Wendy Riss Gatsiounis

Last updated
Wendy Riss Gatsiounis
Occupation(s)Producer, writer

Wendy Riss Gatsiounis is a screenwriter, TV writer, and producer. Her play A Darker Purpose was produced by Naked Angels, a theater company in New York, with Fisher Stevens as the star. [1] She later adapted the play for film as The Winner (1996), which starred Vincent D'Onofrio and was directed by Alex Cox. [2] She wrote for The Killing on AMC [3] and Reign on CW. [4] She is currently a writer and executive producer for the second season of the show Genius, about the life of Pablo Picasso, on National Geographic. [5] [6]

In November 2017 in response to #MeToo, Riss Gatsiounis was one of seven women to publicly accuse Dustin Hoffman of sexual misconduct. She accused Hoffman of sexually harassing her in 1991 while trying to pitch her play A Darker Purpose to him. After she repeatedly declined his advances, she was informed he was not interested in her play. She told two friends as well as her manager, who said she'd already heard rumors about Hoffman and told Riss Gatsiounis not to blame herself. Riss Gatsiounis said the incident tormented her for "months and months and months" because Hoffman had been her hero and she was worried she may have ruined her career by crossing him, though she later got her play produced and adapted into a movie. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Graduate</i> 1967 romantic comedy drama film by Mike Nichols

The Graduate is a 1967 American independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novella by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The film tells the story of 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate with no well-defined aim in life who is seduced by an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson, but then falls for her daughter, Elaine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dustin Hoffman</span> American actor (born 1937)

Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. His accolades include two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Hoffman has received numerous honors, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1997, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999, and the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 2012. Actor Robert De Niro has described him as "an actor with the everyman's face who embodied the heartbreakingly human".

<i>Tootsie</i> 1982 film directed by Sydney Pollack

Tootsie is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy film directed by Sydney Pollack from a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal and a story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. It stars Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, and Charles Durning. In the film, Michael Dorsey (Hoffman), a talented actor with a reputation for being professionally difficult, runs into romantic trouble after adopting a female persona to land a job.

<i>Kramer vs. Kramer</i> 1979 film by Robert Benton

Kramer vs. Kramer is a 1979 American legal drama written and directed by Robert Benton, based on Avery Corman's 1977 novel. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry and Jane Alexander. It tells the story of a couple's divorce, its impact on their young son, and the subsequent evolution of their relationship and views on parenting. Kramer vs. Kramer explores the psychology and fallout of divorce, and touches on prevailing or emerging social issues, such as gender roles, fathers' rights, work-life balance, and single parents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Ailes</span> American TV executive and consultant (1940–2017)

Roger Eugene Ailes was an American television executive and media consultant. He was the chairman and CEO of Fox News, Fox Television Stations and 20th Television. Ailes was a media consultant for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, and for Rudy Giuliani's 1989 New York City mayoral election. In July 2016, he left Fox News after allegations of sexually harassing female Fox employees, including on-air hosts Gretchen Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Andrea Tantaros.

<i>Ishtar</i> (film) 1987 film by Elaine May

Ishtar is a 1987 American adventure comedy film written and directed by Elaine May, and produced by Warren Beatty, who co-stars opposite Dustin Hoffman. The story revolves around a duo of talentless American songwriters who travel to a booking in Morocco and stumble into a four-party Cold War standoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Simmons</span> American entrepreneur and record executive

Russell Wendell Simmons is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. He has promoted veganism and a yoga lifestyle, and published books on lifestyle, health, and entrepreneurship. Simmons' net worth was estimated at $340 million in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annabella Sciorra</span> American actress (born 1960)

Annabella Gloria Sciorra is an American actress. She came to prominence with her film debut in True Love (1989) and worked steadily throughout the 1990s in films such as Jungle Fever (1991), The Hard Way (1991), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Addiction (1995), Cop Land (1997), and What Dreams May Come (1998). She received an Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Gloria Trillo on The Sopranos (2001–2004), appeared as Detective Carolyn Barek on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005–2006), and had recurring roles on GLOW (2018), Truth Be Told (2019–2020), and Tulsa King (2022). Her stage credits include The Motherfucker with the Hat.

