David Mamet | |
|---|---|
 Mamet in 2008 | |
| Born | (1947-11-30)November 30, 1947 (age 77) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Education | Goddard College (BA) |
| Period | 1970–present |
| Notable works | The Duck Variations (1971) Sexual Perversity in Chicago (1974) Glengarry Glen Ross (1983)[1] |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingZosia Mamet andClara Mamet[2] |
| Signature | |
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David Alan Mamet (/ˈmæmɪt/; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker.
He won aPulitzer Prize and receivedTony nominations for his playsGlengarry Glen Ross (1984) andSpeed-the-Plow (1988). He first gained critical acclaim for a trio of 1970s off-Broadway plays:The Duck Variations,Sexual Perversity in Chicago, andAmerican Buffalo.[3] His playsRace andThe Penitent, respectively, opened onBroadway in 2009 and previewed off-Broadway in 2017.
Feature films that Mamet both wrote and directed includeHouse of Games (1987),Homicide (1991),The Spanish Prisoner (1997), and his biggest commercial success,Heist (2001). His screenwriting credits includeThe Postman Always Rings Twice (1981),The Verdict (1982),The Untouchables (1987),Hoffa (1992),Wag the Dog (1997), andHannibal (2001). Mamet himself wrote the screenplay for the1992 adaptation ofGlengarry Glen Ross, and wrote and directed the1994 adaptation of his playOleanna (1992). He created and produced theCBS seriesThe Unit (2006–2009).
Mamet's books include:On Directing Film (1991), a commentary and dialogue about film-making;The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching ofLeo Frank;Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), aTorah commentary with RabbiLawrence Kushner;The Wicked Son (2006), a study ofJewish self-hatred andantisemitism;Bambi vs. Godzilla, a commentary on the movie business;The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture (2011), a commentary on cultural and political issues;Three War Stories (2013), a trio of novellas about the physical and psychological effects of war; andEverywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood (2023), an autobiographical account of his experiences in Hollywood.
Mamet was born in 1947 in Chicago to Lenore June (née Silver), a teacher, and Bernard Morris Mamet, a labor attorney. He isJewish. His paternal grandparents werePolish Jews.[4] Mamet has said his parents were communists and described himself as a "red diaper baby".[5] One of his earliest jobs was as a busboy at Chicago'sLondon House andThe Second City. He also worked as an actor, editor forOui magazine and as a cab-driver.[6] He was educated at the progressiveFrancis W. Parker School and atGoddard College inPlainfield, Vermont. At theChicago Public Library Foundation 20th anniversary fundraiser in 2006, though, Mamet announced "My alma mater is the Chicago Public Library. I got what little educational foundation I got in the third-floor reading room, under the tutelage of a Coca-Cola sign".[7]
After a move to Chicago's North Side, Mamet met theater directorRobert Sickinger, and began to work occasionally at Sickinger'sHull House Theatre. Thus began Mamet's lifelong involvement with the theater.[8]
Mamet is a founding member of theAtlantic Theater Company; he first gained acclaim for a trio of off-Broadway plays in 1976,The Duck Variations,Sexual Perversity in Chicago, andAmerican Buffalo.[3] He was awarded thePulitzer Prize in 1984 forGlengarry Glen Ross, which received its first Broadway revival in the summer of 2005. His playsAmerican Buffalo andSpeed-the-Plow were included onHarold Bloom's list of works constituting theWestern Canon.[9] His playRace, which opened onBroadway on December 6, 2009, and featuredJames Spader,David Alan Grier,Kerry Washington, andRichard Thomas in the cast, received mixed reviews.[10] His playThe Anarchist, starringPatti LuPone andDebra Winger, in her Broadway debut, opened on Broadway on November 13, 2012, in previews and was scheduled to close on December 16, 2012.[11] His 2017 playThe Penitent previewed off-Broadway on February 8, 2017.
