RICHARD LaGRAVENESE first garnered acclaim for his screenplay for "The Fisher King," directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges and Mercedes Ruehl. LaGravenese was honored with an Academy Award® nomination, as well as BAFTA and Writers Guild of America Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay.
He recently wrote Steven Soderbergh's "Behind the Candelabra," starring Matt Damon, and Michael Douglas as Liberace. He also adapted the screenplay for Francis Lawrence's "Water for Elephants," starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, from the novel by Sara Gruen.
LaGravenese previously wrote and directed the romantic drama "P.S. I Love You," and the true-life drama based on Erin Gruwell's bestselling novel Freedom Writers, both starring Hillary Swank. He was also one of the 20 international filmmakers who participated in creating the acclaimed film project "Paris je t'aime," a compilation of 20 short films about Paris, which premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. LaGravenese's segment, "Pigalle," starred Fanny Ardent and Bob Hoskins.
LaGravenese made his directorial debut from his own original screenplay, with the critically praised "Living Out Loud," starring Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito and Queen Latifah. In 2003, LaGravenese partnered with Ted Demme to direct and produce the documentary "A Decade Under the Influence," which explored the groundbreaking films and filmmakers of the 1970s. The film earned an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Nonfiction Special and won a National Board of Review Award.
His additional screenwriting credits include "The Ref," directed by Ted Demme and starring Denis Leary, which LaGravenese also produced; Alfonso Cuaron's "A Little Princess"; "Unstrung Heroes," directed by Diane Keaton; Clint Eastwood's "The Bridges of Madison County," based on the bestselling novel and starring Eastwood and Meryl Streep; Barbra Streisand's "The Mirror Has Two Faces"; "The Horse Whisperer," directed by and starring Robert Redford; and Jonathan Demme's "Beloved." Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, LaGravenese is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Experimental Theatre Wing.
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