Richard LaGravenese

Richard LaGravenese (/ləˈɡrɑːvəneɪz/;[1] born October 30, 1959)[2][3] is an American screenwriter and film director, best known as the writer of The Fisher King.

Richard LaGravenese
LaGravenese in September 2017
Born (1959-10-30) October 30, 1959
New York City, U.S.
Occupation
  • Screenwriter
  • film director
Years active1989–present
Spouse(s)Ann Weiss
Children1

Personal life

LaGravenese was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a taxi driver.[2] He is of Italian descent.[4] He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1980 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting.[5]

Career

LaGravenese wrote The Fisher King on spec in the late 1980s. It was acquired by Stacey Sher, Lynda Obst, Debra Hill's production company and subsequently directed by Terry Gilliam.

In New York City during the early 1980s, billed as "The Double R" comedy duo, in collaboration with playwright Richard O’Donnell, LaGravenese co-penned and consecutively performed in several Off-Off-Broadway productions including Spare Parts, Blood-brothers" at The 78th Street Theatre Lab, The Lion Theatre, and West Bank Cafe.

LaGravanese wrote an adaptation for the famously on-and-off version of the musical Gypsy for Barbra Streisand. In 2015, he revealed that he'd spent several months working on the script with Streisand. "I had the best time with her. I can’t even tell you. It was like a fantasy come true. I did my first draft and went to her house to do rewrites. She’s so meticulous in the best possible way. We went through it page by page by page."

Filmography

Films
Year Film Director Notes
1989 Rude Awakening David Greenwalt
Aaron Russo
1991 The Fisher King Terry Gilliam Nominated- Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay[6]
Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated- Saturn Award for Best Writing
1994 The Ref Ted Demme
1995 A Little Princess Alfonso Cuaron
The Bridges of Madison County Clint Eastwood
Unstrung Heroes Diane Keaton
1996 The Mirror Has Two Faces Barbra Streisand
1998 The Horse Whisperer Robert Redford
Living Out Loud Himself
Beloved Jonathan Demme
2003 A Decade Under the Influence Himself
2006 Paris, je t'aime Himself Segment Pigalle
2007 Freedom Writers
P.S. I Love You
2010 Conviction Tony Goldwyn
2011 Water for Elephants Francis Lawrence
2013 Beautiful Creatures Himself
Behind the Candelabra Steven Soderbergh Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
2014 The Last Five Years Himself
Unbroken Angelina Jolie Co-written with the Coen Brothers and William Nicholson
2016 The Comedian Taylor Hackford

Television

He is the creator of The Divide and wrote all but one episode.

Announced projects

References
  1. "Say How: L". National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  2. "Richard Lagravenese Biography (1959?-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved 2013-12-12. Born October 30, 1959 (some sources say 1960)...
  3. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KJ6K-VJD
  4. Hornaday, Ann (March 27, 1994). "Film; Still Speaking After Writing 'The Ref'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  5. "Primetime Emmy Nominees > And the Tisch nominees are..." Tisch School of the Arts. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2013-12-12. Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special ... Richard LaGravenese ’80 (BFA, Acting)
  6. "The 64th Academy Awards (1992) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
  7. Frankel, Daniel (January 6, 2009). "Showtime in bed with LaGravenese". Variety.

7. ^Jeremy Kinser (February 13, 2015) ‘The Last Five Years’ Director On His Heartbreaking New Musical And Working On ‘Gypsy’ With Barbra Streisand'

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