Bill Condon
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Bill Condon (born William Condon on October 22, 1955) is an Academy Award winning American screenwriter and director.
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[edit] Biography
Condon was born in New York City and attended Regis High School and Columbia College of Columbia University, where he studied philosophy. 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 low-budget features including Strange Behavior (1981) and Strange Invaders (1983). His directorial debut was Sister, Sister (1987), an eerie 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 Aussie director Richard Franklin.
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. 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.
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. This award is "presented to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals in the media for their outstanding contribution in combating homophobia" ([1]).
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.
Bill 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).
[edit] Personal life
Condon is in a long-term relationship with Jack Morrissey.
[edit] Trivia
- His mother attended high school with Susan Hayward.
- First film-related job was working for a year in the publicity department at Avco Embassy.
- Was honored the Award in Directing at the Santa Barbara Internationl Film Festival in Santa Barbara, California (January 29,2007)
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Director
- Dreamgirls (film) (2006)
- Kinsey (2004)
- The Others - 1 episode, 2000.
- Gods and Monsters (1998)
- Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
- The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1994) (TV)
- Deadly Relations (1993) (TV)
- Dead in the Water (1991) (TV)
- White Lie (1991)(TV)
- Murder 101 (1991) (TV)
- Sister, Sister (1987)
[edit] Writer
- Dreamgirls (film) (2006) (screenplay)
- Kinsey (2004) (written by)
- Shortcut to Happiness (2003) (screenplay)
- Chicago (2002) (screenplay)
- Gods and Monsters (1998) (screenplay)
- F/X2 (1991)
- Murder 101 (1991) (TV) (written by)
- Sister, Sister(1987)
- Strange Invaders (1983)
- Strange Behavior (1981)