In 2002, Mamet was inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[12] Mamet later received thePEN/Laura Pels Theater Award for Grand Master of American Theater in 2010. In 2017, Mamet released an online class for writers entitledDavid Mamet teaches dramatic writing.[13]
In 2019 Mamet returned to the London West End with a new play,Bitter Wheat, at theGarrick Theatre, starringJohn Malkovich.[14] In 2023 it was announced that a new Mamet play, titledHenry Johnson, was expected to debut in Los Angeles starringShia LaBeouf.[15]
Mamet's first film work was as a screenwriter, later directing his own scripts. According toJoe Mantegna, Mamet worked as ascript doctor for the 1978 filmTowing.[16] Mamet's first produced screenplay was the 1981 production ofThe Postman Always Rings Twice, based onJames M. Cain's novel. He received anAcademy Award nomination one year later for the 1982 legal drama,The Verdict. He also wrote the screenplays forThe Untouchables (1987),Hoffa (1992),The Edge (1997),Wag the Dog (1997),Ronin (1998), andHannibal (2001). He received a secondAcademy Award nomination forWag the Dog.
In 1987, Mamet made his film directing debut with his screenplayHouse of Games, which won theGolden Osella Best Screenplay awards at the 1987Venice Film Festival[17] and theFilm of the Year in 1989 from theLondon Film Critics' Circle Awards. The film starred his then-wife,Lindsay Crouse, and many longtime stage associates and friends, including fellowGoddard College graduates.[18] Mamet was quoted as saying, "It was my first film as a director and I needed support, so I stacked the deck."[citation needed][19] AfterHouse of Games, Mamet later wrote and directed two more films focusing on the world of con artists,The Spanish Prisoner (1997) andHeist (2001). Among those films,Heist enjoyed the biggest commercial success.[20][21][22]
Other films that Mamet both wrote and directed include:Things Change (1988),Homicide (1991) (nominated for the Palme d'Or at 1991Cannes Film Festival and won a "Screenwriter of the Year" award for Mamet from theLondon Film Critics' Circle Awards),Oleanna (1994),The Winslow Boy (1999),State and Main (2000),Spartan (2004),Redbelt (2008), and the 2013 bio-pic TV moviePhil Spector.
A feature-length film, a thriller titledBlackbird, was intended for release in 2015, but is still in development.[23]
When Mamet adapted his play for the 1992 filmGlengarry Glen Ross, he wrote an additional part (including the monologue "Coffee's for closers") forAlec Baldwin.
Mamet continues to work with an informal repertory company for his films, including Crouse,William H. Macy,Joe Mantegna, andRebecca Pidgeon, as well as the aforementioned school friends.
Mamet rewrote the script forRonin under the pseudonym "Richard Weisz" and turned in an early version of a script forMalcolm X which was rejected by directorSpike Lee.[24] Mamet also wrote an unproduced biopic script aboutRoscoe Arbuckle withChris Farley intended to portray him.[25] In 2000, Mamet directed a film version ofCatastrophe, a one-act play bySamuel Beckett featuringHarold Pinter andJohn Gielgud (in his final screen performance). In 2008, he wrote and directed themixed martial arts movieRedbelt, about a martial arts instructor tricked into fighting in a professional bout.
InOn Directing Film, Mamet advocates for a method of storytelling based on Eisenstein's montage theory, stating that the story should be told through the juxtaposition of uninflected images. This method relies heavily on the cut between scenes, and Mamet urges directors to eliminate as much narration as possible. Mamet asserts that directors should focus on getting the point of a scene across, rather than simply following a protagonist, or adding visually beautiful or intriguing shots. Films should create order from disorder in search of the objective.
In 2023, reports emerged that Mamet would direct and co-write a new film titledAssassination, his first film since 2008. The film will center around theChicago Mob ordering theassassination of John F. Kennedy, and will starViggo Mortensen,Shia LaBeouf,Courtney Love,Al Pacino, andJohn Travolta. The film's production was scheduled to start in September 2023.[26] In October,Barry Levinson took over as the film's director, while Mamet remained as the screenwriter.[27]
In June 2024,Deadline reported that the film, titledThe Prince, will be directed byCameron Van Hoy, which will center aroundHunter Biden, the second son of U.S. PresidentJoe Biden It will starScott Haze as the lead character Parker; alongsideNicolas Cage,J.K. Simmons,Giancarlo Esposito, andAndy Garcia. Mamet added that the film won't be "a travelogue", and will be inspired by Hunter's life, rather than serve as abiopic.[28]
Mamet published the essay collectionWriting in Restaurants in 1986, followed by the poetry collectionThe Hero Pony in 1990. He has also published a series of short plays, monologues and four novels,The Village (1994),The Old Religion (1997),Wilson: A Consideration of the Sources (2000), andChicago (2018). He has written several non-fiction texts, and children's stories, includingTrue and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor(1997). In 2004 he published a lauded version of the classicalFaust story,Faustus, however, when the play was staged inSan Francisco during the spring of 2004, it was not well received by critics.[29] On May 1, 2010, Mamet released a graphic novelThe Trials of Roderick Spode (The Human Ant).
