Tony McNamara (writer)

McNamara was born in Kilmore, Australia, and was educated at Assumption College, Kilmore. Following careers in catering and finance, McNamara settled on a career as a writer following a visit to Rome.[1] His education consisted of studying writing at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and screenwriting at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.[2]

After writing various television episodes and stage plays,[3] McNamara made his film debut in 2003 directing The Rage in Placid Lake, adapted from his stage play The Café Latte Kid.[4]

Following this, McNamara wrote for various television programmes in Australia, most notably The Secret Life of Us, Love My Way, Tangle and Puberty Blues.[2] In 2015, McNamara directed his second feature film, comedy-drama Ashby starring Mickey Rourke, Sarah Silverman and Emma Roberts.[5]

A year later, McNamara returned to television as creator of medical drama Doctor Doctor.[6]

In 2018, McNamara received critical acclaim for his work in co-writing the historical comedy-drama film The Favourite.[7]

McNamara created The Great, a series revolving around the life of Catherine the Great, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult which premiered on Hulu on May 15, 2020.[8] It is based upon his play about Catherine the Great, which premiered at the Sydney Theater Company in 2008.[9] McNamara also wrote a film adaptation of the play, "It had been a play and a film, and I was always struggling [with] the fact it was such a massive story for a film. I wanted to tell it as a story that goes for years and years."[10][11]

McNamara is married to Australian actress Belinda Bromilow,[12] who appears as Aunt Elizabeth in The Great.

• Tony McNamara at IMDb