Best Screenplay Writers
by zainulaabadins | created - 2 months ago | updated - 1 month ago | PublicBest Screenplay Writers
1. Aaron Sorkin
Writer | The West Wing
Aaron Sorkin grew up in Scarsdale, a suburb of New York City where he was very involved in his high school drama and theater club. After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater, Sorkin intended to pursue a career in acting. It took him only a short time to ...
Awards:
Oscars: 1
Oscar Nominations: 2
BAFTA Awards: 1
BAFTA Nominations: 3
Golden Globes: 2
Golden Globe Nominations: 6
Primetime Emmy Awards: 6
Primetime Emmy Nominations: 11
Notable Screenplays:
- The West Wing
- The Social Network
- Charlie Wilson's War
- The American President
- A Few Good Men
- Steve Jobs
- Moneyball
2. Quentin Tarantino
Writer | Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Tony Tarantino, is an Italian-American actor and musician from New York, and his mother, Connie (McHugh), is a nurse from Tennessee. Quentin moved with his mother to Torrance, California, when he was four years old.
In January of...
Awards:
Oscars: 2 (Writing)
Oscar Nominations: 5 (3 for Writing)
BAFTA Awards: 2 (Writing)
BAFTA Nominations: 4 (2 for Writing)
Golden Globes: 2 (Writing)
Golden Globe Nominations: 7 (4 for Writing)
Notable Screenplays:
- Pulp Fiction
- Django Unchained
- Inglorious Bastards
- The Hateful Eight
- Reservoir Dogs
- True Romance
- Kill Bill: Vol. 1
- Kill Bill: Vol. 2
3. Woody Allen
Writer | Annie Hall
Woody Allen was born on November 30, 1935, as Allen Konigsberg, in The Bronx, NY, the son of Martin Konigsberg and Nettie Konigsberg. He has one younger sister, Letty Aronson. As a young boy, he became intrigued with magic tricks and playing the clarinet, two hobbies that he continues today.
Allen ...
Oscars: 4 (3 for Writing)
Oscar Nominations: 24 (16 for Writing)
BAFTA Awards: 9 (6 for Writing)
BAFTA Nominations: 23 (12 for Writing)
Golden Globes: 2 (Writing)
Golden Globe Nominations: 13 (6 for Writing)
Notable Screenplays:
- Blue Jasmine
- Midnight in Paris
- Match Point
- Alice
- Husbands and Wives
- Hannah and Her Sisters
- The Purple Rose to Cairo
- Interiors
- Annie Hall
4. Billy Wilder
Writer | The Apartment
Originally planning to become a lawyer, Billy Wilder abandoned that career in favor of working as a reporter for a Viennese newspaper, using this experience to move to Berlin, where he worked for the city's largest tabloid. He broke into films as a screenwriter in 1929 and wrote scripts for many ...
Oscars: 6 (3 for Writing)
Oscar Nominations: 21 (12 for Writing)
BAFTA Awards: 1
BAFTA Nominations: 2
Golden Globes: 3 (1 for Writing)
Golden Globe Nominations: 8 (3 for Writing)
Notable Screenplays:
- The Fortune Cookie
- The Apartment
- Some Like It Hot
- Sabrina
- Ace in the Hole
- Sunset Blvd.
- The Lost Weekend
- Double Indemnity
5. Joel Coen
Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Joel Daniel Coen is an American filmmaker who regularly collaborates with his younger brother Ethan. They made Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, True Grit, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis, Hail Caesar and other projects. Joel ...
Working with his brother Ethan, screenwriter/director Joel Coen has built a reputation as one of the most visionary and idiosyncratic filmmakers of the late 20th century. Combining thoughtful eccentricity, wry humor, arch irony, and often brutal violence. The films of the Coen brothers have become synonymous with a style of filmmaking.
