Tony McNamara | |
---|---|
Born | 1967 (age 56–57) Kilmore, Victoria, Australia |
Occupation(s) | Playwright, screenwriter, television producer, film director, film producer |
Years active | 1993–present |
Known for | The Favourite The Great Cruella Poor Things |
Spouse(s) | Unknown; Belinda Bromilow (m.2009) |
Children | 3 |
Tony McNamara (born 1967) is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, and television producer. He is also an occasional film director and producer. He is known for his work on the scripts for The Favourite (2018) and Poor Things (2023), two films directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with Deborah Davis for the former and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the latter. On television, he created the comedy-drama series The Great (2020–2023).
Tony McNamara was born in 1967 [1] in Kilmore, in the state of Victoria, Australia, and was educated at Assumption College, Kilmore. Following careers in catering and finance, McNamara settled on a career as a writer following a visit to Rome. [2] He studied writing at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and screenwriting at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. [3]
After writing various television episodes and stage plays, [4] McNamara made his film debut in 2003 directing The Rage in Placid Lake , adapted from his stage play The Café Latte Kid. [5] Following this, he wrote for various television programmes in Australia, most notably The Secret Life of Us , Love My Way , Tangle and Puberty Blues . [3]
In 2015, McNamara directed his second feature film, comedy-drama Ashby , starring Mickey Rourke, Sarah Silverman and Emma Roberts. [6] A year later, he returned to television as creator of medical drama Doctor Doctor . [7]
In 2018, he received critical acclaim for his work in co-writing the historical comedy-drama film The Favourite with Yorgos Lanthimos, starring Emma Stone. [8] Originally a screenplay by Deborah Davis written 20 years prior to the film's release, Lanthimos and McNamara worked together to complete the final script. [9]
McNamara created The Great , a series revolving around the life of Catherine the Great, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, which premiered on Hulu on 15 May 2020. [10] It is based on his play about Catherine the Great, which premiered at the Sydney Theatre Company in 2008. [11] McNamara also wrote a film adaptation of the play. [12] [13]
McNamara returned to work with Lanthimos as the writer for the 2023 film Poor Things , with Stone as the lead actress once again. [14]
McNamara has a child by a first marriage, and married Australian actress Belinda Bromilow [15] in 2009. [16] They have two children. [17]
Film
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | The Beat Manifesto | No | Yes | Short film |
2003 | The Rage in Placid Lake | Yes | Yes | |
2015 | Ashby | Yes | Yes | |
2018 | The Favourite | No | Yes | Also executive producer |
2021 | Cruella | No | Yes | |
2023 | Poor Things | No | Yes | |
2025 | The Roses | No | Yes |
Television
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1993 | All Together Now | 1 episode; 'Your Cheatin' Heart' |
1997 | Big Sky | 3 episodes |
2001–2005 | The Secret Life of Us | 12 episodes |
2004–2007 | Love My Way | 7 episodes |
2008 | Echo Beach | 2 episodes |
Moving Wallpaper | 1 episode | |
Rush | ||
2009–2012 | Tangle | 7 episodes |
2010–2011 | Spirited | 3 episodes |
2011 | Offspring | 1 episode; 'Complications' |
2012–2014 | Puberty Blues | 7 episodes |
2016–2018 | Doctor Doctor | Creator, 15 episodes |
2020–2023 | The Great | Creator, 30 episodes |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Australian Film Institute | Best Screenplay in a Short Film | The Beat Manifesto | Won |
2003 | Australian Comedy Awards | Outstanding Comic Screenplay | The Rage in Placid Lake | Nominated |
Australian Film Institute | Best Adapted Screenplay | Won | ||
AWGIE Awards | Major AWGIE Award | Won | ||
Best Screenplay Adaptation | Won | |||
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | ||
Melbourne International Film Festival | Most Popular Feature Film | Won | ||
2007 | AWGIE Awards | Best Writing for a Television Series | Love My Way | Won |
Australian Film Institute | Best Screenplay in Television | Nominated | ||
2013 | AACTA Awards | Best Screenplay in Television | Puberty Blues | Nominated |
2014 | AWGIE Awards | Best Writing for a Television Series | Nominated | |
2015 | Best Screenplay Original | Ashby | Nominated | |
2018 | Academy Award | Best Original Screenplay | The Favourite | Nominated |
Atlanta Film Critics Circle | Best Screenplay | Won | ||
BAFTA Award | Best Original Screenplay | Won | ||
British Independent Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Won | ||
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Won | ||
Golden Globe Award | Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||
Indiana Film Journalists Association | Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | ||
Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society | Best Original Screenplay | Runner-Up | ||
Detroit Film Critics Society | Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | ||
Gotham Independent Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||
2020 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | The Great | Nominated |
2023 | Capri Hollywood International Film Festival | Best Adapted Screenplay | Poor Things | Won |
2024 | Academy Award | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated |
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Emily Jean "Emma" Stone is an American actress and producer. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, she was the world's highest-paid actress and named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
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YorgosLanthimos is a Greek filmmaker. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for five Academy Awards.
Spirited is an Australian television supernatural comedy-drama series made for subscription television channel W that aired for two seasons, 2010 and 2011.
Belinda Bromilow is an Australian actress. She is known for her roles in the Nine Network series, Doctor Doctor (2016–21), and the Hulu/Disney+ series, The Great (2020–23).
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The Favourite is a 2018 satirical absurdist period dark comedy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. A co-production between Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the film stars Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz. Set in early 18th century Great Britain, it examines the relationship between cousins Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough and Abigail Hill as they vie to be court favourite of Queen Anne.
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The 17th Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards were announced on December 3, 2018.
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