Paul Attanasio | |
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 Attanasio in 2015 | |
| Born | Paul Albert Attanasio (1959-11-14)November 14, 1959 (age 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse(s) | Katie Jacobs (divorced) Amanda Benefiel |
| Children | 3, includingAnnabelle |
| Relatives | Mark Attanasio (brother) |
Paul Albert Attanasio (born November 14, 1959) is an American screenwriter and producer. He has twice been nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, forQuiz Show (1994) andDonnie Brasco (1997).
Paul Albert Attanasio was born in theNew York City borough ofthe Bronx on November 14, 1959, the son of real estate broker Connie and commercial consultant Joseph Attanasio.[1] His great-grandparents were Italian immigrants fromPositano.[2] His older brother,Mark Attanasio, became a businessman and principal owner of theMilwaukee Brewers.[3] Attanasio grew up in thePelham Bay section of the Bronx, and later inTenafly, New Jersey, where he attended public high school.[4] He is a 1981 graduate ofHarvard College, where he lived inCurrier House, and earned hisJuris Doctor degree atHarvard Law School in 1984.[4]
Attanasio was a film critic forThe Washington Post from 1984 to 1987.[5] He started writing for television with theCBS sitcomDoctor Doctor and theNBC crime drama seriesHomicide: Life on the Street, for which he holds a "created by" credit.[6]
In 1995, Attanasio won aBAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work onQuiz Show.[7] He later wrote the screenplays for the thrillerDisclosure,[5] the gangster thrillerDonnie Brasco, the science fiction thrillerSphere, and the political thrillersThe Sum of All Fears andThe Good German. While he was making films, he started Heel & Toe Films, with a first-look production pact atParamount Pictures on July 17, 1998.[8]
In 2000, Attanasio returned to television as an executive producer of and writer for the medical dramaGideon's Crossing, as well as the pilot forR.U.S.H. On September 10, 2001, the Heel & Toe Films production company had signed a deal withStudios USA.[9] In 2004, Attanasio, alongside his then-wife and business partnerKatie Jacobs andDavid Shore, pitched what would becomeHouse, of which he was credited as an executive producer. He also co-createdBull and createdTommy, which premiered in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
In 2017, it was confirmed that Attanasio would be writing and executive producing a newAmazon Video series titledTong Wars.[10]
Attanasio and his ex-wife, producer and directorKatie Jacobs, have a son named John and two daughters namedAnnabelle (who became an actress) and Grace. They continue to run their production company Heel & Toe Films together. Attanasio is now married to artist Amanda Benefiel.
In 2013 John, then aged 16, was filmed driving a Chevrolet Camaro his father bought for him as a birthday gift. John is seen shouting homophobic slurs at another driver in the video, and claiming his own vehicle is "a million dollar car" – in reality it was worth under $60,000.[11][12]
Attanasio was featured inThe Dialogue interview series. In an interview with producer Mike DeLuca, he describes how he went from lambasting movies as a "snotty"Washington Post film critic to developing rewarding creative partnerships with Oscar-winning directorsRobert Redford,Barry Levinson, andSteven Soderbergh.