Oscars: 4 (2 for Writing)
Oscar Nominations: 14 (6 for Writing)
BAFTA Awards: 2 (Directing)
BAFTA Nominations: 12 (8 for Writing)
Golden Globes: 1 (Writing)
Golden Globe Nominations: 5 (3 for Writing)
Notable Screenplays:
- Fargo
- Bridge of Spies
- True Grit
- No Country for Old Men
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
- A Serious Man
6. Ethan Coen
Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The younger brother of Joel, Ethan Coen is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winning writer, producer and director coming from small independent films to big profile Hollywood films. He was born on September 21, 1957 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In some films of the brothers- Ethan & Joel wrote, Joel...
Working with his brother Joel Coen, screenwriter/producer Ethan Coen has built a reputation as a legendary co-writer and producer for several acclaimed films, most of which were directed by his brother. Combining thoughtful eccentricity, wry humor, arch irony, and often brutal violence. The films of the Coen brothers have become synonymous with a style of filmmaking.
Oscars: 4 (2 for Writing)
Oscar Nominations: 14 (6 for Writing)
BAFTA Awards: 1 (Directing)
BAFTA Nominations: 12 (8 for Writing)
Golden Globes: 1 (Writing)
Golden Globe Nominations: 5 (3 for Writing)
Notable Screenplays:
- Fargo
- Bridge of Spies
- True Grit
- No Country for Old Men
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
- A Serious Man
7. Oliver Stone
Director | JFK
Oliver Stone has become known as a master of controversial subjects and a legendary film maker. His films are filled with a variety of film angles and styles, he pushes his actors to give Oscar-worthy performances, and despite his failures, has always returned to success.
William Oliver Stone was ...
Oscars: 3
Oscar Nominations: 11
BAFTA Awards: 1
BAFTA Nominations: 4
Golden Globes: 5
Golden Globe Nominations: 8
Notable Screenplays:
- JFK
- Nixon
- Born on the Fourth of July
- Platoon
- Salvador
- Midnight Express
8. William Goldman
Writer | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Screenwriter, novelist, playwright, non-fiction author. Born in Highland Park, Illinois, USA, began his career as a novelist in 1957. Started writing screenplays in 1965 with "Masquerade". A two-time Academy Award Winner, he is one of the most successful screenwriters and script doctors in ...
Oscars: 2
Oscar Nominations: 2
BAFTA Awards: 1
BAFTA Nominations: 2
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 3
Notable Screenplays:
- All the President's Men
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- Marathon Man
- Misery
- The Princess Bride
- Hearts in Atlantis
9. Steven Zaillian
Writer | Searching for Bobby Fischer
Steven Zaillian was born on January 30, 1953 in Fresno, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and A Civil Action (1998). He is married to Elizabeth Zaillian. They have two children.
Steven Zaillian was born on January 30, 1953 in Fresno, California, USA as Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian. He is a producer and writer, known for Schindler's List (1993), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and American Gangster (2007).
Oscars: 1
Oscar Nominations: 4
BAFTA Awards: 1
BAFTA Nominations: 4
Golden Globes: 1
Golden Globe Nominations: 2
Notable Screenplays:
- Moneyball
- Schindler's List
- Gangs of New York
- American Gangster
- Searching for Bobby Fischer
10. James Cameron
Writer | Avatar: The Way of Water
James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He moved to the United States in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University before switching to English, and eventually dropping out. He then drove a truck to support his ...
Oscars: 3
Oscar Nominations: 6
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 5
Golden Globes: 2
Golden Globe Nominations: 3 (1 for Writing)
Notable Screenplays:
- Avatar
- Titanic
- Aliens
- The Terminator
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- The Abyss
- True Lies
11. Mel Brooks
Actor | Spaceballs
Mel Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York. He served in WWII, and afterwards got a job playing the drums at nightclubs in the Catskills. Brooks eventually started a comedy act and also worked in radio and as Master Entertainer at Grossinger's Resort before going to ...
Oscars: 1
Oscar Nominations: 3
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 1
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 4
Primetime Emmy Awards: 4
Primetime Emmy Nominations: 13
Notable Screenplays:
- The Producers
- Blazing Saddles
- Young Frankenstein
- Mel Brooks Live at the Gaffen
- The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Spcl
- Caesar's Hour
12. Paul Schrader
Writer | First Reformed
Although his name is often linked to that of the "movie brat" generation (Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Brian De Palma, etc.) Paul Schrader's background couldn't have been more different than theirs. His strict Calvinist parents refused to allow him to see a...
Oscars: 0
Oscar Nominations: 2
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 0
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 0
Notable Screenplays:
- Raging Bull
- Taxi Driver
- Affliction
- Touch
- Light Sleeper
13. Ingmar Bergman
Writer | Smultronstället
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born July 14, 1918, the son of a priest. The film and T.V. series, The Best Intentions (1992) is biographical and shows the early marriage of his parents. The film Sunday's Children (1992) depicts a bicycle journey with his father. In the miniseries Private Confessions (...
Oscars: 0
Oscar Nominations: 8 (5 for Writing)
BAFTA Awards: 1
BAFTA Nominations: 3
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 1
Notable Screenplays:
- The Seventh Seal
- Persona
- Wild Strawberries
- Fanny and Alexander
- Cries and Whispers
- Through a Glass Darkly
- The Silence
14. Lawrence Kasdan
Writer | The Big Chill
Lawrence Kasdan is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He directed Body Heat, Grand Canyon, The Big Chill, Silverado and Dreamcatcher. He wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Bodyguard, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens and Solo: A Star Wars Story. He is ...
Lawrence Kasdan was born on January 14, 1949 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). He has been married to Meg Kasdan since November 28, 1971.
Oscars: 0
Oscar Nominations: 4
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 2
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 2
Notable Screenplays:
- Grand Canyon
- The Accidental Tourist
- Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- The Big Chill
15. Eric Roth
Writer | Dune
Mr. Roth won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump & has been nominated for his screenplays of The Insider, Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, A Star is Born, & Dune. He wrote Mr. Kurosawa's Rhapsody in August, The Horse Whisperer, Ali, & Best Picture Nominee, Extremely ...
Eric Roth was born on March 22, 1945 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Forrest Gump (1994) and Munich (2005). He is married to Debra Greenfield. They have five children.
Oscars: 1
Oscar Nominations: 4
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 2
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 4
Primetime Emmy Awards: 0
Primetime Emmy Nominations: 4
Notable Screenplays:
- Forrest Gump
- Munich
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- The Insider
- House of Cards
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
16. Alan Ball
Producer | American Beauty
Alan Ball is an American writer, director, and producer who is known for writing the acclaimed film American Beauty and creating the HBO series True Blood starring Anna Paquin. He also wrote the films Towelhead and Uncle Frank. He also created Here and Now, Six Feet Under, and Banshee. He won ...
Alan Ball was born on May 13, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA as Alan E. Ball. He is a producer and writer, known for American Beauty (1999), True Blood (2008) and Six Feet Under (2001).
Oscars: 1
Oscar Nominations: 1
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 2
Golden Globes: 1
Golden Globe Nominations: 1
Primetime Emmy Awards: 1
Primetime Emmy Nominations: 7
Notable Screenplays:
- American Beauty
- Six Feet Under
- True Blood
17. Paul Thomas Anderson
Director | Punch-Drunk Love
Anderson was born in 1970. He was one of the first of the "video store" generation of film-makers. His father was the first man on his block to own a V.C.R., and from a very early age Anderson had an infinite number of titles available to him. While film-makers like Spielberg cut their teeth making...
Oscars: 0
Oscar Nominations: 6
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 5
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 0
Notable Screenplays:
- There Will Be Blood
- Boogie Nights
- Magnolia
- The Master
- Inherent Vice
- Punch-Drunk Love
18. Walter Hill
Writer | 48 Hrs.
