David Klawans

Last updated
David Klawans
Born (1968-09-10) September 10, 1968 (age 55)
Nationality American
Occupation film producer

David Klawans (born September 10, 1968) is an American film producer. He is the executive producer of the movie Argo, winner of the Best Picture Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. Klawans has been described in the press as a 'story detective' and is known for developing obscure true stories into movies. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Klawans was born in Chicago. He was raised in Europe after his family moved to Belgium. He later returned to America and graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he was mentored by film producer David Brown (Jaws, A Few Good Men). [2]

He started his career as a production coordinator for an LA-based Japanese television commercial company, and developed movie ideas in his spare time. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Klawans recalled how he was unable to afford a car, and rode to movie studios on a bicycle to pitch films based on "oddball, overlooked true-life stories." [3]

Career

In 2002, Klawans discovered a true story about a Mexican priest who moonlighted as a Lucha Libre wrestler to raise money for his church orphanage. [2] He developed the idea into the 2006 Jack Black comedy Nacho Libre, a film that grossed $99,255,460 worldwide. [4]

In 2003, he produced the independent documentary Togbe, the true story of an unemployed white Dutchman who was believed to be the reincarnated king of the West African nation of Ghana. It aired on PBS and was screened at the United Nations.

Klawans has developed more than 30 feature projects at major studios, almost all based on true stories. The most notable example is Argo, a declassified true story Klawans discovered while scouring the quarterly CIA journal 'Studies in Intelligence' in 1998. [3] He then spent several years developing the project, which eventually became the 2012 Ben Affleck-directed movie, which grossed $230 million at the box office.

He developed the true story of the McDonald's Monopoly promotion fraud, which created one of the biggest bidding wars in Hollywood history for a single magazine article, [5] according to the Hollywood Reporter. [6] The project sold to Twentieth Century Fox in August 2018, with Matt Damon attached to star and Ben Affleck attached to direct. [7]

Miscellaneous

In 2007, Klawans was named by LA Weekly as one of Los Angeles' most interesting people in their annual 'Best of LA People' issue. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Good Will Hunting</i> 1997 film by Gus Van Sant

Good Will Hunting is a 1997 American psychological drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It stars Robin Williams, Damon, Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård, and Minnie Driver. The film tells the story of janitor Will Hunting, whose mathematical genius is discovered by a professor at MIT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Affleck</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1972)

Benjamin Géza Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of many accolades including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi. He later appeared in the independent comedy Dazed and Confused (1993) and several Kevin Smith comedies, including Chasing Amy (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Damon</span> American actor (born 1970)

Matthew Paige Damon is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among Forbes' most bankable stars in 2007, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North American box office, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received various awards and nominations, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Affleck</span> American actor (b. 1975)

Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. The younger brother of actor Ben Affleck, he began his career as a child actor, appearing in the PBS television film Lemon Sky (1988). He later appeared in three Gus Van Sant films: To Die For (1995), Good Will Hunting (1997), Gerry (2002), and in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's film series (2001–2007). His first leading role was in Steve Buscemi's independent comedy-drama Lonesome Jim (2006).

<i>Daredevil</i> (film) 2003 film by Mark Steven Johnson

Daredevil is a 2003 American superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett. The film stars Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who fights for justice in the courtroom and on the streets of New York as the masked vigilante Daredevil. Jennifer Garner plays his love interest Elektra Natchios; Colin Farrell plays the merciless assassin Bullseye; David Keith plays Jack "The Devil" Murdock, a washed up fighter and Matt's father; and Michael Clarke Duncan plays Wilson Fisk, the crime lord also known as the Kingpin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Heslov</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1963)

Grant Heslov is an American actor and filmmaker known for his producing and writing collaborations with George Clooney, which have earned him four Oscar nominations. As a co-producer of Argo (2012), he received the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2013. As an actor, he has appeared in films including True Lies (1994), Black Sheep (1996), Enemy of the State (1998) and The Scorpion King (2002), as well as performing supporting roles in several films made with Clooney.

Jeff Maysh is a British-American writer, author and journalist based in Hollywood, California.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Caper</span> 1980 rescue of US diplomats from Iran

The "Canadian Caper" was the joint covert rescue by the Canadian government and the CIA of six American diplomats who had evaded capture during the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran, on November 4, 1979, after the Iranian Revolution, when Islamist students took most of the American embassy personnel hostage, demanding the return of the US-backed Shah for trial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scoot McNairy</span> American actor and producer

John Marcus "Scoot" McNairy is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles in Monsters, Argo, Killing Them Softly, 12 Years a Slave, Gone Girl, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In television, he starred in the AMC period drama Halt and Catch Fire, True Detective, Narcos: Mexico, and the Netflix western miniseries Godless.

