View source for Josh Singer

{{short description|American screenwriter and producer (born 1972)}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Josh Singer
| image       = Josh Singer in 2018.jpg
| caption = Singer in 2018
| birth_date  = {{birth year and age|1972}}
| birth_place = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| years_active = 
| alma_mater  = [[Yale University]]<br>[[Harvard Law School]]<br>[[Harvard Business School]]
| occupation  = Writer, producer
| spouse      = {{marriage|[[Laura Dave (novelist)|Laura Dave]]|2012}}
| children     = 1
}}
'''Josh Singer''' (born 1972) is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing ''[[The Fifth Estate (film)|The Fifth Estate]]'' (2013), ''[[Spotlight (film)|Spotlight]]'' (2015), [[The Post (film)|''The Post'']] (2017), ''[[First Man (film)|First Man]]'' (2018), and ''[[Maestro (2023 film)|Maestro]]'' (2023). He won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] for ''Spotlight'' and was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Golden Globe for Best Screenplay]] for ''Spotlight'' and ''The Post''.

==Early life and education==
Singer was born in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], and was raised Jewish. His father was born [[Jewish]], and his mother [[Conversion to Judaism|converted to Judaism]] (she herself was born to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tangcay |first1=Jazz |title=Interview: Spotlight writer Josh Singer |url=http://www.awardsdaily.com/2015/11/07/interview-spotlight-writer-josh-singer/ |website=Awards Daily |date=June 19, 2016}}</ref> Singer attended [[Upper Dublin High School]] in [[Fort Washington, Pennsylvania]], where he appeared in musicals and was a member of math club, drama club, video club, and chorus.<ref name="philly1990"/> In high school, he was elected class treasurer, wrote for the school newspaper, and played for the school's baseball team. Singer won many awards, including the Upper Dublin Medal, science competition and literary prizes, and was co-winner of the school district's highest award.<ref name="philly1990"/> In his senior year, he was named class [[valedictorian]], a [[Presidential Scholars Program|Presidential Scholar]] and a [[National Merit Scholarship Program|National Merit Scholar]].<ref name="philly1990">{{cite news|last=Holmes|first=Kristen|title=Another Feather In Cap Of Former 'Nerd'|url=http://articles.philly.com/1990-05-27/news/25888232_1_highest-federal-honor-presidential-scholars-award|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108043703/http://articles.philly.com/1990-05-27/news/25888232_1_highest-federal-honor-presidential-scholars-award|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 8, 2014|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=May 27, 1990}}</ref>

Singer graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' from [[Yale University]], with distinction in mathematics and economics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.writingstudio.co.za/page4941.html |title=The Art of Adaptation The Fifth Estate |publisher=The writing studio |access-date=October 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801162622/http://writingstudio.co.za/page4941.html |archive-date=2014-08-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At Yale, he was a member and business manager of both [[The Whiffenpoofs]] and [[The Yale Alley Cats]]. Three to four months prior to going to graduate school, he worked for [[Children's Television Workshop]] (the name, at that time, of the production company for the [[TV show]] "[[Sesame Street]]",<ref>(That production company is now called "[[Sesame Workshop]]")</ref>) and then began doing internships. He did an internship for Nickelodeon in New York and an internship for Disney Channel out in L.A., working for Roy Price at Disney TV Animation for four or five weeks. As a result, he developed an interest in script writing.<ref>{{cite web|title=How 'Spotlight' Screenwriter Josh Singer Recovered From 'The Fifth Estate' With Another Journalism Film   |publisher=Indie wire |date=November 4, 2015 |first=Kate |last=Erbland|access-date=November 7, 2015 |url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/how-spotlight-screenwriter-josh-singer-recovered-from-the-fifth-estate-with-another-journalism-film-20151104}}</ref>    He worked as a business analyst for [[McKinsey & Company]]<ref name="indiewire2013"/> before obtaining a J.D. from [[Harvard Law School]] and an MBA from [[Harvard Business School]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Native son forges 'West Wing'-Constitution Center ties|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=April 26, 2005|page=D05}}</ref>