<i>Finding Neverland</i> (film) 2004 historical fantasy drama film by Marc Forster

Finding Neverland is a 2004 biographical film directed by Marc Forster and written by David Magee, based on the 1998 play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee. The film stars Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, and Dustin Hoffman, with Freddie Highmore in a supporting role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Toback</span> American screenwriter and film director

James Lee Toback is an American screenwriter and film director. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1991 for Bugsy. He has directed films including The Pick-up Artist, Two Girls and a Guy and Black and White.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Schwahn</span> American film director

Mark Schwahn is an American former screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known as the creator of the WB/CW teen drama series One Tree Hill. His career abruptly ended in 2018 due to widespread sexual harassment accusations by the show's female cast and crew members during its production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases</span> Criminal and civil cases since 2017

In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that dozens of women had accused the American film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse over a period of at least 30 years. Over 80 women in the film industry eventually accused Weinstein of such acts. Weinstein himself denied "any non-consensual sex". Shortly after, he was dismissed from The Weinstein Company (TWC), expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and other professional associations, and retired from public view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MeToo movement</span> Social movement against sexual abuse and harassment

#MeToo is a social movement and awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture, in which women publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in 2006, on Myspace, by sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke. The hashtag #MeToo was used starting in 2017 as a way to draw attention to the magnitude of the problem. "Me Too" is meant to empower those who have been sexually assaulted through empathy, solidarity and strength in numbers, by visibly demonstrating how many have experienced sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.

The Weinstein effect is a phenomenon in which sexual harassment allegations of powerful figures get disclosed.

Isa Dick Hackett is an American producer and writer for Amazon who helped produce The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, and The Adjustment Bureau, all of which are based on works by her father, Philip K. Dick.

Anna Graham Hunter is an American writer and career coach. Hunter gained notoriety in the wake of widespread sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017 when she revealed to Hollywood Reporter and in an interview with journalist Cynthia McFadden that Dustin Hoffman had sexually harassed her on the set of the 1985 TV movie Death of a Salesman when Hoffman was 47 and Hunter was 17. Hoffman has since apologized to her for any pain he caused, though denies he did anything wrong. Hunter has written about the experience of coming forward as part of #MeToo.

Kathryn Rossetter is an American acting teacher and actress who is best known for her role in a Broadway production of Death of a Salesman (1984) as well as its 1985 TV movie adaptation.

There have been many reported cases and accusations of sexual abuse in the American film industry reported against people related to the medium of cinema of the United States.

<i>On the Record</i> (film) 2020 documentary film

On the Record is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. It centers on allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. Executive producer Oprah Winfrey publicly withdrew from the film shortly before it was released, citing "creative differences", severing a production deal with Apple TV+. The film premiered at Sundance on January 25, 2020, and was acquired by HBO Max, which released it digitally on May 27, 2020.

Shelley Ross is an American television executive producer, best known for her work on ABC News' Good Morning America and PrimeTime Live.

References

  1. ↑ New York Media, LLC (28 October 1991). New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. p. 101. ISSN|00287369.
  2. ↑ Variety Staff (1995-07-24). "RISS REMAKES 'PURPOSE' INTO A'WINNER'". Variety. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  3. ↑ Nowalk, Brandon. "The Killing: "Ghosts Of The Past"". TV Club. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  4. ↑ "'Reign' Series finale spoilers: Elizabeth prepares for war as Mary struggles to survive in 'All it Cost Her...' [VIDEO]". www.ibtimes.com.au. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  5. ↑ "Dustin Hoffman hit with second woman's sexual harassment accusation". The Mercury News. 2017-11-02. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  6. 1 2 Holloway, Daniel (2017-11-02). "'Genius' Producer Accuses Dustin Hoffman of Sexually Harassing Her in 1991 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.