<i>Argo</i> (2012 film) 2012 American historical drama thriller film by Ben Affleck

Argo is a 2012 American historical drama thriller film directed, produced by, and starring Ben Affleck. The screenplay, written by Chris Terrio, was adapted from the 1999 memoir The Master of Disguise by U.S. C.I.A. operative Tony Mendez and the 2007 Wired article "The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" written by Joshuah Bearman and edited by Nicholas Thompson. The film deals with the "Canadian Caper", in which Mendez led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, under the guise of filming a science-fiction film during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Affleck filmography</span> List of films featuring Ben Affleck

American actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck began his career as a child, appearing in several television shows, including the PBS educational program The Voyage of the Mimi (1984). He played an antisemite in the sports film School Ties (1992) and featured as a regular on the television drama Against the Grain (1993). He gained attention for playing the supporting part of a high-school senior in Richard Linklater's cult film Dazed and Confused (1993), after which he had his first leading role in Rich Wilkes's comedy Glory Daze (1995). In 1997, Affleck played a comics artist in Smith's art-house success Chasing Amy. He co-wrote the script and starred with Matt Damon in Gus Van Sant's drama film Good Will Hunting, for which they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Damon filmography</span>

American actor Matt Damon made his film debut with a small role in Mystic Pizza (1988), after which he played several supporting roles. His first leading role was in the legal drama film The Rainmaker (1997). His breakthrough came later that year when he played the title role of an unrecognized genius in Good Will Hunting, which he also co-wrote with Ben Affleck. They won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Damon was nominated for Best Actor. He followed it by playing the title roles of a soldier in Steven Spielberg's war drama Saving Private Ryan (1998) and of the criminal Tom Ripley in the thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), both of which gained critical and commercial success. Damon and Sean Bailey worked on the television series Project Greenlight since 2000, helping newcomers make their first film.

Craig Piligian is an Armenian American television producer, and the President and CEO of Pilgrim Films & Television. As an Executive Producer, he is best known for creating The Ultimate Fighter, American Chopper and Dirty Jobs series for Discovery Channel. In 2001, he won an Emmy Award as co-executive producer of Survivor.

<i>Live by Night</i> (film) 2016 film by Ben Affleck

Live by Night is a 2016 American crime drama film written, directed, produced by and starring Ben Affleck. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, the film follows an ambitious Ybor City bootlegger (Affleck) who becomes a notorious gangster. The film also stars Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldaña, and Chris Cooper.

<i>Manchester by the Sea</i> (film) 2016 film by Kenneth Lonergan

Manchester by the Sea is a 2016 American drama film written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan that stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, and Lucas Hedges. Revolving around the themes of depression, guilt, grief, responsibility, dysfunctional families, and post-traumatic stress disorder, the plot follows a depressed and grief-stricken man who becomes the legal guardian of his teenage nephew after the death of his brother.

Effie T. Brown is a film and television producer known for such films as Rocket Science, Real Women Have Curves, Everyday People, Desert Blue, Dear White People, and But I'm a Cheerleader. She is seen in the fourth season of Project Greenlight as a producer on that season's film project The Leisure Class.

<i>Air</i> (2023 film) American film by Ben Affleck

Air is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Ben Affleck and written by Alex Convery. The film is based on true events about the origin of Air Jordan, a basketball shoeline, of which a Nike employee seeks to strike a business deal with rookie player Michael Jordan. It stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.

Unstoppable is an upcoming American biographical sports drama film directed by William Goldenberg in his feature directorial debut, written by John Hindman, and it is based on the book of the same name by Anthony Robles and Austin Murphy. It is produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon through Artists Equity, and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas through Nuyorican Productions. It stars Jharrel Jerome as Robles, with the supporting cast that includes Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, and Don Cheadle.

References

  1. Masters, Kim (October 22, 2012). "David Klawans". KCRW.
  2. 1 2 3 Bearman, Joshuah (May 9, 2007). "David Klawans". LA Weekly.
  3. 1 2 Lee, Chris (January 28, 2013). "'Argo' producer scours for the next stranger-than-fiction story". Los Angeles Times.
  4. "Nacho Libre". Box Office Mojo. June 16, 2006.
  5. Lee, Chris. "Behind Hollywood's A-List Bidding War for a McDonald's Monopoly Article". www.vulture.com. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  6. Abramovitch, Seth. "Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Paid $1 Million for McDonald's Monopoly Scam Story". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  7. Mike, Fleming Jr. "Fox, Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Win Hot Package On Multi-Million Dollar Theft Of McDonald's Monopoly Game". Deadline.com. Retrieved 16 April 2019.