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Bill Condon

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For other people named William Condon, see William Condon (disambiguation).
Bill Condon
Born (1955-10-22) October 22, 1955 (age 69)
New York City, New York, United States
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Years active1982–present

William "Bill" Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American screenwriter and director. Condon is best known for directing and writing the critically acclaimed films Gods and Monsters, Chicago, Kinsey, Dreamgirls and the two final installments of the Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. In 1998, Condon debuted as a screenwriter with Gods and Monsters, which won him his first Academy Award. He was also nominated for writing Chicago in 2003. In 2006, Condon won a Golden Globe for his film Dreamgirls, which he also wrote.

Early life

Condon was born in New York City, the son of a detective,[1] and was raised in an Irish Catholic family.[2][3] He attended Regis High School and Columbia College of Columbia University, where he studied philosophy.[2]

Career

At the age of twelve, Condon found himself drawn to screenplay writing with his first viewing of Bonnie and Clyde:

Part of the pleasure of it was a completely instinctual thing that drew me into the world of writing about movies. Suddenly it became all of your senses—your mind was engaged by it. The most pleasurable thing was that you felt as if you were part of the movement and part of that fun.[4]

After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree, Condon began to work as a journalist for film magazines including American Film and Millimeter. He got his start writing the indie feature Strange Behavior (1981) and the big budget sci-fi romp Strange Invaders (1983) starring Nancy Allen and Wallace Shawn. His directorial debut was Sister, Sister (1987), an eerie Southern Gothic mystery starring Eric Stoltz and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Following this, Condon made a series of made-for-TV thrillers, including Murder 101 (1991), which starred Pierce Brosnan and earned Condon and co-writer Roy Johansen a 1992 Edgar Award for their screenplay. During this period he also wrote the screenplay for the thriller F/X2 (1991), which was directed by Australian director Richard Franklin.

In 1994, he re-teamed with Nancy Allen to direct the movie of the week The Man Who Wouldn't Die, which also starred Roger Moore. After directing Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), a sequel to Bernard Rose's horror film, Condon came to prominence with his film Gods and Monsters, which he both wrote and directed.[5] The screenplay was based on a novel written by Christopher Bram. For his efforts, he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He would also be nominated for the same award for the Oscar-winning 2002 adaptation of the musical Chicago, which also brought him a second Edgar Award.[6]

He received further accolades in 2004 for writing and directing the film Kinsey, chronicling the life of the controversial sex researcher Alfred Kinsey. In 2005, he was given the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the GLAAD Media Awards.

In 2005, it was announced that Condon would write the screenplay for, and direct, the film adaptation of Dreamgirls, the acclaimed Broadway musical loosely based on the career of the musical group The Supremes with Motown Records. It was his second adaptation of a musical. The production was filmed at CBS Studios in Los Angeles, with a cast including Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, and Danny Glover. Dreamgirls was released in December 2006, having finished shooting in April. Condon received Directors Guild of America and Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations for Directing but while the film led the nominations count with eight, neither Condon nor the film received nominations in their categories at the Academy Awards.

Condon is a member of the Independent Feature Projects (IFP) in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization which supports independent films, as well as the Independent Writers Steering Committee, which was initiated by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). He gained a lot of attention in 2010 when it was announced that he would direct both parts of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn adapted from the fourth and final novel in The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.

In June 2014, it was announced Condon would direct a live-action film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.[7][8]

Personal life

Condon is openly gay.[9] He is in a long-term relationship with Jack Morrissey.[10][11]

Filmography

Director

Year Film Notes
1987 Sister, Sister Also writer
1991 Murder 101 TV movie; also writer
White Lie TV movie
Dead in the Water TV movie
1993 Deadly Relations TV movie
1995 Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
The Man Who Wouldn't Die
1998 Gods and Monsters Also screenplay writer
2000 The Others TV series (1 episode)
2004 Kinsey Also writer
2006 Dreamgirls Also screenplay writer
2010 The Big C TV series (2 episodes)
2011 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
2012 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
2013 The Fifth Estate
2015 Mr. Holmes
2017 Beauty and the Beast Also screenplay writer

Writer

Year Film Notes
1981 Strange Behavior
1983 Strange Invaders
1991 F/X2
2002 Chicago Screenplay writer
2003 Shortcut to Happiness Screenplay writer
2017 The Greatest Showman Screenplay writer

References

  1. ^ "Bill Condon Biography (1956?-)". FilmReference.com. October 6, 2000. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Steele, Bruce C. (November 23, 2004). "Bill & Al's excellent adventure". The Advocate. Retrieved August 8, 2007.[dead link]
  3. ^ Huttner, Jan Lisa (November 19, 2004). "Jan chats with Bill Condon". Films42.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  4. ^ Condon, Bill. Interview by Robert K. Elder. The Film That Changed My Life by Robert K. Elder. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2011. N. p44. Print.
  5. ^ 'Gods and Monsters' Director Tackling 'Breaking Dawn'?
  6. ^ Moore, Debi (2010-04-07). "Does The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn FINALLY Have a Director?". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  7. ^ "Disney taps Bill Condon to direct a live-action 'Beauty and the Beast'". ew.com. 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  8. ^ "Bill Condon to Direct Live-Action 'Beauty and the Beast' Film for Disney (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  9. ^ Lawrence Ferber. "Bill Condon - Gay and Lesbian Travel". Passport Magazine. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Teeman, Tim (November 18, 2014). "Can Condon's Freak Show Win Broadway?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  11. ^ "Meet Jack Morrissey: Bill Condon's Partner With Breaking Dawn Goodies". Twilight Lexicon. July 9, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
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