Frank Pierson
| Frank Pierson | |
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| Born | Frank Romer Pierson May 12, 1925 Chappaqua, New York |
Frank Romer Pierson[1] (born May 12, 1925) is an American screenwriter and film director.
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[edit] Life and career
Pierson was born in Chappaqua, New York, the son of Louise (née Randall), a writer, and Harold C. Pierson.[1] Pierson attended Harvard. He got his break in Hollywood in 1958 as scripted editor for "Have Gun, Will Travel," and moved on to write for the television series Naked City "Route Sixty Six" and others. He went on to write or co-write several notable films, including Cat Ballou. Cool Hand Luke which were both nominated for Academy Awards. He wrote " Dog Day Afternoon," which won Pierson his Oscar statuette. He directed and contributed to the screenplay of A Star Is Born, and the in-fighting between himself, Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson and producer (and at the time boyfriend of Streisand) Jon Peters on the film led him to write the notorious and controversial article "My Battles with Barbra and Jon" in New West magazine.
Pierson has directed several notable films produced for television, including Dirty Pictures, Citizen Cohn, Conspiracy, and Somebody Has To Shoot the Picture. His direction on Conspiracy" won a Directors' Guild Award for Best Television Movie, and his second Peabody and BAFTA Award.
He was President of the Writers Guild of America, west from 1981—1983 and again from 1993—1995 and was President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) from 2001-2005. In 2003, Pierson was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award. Screenwriter Brian Helgeland presented him with the Award. He is also currently a member of the teaching staff of Sundance Institute and is Artistic Director of the American Film Institute.
Pierson's parents, family and their lives, were the subject of the 1945 film Roughly Speaking, starring Rosalind Russell and Jack Carson as his parents.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Frank Pierson Biography (1925-)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/93/Frank-Pierson.html. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
[edit] External links
- Frank Pierson at the Internet Movie Database
- Frank Pierson to Receive Edmund H. North Award WGA News, February 1999.
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| Preceded by Robert Rehme |
President of Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences 2001-2005 |
Succeeded by Sid Ganis |
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