==Career==
After Singer graduated from Harvard, he was hired by showrunner [[John Wells (filmmaker)|John Wells]] to write for ''[[The West Wing]]''.<ref name="indiewire2013">{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/josh-singer-talks-fifth-estate |title=Josh Singer Talks Challenges of Tackling WikiLeaks Drama 'The Fifth Estate' --and What He Left Out |publisher=Indie Wire |date=October 16, 2013 |first=Anne |last=Thompson |access-date=October 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025071251/http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/josh-singer-talks-fifth-estate |archive-date=October 25, 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 2006 he was nominated for a [[Writers Guild of America|WGA]] award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.altfg.com/blog/awards/writers-guild-of-america-awards-2005/|title=Writers Guild Awards 2006|work=Alt Film Guide|last=Soares|first=Andre|date=January 20, 2006|access-date=October 4, 2010}}</ref>

Singer was hired in 2008 to write a screenplay for a [[Leonard Bernstein]] [[Maestro (film)|biopic]], but the film languished in [[development hell]] for a decade. Eventually, [[Bradley Cooper]] was hired to direct the film, and re-wrote Singer's script; the pair were eventually nominated for the [[Academy Award]] for Best Original; Screenplay.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erbland |first=Kate |date=2024-01-10 |title=10 Years, 3 Directors, 1 Vision: Inside Writer Josh Singer's Long Journey to Make ''Maestro''|url=https://www.indiewire.com/awards/consider-this/maestro-screenwriter-josh-singer-interview-1234941457/ |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=[[IndieWire]]}}</ref>In 2012, Singer wrote the screenplay for ''[[The Fifth Estate (film)|The Fifth Estate]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/10/21/fifth-estate-writer-on-government-leaks-by-media |title="Fifth Estate" Screenwriter Reveals All |publisher=takepart.com |date=October 21, 2013 |first=Paul |last=Tullis |access-date=October 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025075747/http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/10/21/fifth-estate-writer-on-government-leaks-by-media |archive-date=2014-10-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2015, he co-wrote the screenplay for ''[[Spotlight (film)|Spotlight]]'', for which he received an [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/how-spotlight-screenwriter-josh-singer-recovered-from-the-fifth-estate-with-another-journalism-film-20151104 |title="How 'Spotlight' Screenwriter Josh Singer Recovered From 'The Fifth Estate' With Another Journalism Film" |publisher=indiewire.com |date=November 4, 2015 |first=Kate |last=Erbland|access-date=November 7, 2015 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 2011, Singer married the American novelist [[Laura Dave (novelist)|Laura Dave]]. They have one son and reside in [[Los Angeles, California]].

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Notes
|-
|2013
|''[[The Fifth Estate (film)|The Fifth Estate]]''
|
|-
|2015
|''[[Spotlight (film)|Spotlight]]''
|with [[Tom McCarthy (director)|Tom McCarthy]];<br>Also executive producer<br>[[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]]<br>[[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]]<br>[[Writers Guild of America Award#2010s|WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay]]<br>Nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Golden Globe for Best Screenplay]]
|-
|2017
|''[[The Post (film)|The Post]]''
|with [[Liz Hannah]];<br>Also executive producer<br>Nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Golden Globe for Best Screenplay]]
|-
|2018
|''[[First Man (film)|First Man]]''
|Nominated—[[BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay]]
|-
|2023
|''[[Maestro (2023 film)|Maestro]]''
|with [[Bradley Cooper]]<br>Also executive producer<br>Nominated—[[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]]<br>Nominated—[[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
|-
|TBA
|Untitled [[Bullitt]] reboot 
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
|-
|2004–2006
| ''[[The West Wing]]'' 
| Editor and writer
|-
|2007–2008
| ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'' 
| Producer
|-
|2009
| ''[[Lie to Me]]'' 
|rowspan=2| Supervising producer
|-
|2009–2010
|rowspan=2| ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'' 
|-
|2010–2011
| Co-executive producer
|-
|2023
|''[[The Last Thing He Told Me (miniseries)|The Last Thing He Told Me]]''
|Executive producer
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
Singer won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] for ''Spotlight'' in 2015 and was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]] for the film. He also received a Golden Globe nomination for ''The Post'' in 2018. In 2023 he was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] alongside [[Bradley Cooper]] for the film [[Maestro (2023 film)|''Maestro'']].

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|1802857|Josh Singer}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Josh Singer
|list = 
{{Academy Award Best Original Screenplay}}
{{AACTA International Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Satellite Award Best Original Screenplay}}
{{St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Paul Selvin Award}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singer, Josh}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:American male television writers]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Screenplay AACTA International Award winners]]
[[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Independent Spirit Award winners]]
[[Category:Jewish American screenwriters]]
[[Category:Jewish American television writers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:McKinsey & Company people]]
[[Category:People from Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Television producers from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]