Hill was born in Long Beach, California and educated at Mexico City College and Michigan State University. He worked in oil drilling and construction in the 60s before becoming a 2nd assistant director in 1967. He has written and co-written screenplays, including several uncredited works. He has ...
Oscars: 0
Oscar Nominations: 0
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 0
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 0
Primetime Emmy Awards: 2
Primetime Emmy Nominations: 3
Notable Screenplays:
- Alien
- The Gateway
- Southern Comfort
- The Warriors
- Hard Times
- The Driver
- 48 Hrs.
19. John Hughes
Writer | Planes, Trains & Automobiles
John Hughes was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter. He was credited for creating some of the most memorable comedy films of the 1980s and the 1990s, when he was at the height of his career. He had a talent for writing coming-of-age stories, and for depicting fairly realistic...
John Hughes was born on February 18, 1950 in Lansing, Michigan, USA as John Wilden Hughes Jr. He was a writer and producer, known for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Home Alone (1990) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). He was married to Nancy Ludwig. He died on August 6, 2009 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
Oscars: 0
Oscar Nominations: 0
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 0
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 0
Notable Screenplays:
- National Lampoon's Vacation
- Sixteen Candles
- Weird Science
- The Breakfast Club
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off
- Some Kind of Wonderful
- Home Alone Movies
20. David Lynch
Writer | Twin Peaks
Born in precisely the kind of small-town American setting so familiar from his films, David Lynch spent his childhood being shunted from one state to another as his research scientist father kept getting relocated. He attended various art schools, married Peggy Lynch and then fathered future ...
Oscars: 0
Oscar Nominations: 4
BAFTA Awards: 0
BAFTA Nominations: 2
Golden Globes: 0
Golden Globe Nominations: 4
Primetime Emmy Awards: 0
Primetime Emmy Nominations: 5
Notable Screenplays:
- Mulholland Dr.
- Blue Velvet
- The Elephant Man
- Twin Peaks
21. Jonathan Nolan
Writer | Westworld
Attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, graduating in 1994.
Graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1999. Majored in English.
Shortly after graduating from Georgetown University, Jonathan Nolan served as a production assistant on Memento (2000).
Wrote the short story, "...
22. Christopher Nolan
Writer | Tenet
Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed Academy Award winner writer/director/producer Sir Christopher Nolan CBE was born in London, England. Over the course of more than 25 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the ...
23. Denis Villeneuve
Director | Dune
Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director and writer. He was born in 1967, in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada. He started his career as a filmmaker at the National Film Board of Canada. He is best known for his feature films Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), ...
24. Bill Dubuque
Writer | The Accountant
Bill Dubuque is known for The Accountant (2016), Ozark (2017) and A Family Man (2016).
25. Chris Terrio
Writer | Argo
Chris Terrio is an American filmmaker and screenwriter who had written the Ben Affleck film Argo and the Zack Snyder DC Extended Universe films Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League before Joss Whedon rewrote the script during re-shoots when Snyder stepped down as director. ...
26. George Lucas
Writer | Star Wars
George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Thomas Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional racecar ...
27. Adam McKay
Producer | The Other Guys
Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American screenwriter, director, comedian, and actor. McKay has a comedy partnership with Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote the films Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and The Other Guys. Ferrell and McKay also founded their comedy website Funny or Die through ...
28. Rian Johnson
Producer | Knives Out
Rian Johnson was born in Maryland and at a young age his family moved to San Clemente, California, where he was raised. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His first feature film, Brick (2005), was released in 2005 ...
29. Charlie Kaufman
Writer | I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Avid reader Charlie Kaufman wrote plays and made short films as a young student. He moved from Massapequa, New York to West Hartford, Connecticut in 1972 where he attended high school. As a comedic actor, he performed in school plays and, after graduation, he enrolled at Boston University but soon ...
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