baseball team in Durham, North Carolina.
Cobb is a 1994 American biographical sports drama film starring Tommy Lee Jones as baseball player Ty Cobb. The film was written and directed by Ron Shelton and based on a 1994 book by Al Stump. The original music score was composed by Elliot Goldenthal. The film is told through the partnership between Cobb and sportswriter Al Stump who served as a ghostwriter of Cobb's autobiography. Some critics lauded the film and Jones's performance, but the box office results for the film were underwhelming, grossing little over $1 million on a budget of $25.5 million.
Lolita Davidovich is a Canadian film and television actress, best known for portraying Blaze Starr in the 1989 film Blaze, for which she received a Chicago Film Critics Association Award nomination.
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Robert Wuhl is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television comedy series Arliss (1996–2002) and for his portrayal of newspaper reporter Alexander Knox in Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Larry in Bull Durham (1988).
Dark Blue is a 2002 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Ron Shelton and written by David Ayer, based on a story written for film by crime novelist James Ellroy and takes place during the days leading up to the Rodney King trial verdict. The film stars Kurt Russell, with Ving Rhames and Brendan Gleeson in supporting roles.
Blue Chips is a 1994 American sports drama film, directed by William Friedkin, written by Ron Shelton and starring Nick Nolte as a college basketball coach trying to recruit a winning team. His players were portrayed by actors as well as real-life basketball stars Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and cameos include noted basketball figures Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, George Raveling, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, Jerry Tarkanian, Matt Painter, Allan Houston, Dick Vitale, Jim Boeheim, Dan Dakich and Bobby Hurley, as well as actor Louis Gossett Jr.
White Men Can't Jump is a 1992 American sports comedy film written and directed by Ron Shelton. It stars Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as streetball hustlers. The film was released in the United States on March 27, 1992, by 20th Century Fox.
The 14th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards were announced on 10 December 1988 and given on 24 January 1989.
Wallace McArthur "Butch" Davis is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 through 1994.
Lawrence Columbus "Crash" Davis was an American professional baseball player whose name inspired that of the main character of the 1988 movie Bull Durham.
Blaze is a 1989 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Ron Shelton. Based on the 1974 memoir, Blaze Starr: My Life as Told to Huey Perry, by Blaze Starr and Huey Perry, the film stars Paul Newman as Earl Long and Lolita Davidovich as Blaze Starr. Starr makes a cameo appearance as well.
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