Mamet detailed his conversion from modern liberalism to "a reformed liberal" inThe Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture in 2011.[30] Mamet publishedThree War Stories, a collection of novellas, in 2013 ; the novelThe Diary of a Porn Star by Priscilla Wriston-Ranger: As Told to David Mamet With an Afterword by Mr. Mamet in 2019;[31] and the political commentaryRecessional: The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch in 2022. In 2023 Mamet recounted his experiences in Hollywood and the movie-making industry inEverywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood.[32]
Mamet wrote one episode ofHill Street Blues, "A Wasted Weekend", that aired in 1987. His then-wife,Lindsay Crouse, appeared in numerous episodes (including that one) as Officer McBride. Mamet is also the creator, producer and frequent writer of the television seriesThe Unit, where he wrote a well-circulatedmemo to the writing staff. He directed a third-season episode ofThe Shield withShawn Ryan. In 2007, Mamet directed two television commercials forFord Motor Company. The two 30-second ads featured theFord Edge and were filmed in Mamet's signature style of fast-paced dialogue and clear, simple imagery. Mamet's sister,Lynn, is a producer and writer for television shows, such asThe Unit andLaw & Order.
Mamet has contributed several dramas toBBC Radio through Jarvis & Ayres Productions, including an adaptation ofGlengarry Glen Ross forBBC Radio 3 and new dramas forBBC Radio 4. The comedyKeep Your Pantheon (or On the Whole I'd Rather Be in Mesopotamia) was aired in 2007.The Christopher Boy's Communion was another Jarvis & Ayres production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on March 8, 2021.
Mamet's style of writing dialogue, marked by a cynical, street-smart edge, has come to be calledMamet speak.[33] Mamet himself has criticized his (and other writers') tendency to write "pretty" at the expense of sound, logical plots.[34] When asked how he developed his style for writing dialogue, Mamet said, "In my family, in the days prior to television, we liked to while away the evenings by making ourselves miserable, based solely on our ability to speak the language viciously. That's probably where my ability was honed."[35]
Mamet's plays have frequently sparked debate and controversy.[36] Following a 1992 staging ofOleanna, a play in which a college student accuses her professor of trying to rape her,[37] a critic reported that the play divided the audience by gender and recounted that "couples emerged screaming at each other".[36]
In his 2014 bookDavid Mamet and Male Friendship, Arthur Holmberg examined Mamet's portrayal of male friendships, especially focusing on the contradictions and ambiguities ofmale bonding as dramatized in Mamet's plays and films.[38]
The papers of David Mamet were sold to theHarry Ransom Center at theUniversity of Texas at Austin in 2007 and first opened for research in 2009.[39] The growing collection consists mainly of manuscripts and related production materials for most of his plays, films, and other writings, but also includes his personal journals from 1966 to 2005. In 2015, the Ransom Center secured a second major addition to Mamet's papers, including more recent works. Additional materials relating to Mamet and his career can be found in the Ransom Center's collections ofRobert De Niro,Mel Gussow,Tom Stoppard,Sam Shepard,Paul Schrader,Don DeLillo, and John Russell Brown.
