Ted Tally

Last updated

Ted Tally (born April 9, 1952) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He adapted the Thomas Harris novel The Silence of the Lambs into the film of the same name, for which he received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America Award, the Chicago Film Critics Award, and the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. [1] [2]

Contents

Career

Screenwriter

Born William Theodore Tally in North Carolina, Tally was educated at Yale College and the Yale School of Drama, and has also taught at each of them. His most notable credit is the screenplay for The Silence of the Lambs , which won him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as the Writers Guild of America Award, Chicago Film Critics Award and an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Other scripts include White Palace , Before and After , The Juror , All the Pretty Horses , and 12 Strong .

After declining to write the screenplay for Hannibal , Tally returned to the franchise to write Red Dragon . When asked by Inside Film Online why he opted not to write the screenplay for Hannibal, he responded, "For a lot of reasons. I didn't like the book. The director, Jonathan Demme, and I read it and were horrified. We didn't see how we could make a movie from it that we could be proud of and not feel sleazy about it, without making it a totally different story, which we could have done on our own. It was upsetting because we had a friendship with Tom Harris and felt we owed him a lot. But he was defensive and didn't want anything changed and it was frustrating because it would have been the biggest payday for all of us, putting us up there in Spielberg territory." [3]

Plays and awards

Terra Nova was given a staged reading at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and staged at the Yale Repertory Theatre in 1977 and went on to win an Obie Award. It was then given a full production in 1980 at Chichester Festival Theatre as one of the four productions in the 1980 Festival season. Coming Attractions won the Outer Critics Circle Award. Tally's plays include Hooters, Little Footsteps, and Silver Linings. His television scripts include The Comedy Zone, Hooters, Terra Nova for BBC, and The Father Clements Story, which won him the Christopher Award. His other honors include fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation.

Other activities

Tally is also credited as an associate producer for Mission to Mars (2000), as well as story consultant for Shrek 2 (2004) and creative consultant for Madagascar (2005) and Shrek the Third (2007).

Filmography

Screenwriter

Other

Related Research Articles

<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (film) 1991 horror film by Jonathan Demme

The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, adapted from Thomas Harris's 1988 novel. It stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who is hunting a serial killer named "Buffalo Bill", who skins his female victims. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisoned Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The film also features performances from Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, and Kasi Lemmons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay</span> Category of film award

The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musicals, short stories, TV series, and other films and film characters. All sequels are also considered adaptations by this standard, being based on the story and characters of the original film.

<i>Adaptation</i> (film) 2002 American film

Adaptation is a 2002 American comedy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman. It features an ensemble cast led by Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper, with Cara Seymour, Brian Cox, Tilda Swinton, Ron Livingston and Maggie Gyllenhaal in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Kasdan</span> American filmmaker (born 1949)

Lawrence Edward Kasdan is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), The Force Awakens (2015), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). He also wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and The Bodyguard (1992), and is the writer-director of Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Silverado (1985), The Accidental Tourist (1988), and Dreamcatcher (2003).

<i>Hannibal</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by Ridley Scott

Hannibal is a 2001 American horror film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the 1999 novel by Thomas Harris. A sequel to the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, the plot follows disgraced FBI special agent Clarice Starling as she attempts to apprehend the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter before his surviving victim, Mason Verger, captures him. Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as Lecter, while Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster as Starling and Gary Oldman plays Verger. Ray Liotta, Frankie R. Faison, Giancarlo Giannini, and Francesca Neri also star.

<i>Red Dragon</i> (2002 film) Thriller film directed by Brett Ratner

Red Dragon is a 2002 psychological thriller film based on the 1981 novel by Thomas Harris. It was directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally. A prequel to Hannibal (2001) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), it is the third film of the Hannibal Lecter franchise. It is the last film of the series distributed by Universal Pictures and the last film to star Anthony Hopkins as Lecter. It is followed by a prequel, Hannibal Rising (2007) which depicts Lecter's youth. The film sees FBI agent Will Graham enlisting the help of serial killer Hannibal Lecter to catch another killer, Francis Dolarhyde. Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman also star.

Ernest Paul Lehman was an American screenwriter and film producer. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards for his screenplays during his career, but did not win. At the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, he received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of his achievements and his influential works for the screen. He was the first screenwriter to receive that honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Rossio</span> American screenwriter

Terry Rossio is an American screenwriter and film producer. He co-wrote the films Aladdin, The Mask of Zorro, Shrek, and all five of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. For Shrek, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and won the Annie Award for Writing in a Feature Production and BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He often collaborates with fellow screenwriter Ted Elliott.

Michael Wilson was an American screenwriter known for his work on Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Planet of the Apes (1968), Friendly Persuasion (1956), A Place in the Sun (1951), and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The latter two screenplays won him Academy Awards. His career was interrupted by the Hollywood blacklist, during which time he wrote numerous uncredited screenplays.

Sheldon Turner is a screenwriter and producer. His produced credits as a screenwriter include The Longest Yard (2005), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), Up in the Air (2009) and X-Men: First Class (2011). He is an alum of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

Gary Ross is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for writing and directing the fantasy comedy-drama film Pleasantville (1998), the sports drama film Seabiscuit (2003), the dystopian action film The Hunger Games (2012), and the heist comedy film Ocean's 8 (2018). Ross has been nominated for four Academy Awards.

<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (novel) 1988 book by Thomas Harris

The Silence of the Lambs is a 1988 psychological horror crime thriller novel by Thomas Harris. Published August 29, it is the sequel to Harris's 1981 novel Red Dragon, and both novels feature the cannibalistic serial killer and brilliant psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter. This time, however, he is pitted against FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she works to solve the case of the "Buffalo Bill" serial killer. It is the most well-known installment of Harris' Hannibal Lecter series, selling over 10 million copies.

The 12th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards honored the best filmmaking of 1991.

Chris Terrio is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for writing the screenplay for the 2012 film Argo, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Terrio also won the Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay of 2012 and was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay, a BAFTA, and the 2013 Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for this work.

Justin Haythe is an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his book The Honeymoon, and the screenplay for Revolutionary Road, directed by Sam Mendes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Goldman</span> American screenwriter (1932–2023)

Bo Goldman was an American screenwriter and playwright. He received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Writers Guild of America Awards as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. He also received two BAFTA Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Boal</span> American screenwriter (born 1973)

Mark Boal is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. Boal initially worked as a journalist, writing for outlets like Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Salon, and Playboy. Boal's 2004 article "Death and Dishonor" was adapted for the film In the Valley of Elah, which Boal also co-wrote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Frank Jr.</span> American screenwriter and producer (1923–2020)

Harriet Frank Jr. was an American screenwriter and producer. Working with her husband Irving Ravetch, Frank received many awards during her career, including the New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the Writers Guild of America Award, and several nominations.

<i>Hannibal Lecter</i> (franchise) Media franchise based on titular serial killer

The Hannibal Lecter franchise is an American media franchise based around the titular character, Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant, cannibalistic serial killer whose assistance is routinely sought out by law enforcement personnel to aid in the capture of other criminals. He originally appeared in a series of novels by Thomas Harris. The series has since expanded into film and television, having four timeline-connected franchise films: The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002) and Hannibal Rising (2007), with three starring Anthony Hopkins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Randolph</span> American screenwriter and film producer

Charles Randolph is an American screenwriter and producer for film and television. In 2015, he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay along with Adam McKay for co-writing The Big Short. In 2019, he wrote and produced the film Bombshell, which was directed by Jay Roach and starred Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, and Nicole Kidman.

References

  1. Russakoff, Dale (March 29, 1992). "Writer Ted Tally And The Sacrifices Of 'Lambs'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  2. Grow, Kory (February 12, 2016). "Silence of the Lambs at 25: It Broke All the Rules". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  3. "Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference Draws Top Talent". Inside Film Magazine. April 1999.