Gavin O'Connor (filmmaker)

Gavin O'Connor (born December 24, 1963) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, playwright, and actor. He is best known for directing the films Miracle, Warrior, The Accountant, and The Way Back.

Gavin O'Connor
Born (1963-12-24) December 24, 1963
Huntington, Long Island, New York, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania[1]
Occupation(s)Director, screenwriter, playwright, actor
Years active1992–present
Notable workMiracle
Warrior
The Accountant
Spouses
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(m. 1995; div. 1996)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2013)​
    Children1

    Life and career

    Gavin O'Connor was raised in Huntington, New York, on Long Island.[2] He wrote and produced Ted Demme's directorial debut, the short film The Bet.[3]

    Three years later, he made his own feature film co–writing and directing debut with Comfortably Numb, about the moral dilemmas facing a Connecticut preppie-turned-New York City prosecutor; the film was screened at both the Cannes Film Festival and the Boston Film Festival. O'Connor then turned to the stage, producing, writing, and starring in the Off-Broadway play Rumblings of a Romance Renaissance in 1997.

    At the same time, O'Connor began work on a screenplay based on then-wife Angela Shelton's memories of her childhood spent on the road with her serial-marrying mother.[4]

    Impressed by Tony Award-winning British actress Janet McTeer's appearance on Charlie Rose's talk show in 1997, he was determined to cast her in what had become Tumbleweeds (in which he co-starred); he and Shelton were forced to finance the film themselves after being unable to find backers.[5] The movie won the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival; McTeer's performance earned her a Golden Globe as Best Actress and Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild nominations in the same category; and Kimberly J. Brown, cast as her pre-teen daughter, won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance.

    In 2004, after serving as executive producer of several smaller, independent projects, O'Connor directed the film Miracle, based on the true story about the American ice hockey team's victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He also produced the Mark Kerr HBO documentary film, The Smashing Machine.

    O'Connor filmed the MMA film Warrior, for which he wrote the screenplay and directed. The film received a 2011 release, through Lions Gate Entertainment.

    In 2013, O'Connor was working on adapting the novel The Hustler into a stage play.[6] In April 2013, he signed on to direct Jane Got a Gun.[7]

    He executive produced and directed the pilot episode of the FX series The Americans. He directed and produced the pilot episode of the Netflix series Seven Seconds.[8] In June 2014, O'Connor was set to direct his upcoming action-adventure film, Massacre in the Himalayas, which Gianni Nunnari's Hollywood Gang Productions will produce about the murder of ten climbers and the local Pakistani cook who are intent on conquering the K2 summit.[9] He was also set to direct the WWII drama Atlantic Wall, starring Bradley Cooper.[10]

    On September 6, 2017, O'Connor landed the roles of director and writer of The Suicide Squad.[11] By October, O'Connor had exited the project due to his story treatment reportedly being identical to Birds of Prey, as well as his commitments to The Way Back.[12][13]

    Personal life

    O'Connor married actress Brooke Burns on June 22, 2013.[14] He was previously married to Angela Shelton.[5]

    Filmography
    Year Title
    Director Writer Producer Notes
    1992 The Bet No Yes Executive Short film
    1995 Comfortably Numb Yes Yes Yes Directorial debut
    1999 Tumbleweeds Yes Yes Executive
    2004 Miracle Yes No No
    2008 Pride and Glory Yes Yes No
    2011 Warrior Yes Yes Yes
    2015 Brothers No Story No Remade in Hindi as Warrior
    Jane Got a Gun Yes No No
    2016 The Accountant Yes No Executive
    2020 The Way Back Yes No Yes

    Producer only

    Year Title Notes
    2002 The Smashing Machine Documentary;
    Executive producer
    The Slaughter Rule
    2007 Elvis and Anabelle Executive producer

    Acting credits

    Year Title Role
    1999 Tumbleweeds Jack Ranson
    2001 The Glass House Whitey
    2011 Warrior J.J. Riley (uncredited) [15]

    Television
    Year Title Director Executive
    Producer    		 Writer Notes
    2004 Clubhouse Yes No Yes Episode "Pilot"
    2013-2014 The Americans Yes Yes No Episode "Pilot"
    2017 Seven Seconds Yes Yes No Episode "Pilot"
    2021 Mare of Easttown No Yes No

    References
    1. Lazor, Drew (October 12, 2016). "UPenn football star-turned-Hollywood director talks about the X's and O's of 'The Accountant'". PhillyVoice. WWB Holdings, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
    2. Lickona, Matthew (September 13, 2011). "Warrior's Faith". Retrieved July 14, 2013.
    3. Dawson, Nick (October 23, 2008). "Govin O'Connor, Pride and Glory". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
    4. Rubin, Saul (September 15, 1999). "Gavin O'Connor & Angela Shelton". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
    5. Wallace, Amy (December 19, 1999). "Mom and Daughter or David and Goliath 'Tumbleweeds' and 'Anywhere' Duke it Out at Box Office". SF Gate. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
    6. "Fighting Words – exclusive interview with Gavin O'Connor, director of 'Warrior'". IrishCentral. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
    7. "Bradley Cooper joins Jane Got a Gun". Moviehole.net. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
    8. "Gavin O'Connor Working on Veena Sud Netflix Project". Slashfilm. October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
    9. "'Warrior' Director Ascends the 'Massacre in the Himalayas'". Variety. June 2, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
    10. "Bradley Cooper, Gavin O'Connor Team On Imperative's WWII Drama 'Atlantic Wall'". Deadline.com. November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
    11. Gilyadov, Alex (September 6, 2017). "Suicide Squad 2 Taps The Accountant's Gavin O'Connor to Write and Direct". IGN. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
    12. McNary, Dave (October 9, 2018). "From Marvel to DC: James Gunn in Talks to Take on Suicide Squad 2". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
    13. Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 11, 2018). "Hot Spec Package: Ben Affleck, Gavin O'Connor Re-Team On Brad Ingelsby Script 'The Has-Been'". Deadline. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
    14. Finn, Natalie (December 13, 2011). "Newly Blond Brooke Burns Engaged to Warrior Director". E!. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
    15. "Gavin O'Connor". IMDb. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
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