Brian Helgeland
Helgeland in 2013
Born	Brian Thomas Helgeland (1961-01-17)January 17, 1961 (age 64) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Loyola Marymount University
Occupations	Screenwriter director producer
Years active	1988–present
Notable work	L.A. Confidential Mystic River
Awards	Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay L.A. Confidential (1997)

Brian Thomas Helgeland (born January 17, 1961)^[1] is an American screenwriter, film producer, and director. He is best known for writing the screenplays for the filmsL.A. Confidential (1998) andMystic River (2003).^[2] He wrote and directed the films42, a biopic ofJackie Robinson; andLegend, about the rise and fall of the infamous London gangsters, theKray twins. His work onL.A. Confidential earned him anAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Helgeland was born inProvidence, Rhode Island, to Norwegian immigrants Aud-Karin and Thomas Helgeland. He was raised in nearbyNew Bedford, Massachusetts. He majored in English atUniversity of Massachusetts Dartmouth before following his father's work in fishingscallop.

A particularly cold winter day in 1985 made Helgeland consider finding another job. He was fascinated by a book aboutfilm schools. With a love for movies, Helgeland decided to seek a career in film. He applied for the film school atLoyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, the only one to agree to accept him in mid-semester.^[3][4][5]

Helgeland's agent arranged a meeting for him with Rhet Topham, who had an idea for ahorror comedy film but was having difficulty writing it. The duo completed976-EVIL, which they sold for $12,000.^[5]976-EVIL marked the directorial debut of actorRobert Englund, who had portrayedFreddy Krueger in films of that franchise (A Nightmare on Elm Street).

He recommended Helgeland toNew Line Cinema representatives, who wanted to do a newA Nightmare on Elm Street film. Helgeland was paid $70,000 to write what was released asA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Both films were released in 1988, withThe Dream Master hitting theaters earlier.

Helgeland earned $275,000 for his script forHighway to Hell, which was released in 1992.^[6] In 1990, Helgeland andManny Coto sold a script,The Ticking Man, for $1 million, but the film was never made.^[7]

In 1998, Helgeland won anAcademy Award forBest Adapted Screenplay forL.A. Confidential, which was based on the 1990 novel of the same name byJames Ellroy. That year Helgeland also won aRazzie forThe Postman, being one of only three people to have previously achieved this dubious feat (preceded byAlan Menken in1993 and followed bySandra Bullock in2010). Helgeland accepted the Razzie,the fourth person to receive the statuette in person, which was delivered to him in his office atWarner Bros. He keeps the statues of both the Oscar and the Razzie on his mantle as "a reminder of Hollywood's idealistic nature and unrealistic expectations."^[5][8]

Helgeland wrote and directed the filmsPayback (1999),A Knight's Tale (2001),The Order (2003),42 (2013), andLegend (2015). He has worked with directorClint Eastwood twice, in 2002 onBlood Work, and in 2003 onMystic River, for which he was nominated for anOscar forBest Adapted Screenplay. He also has written an as-yet-unproduced adaptation ofMoby-Dick.

In 2004, Helgeland co-wrote the screenplay forThe Bourne Supremacy, for which he was uncredited.^{[citation needed]} In early 2008, he was attached to shape the script of thethrillerGreen Zone^[9] after screenwriterTom Stoppard had to drop out.^[10] He collaborated with directorPaul Greengrass, whom he worked with onThe Bourne Supremacy, as well as reuniting with actorMatt Damon, who playedJason Bourne/David Webb.

Helgeland wrote the screenplay for the remake ofThe Taking of Pelham 123, replacing screenwriterDavid Koepp. The film was released on June 12, 2009.^[11]

On May 4, 2017, HBO announced that Helgeland was one of four writers working on a potential pilot for aGame of Thrones spin-off. In addition to Helgeland,Carly Wray,Max Borenstein, andJane Goldman were also working on potential pilots.^[12] Helgeland has been working and communicating withGeorge R. R. Martin, the author ofA Song of Ice and Fire, the series of novels upon which the original series is based.^[13] FormerGame of Thrones showrunnersD. B. Weiss andDavid Benioff were said to be executive producers for whichever project is picked up by HBO.^[13][14]

Helgeland and his wife Nancy have two sons.^{[15][failed verification]}

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBrian Helgeland.

• Brian Helgeland atIMDb

• 1961 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American male writers
• 20th-century American screenwriters
• 21st-century American male writers
• 21st-century American screenwriters
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• American people of Norwegian descent
• Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners
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• Loyola Marymount University alumni
• Screenwriters from Massachusetts
• Screenwriters from Rhode Island
• University of Massachusetts Dartmouth alumni
• Writers Guild of America Award winners
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