Frank Pierson | |
|---|---|
 Frank Pierson in 2009 | |
| Born | (1925-05-12)May 12, 1925 Chappaqua, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 2012(2012-07-22) (aged 87) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Education | B.A. from Harvard College |
| Alma mater | Harvard College |
| Occupation(s) | Director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1944–2012 |
| Spouse(s) | Helene Pierson (? – 2012; his death) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay |
Frank Romer Pierson[1] (May 12, 1925 – July 22, 2012) was an Americanscreenwriter andfilm director.[2][3]
Pierson was born inChappaqua, New York, the son of Louise (née Randall), a writer, and Harold C. Pierson.[1] Pierson's family was the subject of his mother's 1943 autobiographyRoughly Speaking and a 1945movie of the same name, starringRosalind Russell andJack Carson as his parents.
Pierson served in the Army duringWorld War II, then graduated fromHarvard.[4] He worked as a correspondent forTime andLife magazines before selling his first script toAlcoa-Goodyear Theater. He got his break in Hollywood in 1958 as script editor forHave Gun – Will Travel and moved on to write for the television seriesNaked City,Route 66 and others. He wrote or co-wrote several successful films, includingCat Ballou andCool Hand Luke, which were both nominated forAcademy Awards. He wroteDog Day Afternoon, which won Pierson theAcademy Award. He directed and contributed to thescreenplay of the 1976 remake ofA Star Is Born; and the in-fighting between himself,Barbra Streisand,Kris Kristofferson and producer (and at the time boyfriend of Streisand)Jon Peters on the film led him to write the article "My Battles with Barbra and Jon" forThe Village Voice.[5]
Pierson directed several films produced for television, includingDirty Pictures,Citizen Cohn,Conspiracy, andSomebody Has to Shoot the Picture. His direction onConspiracy won a Directors' Guild Award for Best Television Movie, and his second Peabody and BAFTA Award.
He was President of theWriters Guild of America, West (WGAW) from 1981 to 1983 and again from 1993 to 1995 and was President of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) from 2001 to 2005. In 2003, Pierson was the recipient of theAustin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award. ScreenwriterBrian Helgeland presented him with the Award. He was a consultant onMad Men, co-writing (withMatthew Weiner) the fifth episode of its fifth season, "Signal 30",[6] a member of the teaching staff ofSundance Institute, and artistic director of theAmerican Film Institute.
Pierson died on July 22, 2012, in his home in Los Angeles, California. He was survived by his wife Helene and his two children.
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Have Gun – Will Travel | Yes | Yes | |
| 1962–1963 | Naked City | No | Yes | |
| 1963 | Route 66 | Yes | Yes | Episode "Build Your Houses with Their Backs to the Sea" |
| 1970 | The 42nd Annual Academy Awards | No | Yes | |
| 1971 | Nichols | Yes | Yes | Also creator |
| 1973 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Yes | Yes | Episode "And Other Springs I May Not See" |
| 1985 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Yes | No | |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | No | Yes | Episode "Hybristophilia" |
| 2012 | Mad Men | No | Yes | Episode "Signal 30" |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Neon Ceiling | Yes | No |
| 1973 | Amanda Fallon | No | Yes |
| 1980 | Haywire | No | Yes |
| 1990 | Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture | Yes | No |
| 1992 | Citizen Cohn | Yes | No |
| 1994 | Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee | Yes | No |
| 1995 | Truman | Yes | No |
| 2000 | Dirty Pictures | Yes | No |
| 2001 | Conspiracy | Yes | No |
| 2003 | Soldier's Girl | Yes | No |
| 2004 | Paradise | Yes | No |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Cat Ballou | No | Yes |
| 1967 | The Happening | No | Yes |
| Cool Hand Luke | No | Yes | |
| 1970 | The Looking Glass War | Yes | Yes |
| 1971 | The Anderson Tapes | No | Yes |
| 1975 | Dog Day Afternoon | No | Yes |
| 1976 | A Star Is Born | Yes | Yes |
| 1978 | King of the Gypsies | Yes | Yes |
| 1989 | In Country | No | Yes |
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent | No | Yes |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences 2001-2005 | Succeeded by |