Mamet and actressLindsay Crouse married in 1977 and divorced in 1990. The couple have two children. Mamet has been married to actress and singer-songwriterRebecca Pidgeon since 1991, and they have two children. Mamet and Pidgeon live inSanta Monica, California.[4][5]
Mamet is aReform Jew and strongly pro-Israel.[40]
In 2005, Mamet became a contributing blogger forThe Huffington Post, drawing satirical cartoons with themes including political strife in Israel.[41] In a 2008 essay atThe Village Voice titled "Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal'"[42] he discussed how his political views had shifted fromliberalism toconservatism. In interviews, Mamet has highlighted his agreement withfree market theorists such asFriedrich Hayek,[43] the historianPaul Johnson, and economistThomas Sowell, whom Mamet called "one of our greatest minds". In 2022, Mamet declined to explicitly label himself aRepublican, but described himself as a conservative who "would like to conserve those things I grew up with: the love of family, the love of the country, love of service, love of God, love of community".[5]
During promotion of a book, Mamet said British people had "a taint ofanti-semitism," claiming they "want to give [Israel] away to some people whose claim is rather dubious."[44] In the same interview, Mamet went on to say that "there are famous dramatists and novelists [in the UK] whose works are full of anti-Semitic filth." He refused to give examples because of British libel laws (the interview was conducted in New York City for theFinancial Times).[44][45] He is known for his pro-Israel positions; in his bookThe Secret Knowledge he claimed that "Israelis would like to live in peace within their borders; the Arabs would like to kill them all."[46]
Mamet endorsed RepublicanMitt Romney forpresident in 2012, and wrote an article forThe Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles imploring fellow Jewish Americans to vote for Romney.[47][48]
In an essay forNewsweek, published on January 29, 2013, Mamet argued againstgun control laws: "It was intended to guard us against this inevitable decay of government that the Constitution was written. Its purpose was and is not to enthrone a Government superior to an imperfect and confused electorate, but to protect us from such a government."[49]
Mamet has described theNFL anthem protests as "absolutely fucking despicable".[4] In a 2020 interview, he describedDonald Trump as a "great president" andsupported his re-election.[50] After Trump lost the election, Mamet appeared to endorseclaims that the election had been illegitimate in his 2022 bookRecessional: The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch, though shortly after its publication, he said he "misspoke" on the subject.[51]
In 2022, Mamet made comments in support ofFlorida's Parental Rights in Education Act, called the "Don't Say Gay" bill by its critics,[52] which restricts what public school teachers in Florida can discuss with children in kindergarten through third grade aboutsexual orientation andgender identity. In an interview withFox News, Mamet claimed that the law was necessary because teachers "are abusing [children] mentally and using sex to do so", further alleging that "teachers are inclined, particularly men because men are predators, topedophilia".[51][53]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Postman Always Rings Twice | No | Yes | |
| 1982 | The Verdict | No | Yes | |
| 1987 | The Untouchables | No | Yes | |
| House of Games | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1988 | Things Change | Yes | Yes | |
| 1989 | We're No Angels | No | Yes | |
| 1991 | Homicide | Yes | Yes | |
| 1992 | Glengarry Glen Ross | No | Yes | Also based on his play |
| Hoffa | No | Yes | Also associate producer | |
| 1994 | Oleanna | Yes | Yes | Also based on his play |
| 1996 | American Buffalo | No | Yes | |
| 1997 | The Spanish Prisoner | Yes | Yes | |
| The Edge | No | Yes | ||
| Wag the Dog | No | Yes | ||
| 1998 | Ronin | No | Yes | Credited as "Richard Weisz" |
| 1999 | The Winslow Boy | Yes | Yes | |
| 2000 | Lakeboat | No | Yes | Also based on his play |
| State and Main | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2001 | Hannibal | No | Yes | |
| Heist | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2004 | Spartan | Yes | Yes | |
| 2005 | Edmond | No | Yes | Also based on his play |
| 2008 | Redbelt | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023 | The Penitent | No | Yes | Also based on his play |
| 2025 | Henry Johnson[55] | Yes | Yes | |
| TBA | The Prince[56] | No | Yes | Post-production |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Catastrophe | Yes | No |
| 2010 | Lost Masterpieces of Pornography | Yes | Yes |
| Inside the Actor's Workshop | Yes | Yes | |
| The Marquee | Yes | Yes | |
| Our Valley | Yes | Yes | |
| Two Painters | Yes | Yes |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Black Widow | Herb | |
| 2023 | Beau is Afraid | Rabbi | Voice role |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Hill Street Blues | No | Yes | No | Episode "A Wasted Weekend" |
| 1996 | Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants | Yes | No | No | TV special |
| 2004 | The Shield | Yes | No | No | Episode "Strays" |
| 2006-2009 | The Unit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also creator Directed 4 episodes, wrote 11 episodes |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Water Engine | No | Yes | No | Also based on his play |
| 1993 | A Life in the Theatre | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1994 | Texan | No | Yes | No | |
| 1999 | Lansky | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Phil Spector | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Water Engine | Brown Haired Man | TV movie |
| 1996 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Himself (voice) | Episode "New Telephone System" |
| 2011 | The Simpsons | Episode "Homer the Father" |
She is also the daughter of playwright David Mamet and English actress Rebecca Pidgeon, and she is the half-sister of Zosia Mamet…
For Farley, the projects that could have pulled him out of a steep professional downward spiral were a plucky animated comedy called Shrek and a David Mamet-penned biopic of Fatty Arbuckle.
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