Tom McCarthy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McCarthy in 2015 | |
| Born | Thomas Joseph McCarthy (1966-06-07)June 7, 1966 (age 59) |
| Education | Boston College(BA) Yale University(MFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1992–present |
Thomas Joseph McCarthy[1] (born June 7, 1966)[2] is an American filmmaker and actor who has appeared in several films, includingMeet the Parents andGood Night, and Good Luck, and television series such asThe Wire,Boston Public andLaw & Order.
McCarthy has received critical acclaim for his writing and directing work for theindependent filmsThe Station Agent (2003),The Visitor (2007),Win Win (2011), andSpotlight (2015), the last of which won theAcademy Award for Best Picture, won McCarthy theAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and earned him a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Director.
McCarthy also co-wrote the filmUp (2009) withBob Peterson andPete Docter, for which they received an Academy Award nomination forBest Original Screenplay. He also wroteMillion Dollar Arm (2014), and directed and executive-produced for theNetflix television series13 Reasons Why (2017). McCarthy also directedStillwater (2021), based on a script he co-wrote.
McCarthy was raised inNew Providence, New Jersey, one of five children of Carol and Eugene F. "Gene" McCarthy;[3][4] His father worked in the textile industry.[5] McCarthy was raisedCatholic in a family ofIrish descent.[6] He is a graduate ofNew Providence High School inNew Providence, New Jersey andBoston College (1988), where he was a member of theimprov comedy troupe My Mother's Fleabag; and theYale School of Drama,[7][8] where he studied underEarle R. Gister.
McCarthy spent several years doing stand-up comedy and theater in Minneapolis and Chicago before going into television and film.[9] He starred inFlags of Our Fathers asJames Bradley, and in the final season ofThe Wire as the morally challenged reporterScott Templeton. He made his Broadway debut in the 2001 revival ofNoises Off!.[10]
McCarthy's directorial debut,The Station Agent, which he also wrote, won the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the2003Sundance Film Festival. It also won theBAFTA Award forBest Original Screenplay, theIndependent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, theIndependent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and awards at film festivals ranging fromSan Sebastian toStockholm, Mexico City, and Aspen.[11]
McCarthy's second feature film wasThe Visitor, which premiered at the 2007Toronto International Film Festival, and for which McCarthy won the 2008Independent Spirit Award for Best Director.[12] He appeared in the 2009 dramasThe Lovely Bones and2012.[13][14] In 2010, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for thePixar animated filmUp, which he co-wrote.[15]
In 2010, McCarthy directed the unaired pilot for theHBO seriesGame of Thrones, but the final cut of the episode was poorly received by showrunnersDavid Benioff andD. B. Weiss.[16] McCarthy was replaced byTim Van Patten, who directed the final version of the pilot that aired in 2011.[17] The experience discouraged McCarthy from returning to television directing for several years.[18]
He also co-wrote and directed 2011'sWin Win, based on his experiences as a wrestler at New Providence High School.[19]
McCarthy's independent drama filmSpotlight (2015) was widely acclaimed. It received sixAcademy Awards nominations, threeGolden Globe Awards nominations, twoScreen Actors Guild Awards nominations, and eightCritics' Choice Movie Awards nominations.
McCarthy directed the first two episodes of13 Reasons Why, fromAnonymous Content andParamount Television. It is based on the 2007The New York Times bestsellingYA book byJay Asher.[20] In 2019, he signed a first-look TV deal with Fox 21 Television Studios (now20th Television).[21]
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | |||
| 2003 | The Station Agent | Yes | Yes | No | BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay |
| 2007 | The Visitor | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2009 | Up | No | Story | No | Nominated –Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay |
| 2011 | Win Win | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | Million Dollar Arm | No | Yes | No | |
| The Cobbler | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2015 | Spotlight | Yes | Yes | No | Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated –Academy Award for Best Director Nominated –Golden Globe Award for Best Director Nominated –Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay |
| 2018 | Christopher Robin | No | Yes | No | |
| The Nutcracker and the Four Realms | No | Uncredited | No | Rewrites on reshoots[22] | |
| 2020 | Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | Stillwater | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2026 | The Gallerist | No | No | Yes | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Crossing the Bridge | Chris | |
| 1993 | Rift | Bartender #1 | |
| 1997 | Conspiracy Theory | Helicopter Spotter | |
| 1999 | In My Sister's Shadow | Michael Butler | |
| 30 Days | Brad Drazin | ||
| 2000 | Certain Guys | Mitch | |
| Meet the Parents | Dr. Robert "Bob" Banks | ||
| 2002 | The Guru | Lars | |
| 2004 | The Last Shot | Agent Pike | |
| 2005 | Good Night, and Good Luck | Palmer Williams | |
| Syriana | Fred Franks | ||
| The Great New Wonderful | David Burbage | ||
| 2006 | All the King's Men | Editor | |
| The Situation | Major Hanks | ||
| Beautiful Ohio | Older William Messerman | ||
| Flags of Our Fathers | James Bradley | ||
| 2007 | Year of the Dog | Pier Spade | |
| Michael Clayton | Walter | Voice only | |
| 2008 | Baby Mama | Kate's Date | |
| 2009 | Mammoth | Bob | |
| Duplicity | Jeff Bauer | ||
| The Lovely Bones | Principal Caden | ||
| 2012 | Gordon Silberman | ||
| 2010 | Jack Goes Boating | Dr. Bob | |
| Fair Game | Jeff | ||
| Little Fockers | Dr. Bob | ||
| 2015 | Pixels | Michael the Robot | |
| 2024 | The Friend | Dr. Warren |
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | |||
| 2010 | Game of Thrones | Yes | No | No | Unaired pilot |
| 2011 | No | No | Consulting | Episode: "Winter Is Coming" | |
| 2014 | Kim Philby: His Most Intimate Betrayal | Yes | No | Yes | BBCdocudrama, episode 2 |
| 2017-2020 | 13 Reasons Why | Yes | No | Executive | Episodes "Tape 1, Side A" and "Tape 1, Side B" |
| 2019 | The Loudest Voice | No | Yes | Executive | Also creator |
| 2022–23 | Alaska Daily | Yes | Yes | Executive | Also creator |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Mary & Tim | Tim Melville | Television film |
| New York Undercover | Gus Farina | Episode "Toy Soldiers" | |
| 1998 | Saint Maybe | Ian Bedloe | Television film |
| Spin City | Priest | Episode "Bye, Bye, Birdie" | |
| 2000 | D.C. | Joseph Scott | Episode "Truth" |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Nick Ganzer | Episode "Contact" | |
| Ally McBeal | Peter Hanks | Episode "Do You Wanna Dance?" | |
| 2000–2001 | Boston Public | Kevin Riley | 14 episodes |
| 2001 | The Practice | Episode "The Day After" | |
| 2002–2008 | Law & Order | Various characters | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | The Wire | Scott Templeton | 10 episodes |
| 2020 | Little America | Professor Robbins | Episode "The Cowboy" |
| 2022 | The Last Movie Stars | Sidney Lumet (voice) | Documentary series |
