Kenneth Lonergan
Kenneth Lonergan (born October 16, 1962) is an American film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He is the co-writer of the film Gangs of New York (2002), and wrote and directed You Can Count On Me (2000), Margaret (2011), and Manchester by the Sea (2016).
Kenneth Lonergan | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Lonergan at the Vienna International Film Festival in 2016. | |
| Born | October 16, 1962 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film director, playwright, screenwriter |
| Alma mater | New York University Wesleyan University |
| Period | 1982–present |
| Notable works | You Can Count On Me Margaret Manchester by the Sea |
| Notable awards | Academy Award (2016) BAFTA Award (2016) NBR Award (2016) NSFC Award (2000, 2016) NYFCC Award (2000, 2016) Satellite Award (2016) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Lonergan is also known for his work as a playwright. His most noted plays include This Is Our Youth, Lobby Hero and The Waverly Gallery. Each also had a successful revival engagement on Broadway, which resulted in each play receiving a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play
Lonergan earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Director for Manchester by the Sea, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for You Can Count On Me, Gangs of New York, and Manchester by the Sea, winning for the latter at the 89th Academy Awards. He also won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for Manchester by the Sea at the 70th British Academy Film Awards.
Early life and education
Lonergan was born in The Bronx, New York City to a psychiatrist mother and physician father. His mother is Jewish, and his father was Irish.[1][2][3][4]
Lonergan began writing in high school at the Walden School, a now defunct, highly progressive private school in Manhattan with a strong drama program.[5]
His first play, The Rennings Children, was chosen for the Stephen Sondheim-founded Young Playwrights, Inc. Young Playwright's Festival in 1982 while he was still an undergraduate. Lonergan matriculated to Wesleyan University, where he trained as a playwright and director.[6] He graduated from the NYU Playwriting Program. He is an alumnus of HB Studio[7] in New York City.
Government and commercial work
After graduating from NYU, Lonergan worked as a speechwriter for the Environmental Protection Agency. He also wrote industrial shows (long-play commercials) for clients such as Weight Watchers.[8]
Career
Stage
Lonergan's first theatrical success came with the play This Is Our Youth (1996); it was followed by The Waverly Gallery (1999), based on his grandmother's Greenwich Village gallery, and later Lobby Hero (2002). His play The Starry Messenger premiered Off-Broadway in 2009 and starred his wife J. Smith-Cameron and Matthew Broderick.[9]
In August 2014, This Is Our Youth was revived on Broadway starring Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, and Tavi Gevinson at the Cort Theatre. The play received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
In March 2018, Lobby Hero was revived on Broadway starring Chris Evans, Michael Cera, Brian Tyree Henry, and Bel Powley at the Helen Hayes Theatre. The play received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Cera and Tyree Henry were also nominated for their performances.
In September 2018, The Waverly Gallery was revived on Broadway starring Elaine May, Lucas Hedges, Joan Allen, David Cromer, and Michael Cera at the John Golden Theatre. The show received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Elaine May won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Film
Lonergan's film career began with his screenplay for the gangland comedy Analyze This (1999). He was subsequently offered a job writing The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000).
Lonergan directed his own screenplay for You Can Count On Me (2000); the film, which was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, went on to receive and be nominated for numerous writing awards.[10] He contributed to the screenplay for Gangs of New York (2002). In 2005, filming took place for his second film as writer/director, Margaret, starring Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick, and J. Smith-Cameron. The film spent over five years in post-production, with Lonergan, the producers and various editors unable to agree on its final cut, resulting in multiple legal disputes. It was finally released in 2011.[1] Margaret ranked 31st in a 2016 BBC poll of the 21st century's greatest films.[11]
Lonergan wrote and directed Manchester by the Sea, which was released in 2016 to critical acclaim.[12] He also had a small part in the film, as a pedestrian. David Fear of Rolling Stone said the film proves that Lonergan is "practically peerless in portraying loss as a living, breathing thing without resorting to the vocabulary of griefporn."[13]
Lonergan also wrote the BBC/Starz miniseries Howards End.[14]
Reception
Justin Chang of Variety noted that Lonergan is "always a superb director of actresses," particularly in Manchester by the Sea where the director "gives the women in his ensemble their due."[15]
Personal life
Lonergan is married to actress J. Smith-Cameron. They have one daughter, Nellie.[16][17]
In January 2020, Lonergan was appointed Visiting Fellow and Artist in Residence at Kellogg College of the University of Oxford.[18]
Credits
Stage
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Rennings Children | One-act |
| 1993 | Betrayed by Everyone | One-act; would become This is Our Youth |
| 1996 | This Is Our Youth | |
| 2000 | The Waverly Gallery | |
| 2001 | Lobby Hero | |
| 2004 | True to You | One-act premiered at TriBeCa Theater Festival |
| 2009 | The Starry Messenger | |
| 2012 | Medieval Play | |
| 2016 | Hold On to Me Darling |
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Analyze This | No | Yes |
| 2000 | You Can Count On Me | Yes | Yes |
| The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle | No | Yes | |
| 2002 | Gangs of New York | No | Yes |
| 2011 | Margaret | Yes | Yes |
| 2016 | Manchester by the Sea | Yes | Yes |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Doug | No | Yes | Episode: "Doug Throws a Party" |
| 2017 | Howards End | No | Yes | Miniseries |
Awards and nominations
Theatre
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Drama Desk Award | Best Play | This Is Our Youth | Nominated |
| 2000 | Pulitzer Prize | Pulitzer Prize for Drama | The Waverly Gallery | Nominated |
| 2001 | Drama Desk Award | Best Play | Lobby Hero | Nominated |
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Best Play | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | John Gassner Award | Nominated | ||
| Olivier Award | Best Play | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Tony Award | Best Revival of a Play | This Is Our Youth | Nominated |
| 2018 | Lobby Hero | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | The Waverly Gallery | Nominated | ||
Films
References
- Brody, Richard (March 15, 2012). "Kenneth Lonergan". The New Yorker.
- Mead, Rebecca (November 7, 2016). "The Cinematic Traumas of Kenneth Lonergan". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- Kra-Oz, Tal (December 3, 2014). "'This Is Our Youth' Portrays the 'Pathetic Remnants of Upper West Side Jewish Liberalism'". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- "'Manchester By The Sea' Director Probes The Drama And Humor Of Grief". NPR. November 30, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- "Walden School at 73 Files for Bankruptcy" The New York Times, June 23, 1987
- James Fisher (June 1, 2011). Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater, 1930–2010. ISBN 9780810879508.
- HB Studio Alumni
- Stephen Farber, "A Playwright in Pottsylvania," The Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2000.
- Hernandez, Ernio. Cameron, Culkin, Hadary and More Will Join Cast of Starry Messenger' " playbill.com (webcache.googleusercontent.com), September 18, 2009
- "Kenneth Lonergan Awards" The New York Times
- "The 21st Century's 100 greatest films". BBC. August 23, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- Lewis, Andy (November 24, 2016). "How Matt Damon's Almost-Directorial Debut 'Manchester by the Sea' Became Another Helmer's Comeback". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- Fear, David (February 1, 2016). "How 'Manchester by the Sea' Became a Sundance 2016 Hit". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- Andreeva, Nellie (February 15, 2017). "Starz Boards 'Howards End' BBC Limited Series; Hayley Atwell, Matthew Macfadyen & Tracey Ullman To Star". Deadline. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- Chang, Justin (January 24, 2016). "Sundance Film Review: 'Manchester by the Sea'". Archived from the original on October 15, 2017.
- Vellela, Tony (October 5, 2001). "J. Smith-Cameron's role-changing, name-changing career". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- "What's Up, J. Smith-Cameron? The Starry Star on Life, Art and Why She Loves Ben Brantley". Broadway.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- "Award winning writer and director becomes Kellogg's Artist in Residence". January 23, 2020.
Further reading
- Mead, Rebecca (November 7, 2016). "Lost time : after years spent battling Hollywood producers, Kenneth Lonergan returns with Manchester by the Sea". Onward and Upward with the Arts. The New Yorker. 92 (36): 46–55. (Online version is titled "The Cinematic Traumas of Kenneth Lonergan").
External links
Authority control  |
|---|