Eric Max Frye (born 1956) is an Americanscreenwriter and film director^[1] fromOregon. In 2015, he received anAcademy Award nomination for co-writing, withDan Futterman, the original screenplay forFoxcatcher.

Frye was born in Oregon and raised inEugene. His parents wereHelen (Jackson) Frye, a federal judge, and William Frye.^[2] He attendedLewis & Clark College inPortland for one year before moving toEurope. He lived inParis and worked as a male model inAustria.^[2] After returning to the United States, Frye considered becoming a painter and moved to New York'sEast Village in 1981 before attendingNew York University Film School a few years later. Talking a mandatory writing class, he discovered an affinity for screenwriting. "I pursued it hard," he recalled, "and got lucky."^[2][3]

While still in film school, Frye wrote the early drafts of what would become the screenplay forSomething Wild (1986).^[2][3] Other early writing credits included the 1993 comedy filmAmos & Andrew, which Frye also directed,^[2] and the third episode in the 2001 HBOminiseriesBand of Brothers .^[4][3]

Frye was a co-screenwriter forFoxcatcher (2014), a film aboutJohn Eleuthere du Pont and his 1996 murder of World and Olympic champion wrestler,Dave Schultz. DirectorBennett Miller came to Frye with the project, who was intrigued by the reverse direction of the story arc: instead of an athlete working his or her way to the top, this story began with an Olympic champion who finds himself back at the bottom.^[3]

Frye taught screenwriting for many years, emphasizing conflict as an essential ingredient. "You want to have mean people, bullies, cheaters, criminals as part of your story. They are much more interesting characters than people who follow the rules."Billy Wilder is an influence; his portrait hangs in Frye's kitchen.^[3]

In 1986, Frye appeared in the music video forBizarre Love Triangle directed byRobert Longo in which Frye argues about reincarnation with actressJodi Long.^[5]

As screenwriter

• Something Wild (1986)
• Amos & Andrew (1993) - Also Director
• Palmetto (1998)
• Where the Money Is (2000)
• Foxcatcher (2014)

• E. Max Frye atIMDb

• Writers from Eugene, Oregon
• American male screenwriters
• American television writers
• 1956 births
• Living people
• Lewis & Clark College alumni
• South Eugene High School alumni
• Edgar Award winners
• Tisch School of the Arts alumni
• Film directors from Oregon
• American male television writers
• Screenwriters from Oregon
• 20th-century American screenwriters
• 20th-century American male writers
• 21st-century American screenwriters
• 21st-century American male writers

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards