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{{short description|American screenwriter and producer (born 1959)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
|name = Paul Attanasio | name = Paul Attanasio
|image = | image = Paul Attanasio.jpg
|caption = | caption = Attanasio in 2015
| birth_name =
|birth_date = {{bda|1959|11|14}} | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|11|14}}
|birth_place = ], ] | birth_place = ], New York, U.S.
| alma_mater =
| occupation = {{flatlist|
*Screenwriter
*producer
}}
| years_active =
| known_for = '']''
⚫ | spouse =
| children =
}} }}
Paul Attanasio is an American screenwriter and producer. He was born in New York City and grew up in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx, and later in Tenafly, New Jersey, where he attended public high school. His father, Joe, was an industrial engineer, and his mother, Connie, was a real estate agent. In his twenty-five years in Hollywood, he has been nominated for every major award in film and television, including the Academy Award, the BAFTA, the Writers’ Guild of America award, the Emmy, the Peabody Award, and the Golden Globe. His screenwriting credits include “Quiz Show”, “Donnie Brasco,” “Disclosure”, and “The Good German”. In television, he created the long-running, critically acclaimed NBC series “Homicide: Life on the Street”, and served as executive producer of “House, MD”, the most watched show in the world (with 82 million viewers worldwide).
His current projects include the upcoming Showtime series “The Vatican” (in partnership with Ridley Scott) and a reboot of the “Scarface” franchise. Attanasio is a graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Law School.


'''Paul Albert Attanasio''' (born November 14, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film and television producer. He has twice been nominated for the ], for '']'' (1994) and '']'' (1997).
He has a 16 year old son named John Attanasio who drives a $1,000,000.00 Chevrolet Camaro and doesn't like BBS wheels.

==Early life==
Paul Attanasio was born in ], New York City, the son of Connie, a real estate broker, and Joseph Attanasio, a commercial consultant.<ref>, filmreference.com, retrieved September 4, 2013.</ref> He is the great-grandson of immigrants from ] on ]'s ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Baldassaro|first=Lawrence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkcqDwAAQBAJ&q=connie+attanasio+los+angeles&pg=PA411|title=Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball|date=2011-03-01|publisher=U of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-0-8032-1705-8|language=en}}</ref> He grew up in the ] section of the Bronx, and later in ], where he attended public high school.<ref name=NYT1994>Bernard Weinraub, , '']'', September 12, 1994, retrieved September 4, 2013: "Mr. Attanasio grew up in the Bronx, in Pelham Bay, and his family later moved to Tenafly, N.J. (His father, Joseph, a businessman, had speaking parts in "Quiz Show" and "Disclosure.") After graduating from Harvard in 1981, and then Harvard Law School in 1984, he was hired at the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore."</ref> He is a 1981 graduate of ], where he lived in ], and earned his ] degree at ] in 1984.<ref name=NYT1994/>

==Career==

Attanasio was a film critic for '']'' from 1984 to 1987.<ref name=Berkman>Meredith Berkman, , ''Entertainment Weekly'', December 16, 1994, retrieved September 7, 2013.</ref> He started writing for television with the ] sitcom '']'' and the ] ] '']'', for which he holds a 'Created by' credit.<ref>Harriet Winslow, '']'', , '']'', April 30, 1998, p. 34, retrieved September 7, 2013.</ref>

In 1995 he won a ] for his work on '']''.<ref>, ] Awards, retrieved December 22, 2014.</ref> He later wrote the screenplays for the thriller '']'',<ref name=Berkman/> the gangster thriller '']'', the science fiction thriller '']'', and the political thrillers '']'' and '']''. While he was making films, he started Heel & Toe Films, with a first-look production pact at ] on July 17, 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Petrikin|first1=Chris|last2=Hindes|first2=Andrew|date=1998-07-17|title=Attanasio duo ink Par pact|url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/attanasio-duo-ink-par-pact-1117478579/|access-date=2021-12-14|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2000, he returned to television as an executive producer of and writer for the medical drama ''],'' as well as the pilot for ''R.U.S.H''. On September 10, 2001, the Heel & Toe Films production company had signed a deal with ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Adalian|first=Josef|date=2001-09-11|title=Heel & Toe marching to Studios USA|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/news/heel-toe-marching-to-studios-usa-1117852525/|access-date=2021-12-14|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2004, Attanasio, alongside his then-wife and business partner ] and ], pitched what would become '']'', of which he was credited as an executive producer. He also created '']'' and co-created ], which premiered in 2020 and 2016, respectively.

In 2017, it was confirmed that he would be writing and executive producing a new ] series titled ''Tong Wars''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amazon Orders Fred Armisen-Maya Rudolph Come Wong Kar-wai Drama, 3 Other Projects (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/amazon-armisen-rudolph-wong-1202552683/|website=Variety|date=September 8, 2017}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Formerly married to his business partner ], he is now married to Amanda Benefiel, an artist. With Jacobs, he shares three children, ], John, and Grace. Attanasio is the brother of ], a Los Angeles investment manager who is the principal owner of the ].<ref>Tyler Kepner, , ''The New York Times'', September 30, 2011, retrieved September 4, 2013.</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/john-attanasio-homophobic-sexist_n_3877220.html|title = WATCH: Son of Famed Screenwriter Unleashes Homophobic Tirade| website=] |date = September 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gawker.com/hollywood-screenwriters-son-rear-ends-car-goes-on-ric-1253990808|title = Hollywood Screenwriter's Son Nearly Rear-Ends Car, Goes on Rich Kid Rant}}</ref>

==TV appearances==
Attanasio was featured in ''The 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 directors ], ], and ].

==Filmography==
=== Writer ===
* '']'' (1994)
* '']'' (1994)
* '']'' (1997)
* '']'' (1998)
* '']'' (2002)
* '']'' (2006)

=== Uncredited rewrites ===
* '']'' (1994)
* '']'' (1997)
* '']'' (1998)
* '']'' (1998)
* '']'' (2001)
* '']'' (2007)
* '']'' (2010)

=== Creator ===
* '']'' (1993–1999)
* '']'' (2000–2001)
* '']'' (2004–2012, uncredited)
* '']'' (2016–2022)
* '']'' (2020)

==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}
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*{{IMDb name|0001921}} *{{IMDb name|0001921}}


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⚫ {{BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay 1983-1999}}
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⚫ {{BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay 1983–1999}}
⚫ | NAME = Attanasio, Paul
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year}}
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Television and film producer
| DATE OF BIRTH = November 14, 1959
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ], ]
| DATE OF DEATH =
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Latest revision as of 07:35, 10 January 2025

American screenwriter and producer (born 1959)

Paul Attanasio
Attanasio in 2015
Born (1959-11-14) November 14, 1959 (age 65)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • producer
Known forDisclosure

Paul Albert Attanasio (born November 14, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film and television producer. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, for Quiz Show (1994) and Donnie Brasco (1997).

Early life

Paul Attanasio was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of Connie, a real estate broker, and Joseph Attanasio, a commercial consultant. He is the great-grandson of immigrants from Positano on Italy's Amalfi coast. He grew up in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, and later in Tenafly, New Jersey, where he attended public high school. He is a 1981 graduate of Harvard College, where he lived in Currier House, and earned his Juris Doctor degree at Harvard Law School in 1984.

Career

Attanasio was a film critic for The Washington Post from 1984 to 1987. He started writing for television with the CBS sitcom Doctor Doctor and the NBC crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street, for which he holds a 'Created by' credit.

In 1995 he won a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on Quiz Show. He later wrote the screenplays for the thriller Disclosure, the gangster thriller Donnie Brasco, the science fiction thriller Sphere, and the political thrillers The Sum of All Fears and The Good German. While he was making films, he started Heel & Toe Films, with a first-look production pact at Paramount Pictures on July 17, 1998.

In 2000, he returned to television as an executive producer of and writer for the medical drama Gideon's Crossing, as well as the pilot for R.U.S.H. On September 10, 2001, the Heel & Toe Films production company had signed a deal with Studios USA. In 2004, Attanasio, alongside his then-wife and business partner Katie Jacobs and David Shore, pitched what would become House, of which he was credited as an executive producer. He also created Tommy and co-created Bull, which premiered in 2020 and 2016, respectively.

In 2017, it was confirmed that he would be writing and executive producing a new Amazon Video series titled Tong Wars.

Personal life

Formerly married to his business partner Katie Jacobs, he is now married to Amanda Benefiel, an artist. With Jacobs, he shares three children, Annabelle, John, and Grace. Attanasio is the brother of Mark Attanasio, a Los Angeles investment manager who is the principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers.

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.

TV appearances

Attanasio was featured in The 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 directors Robert Redford, Barry Levinson, and Steven Soderbergh.

Filmography

Writer

Uncredited rewrites

Creator

References

  1. Paul Attanasio, filmreference.com, retrieved September 4, 2013.
  2. Baldassaro, Lawrence (March 1, 2011). Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-1705-8.
  3. ^ Bernard Weinraub, "Flawed Characters In the Public Eye, Past and Present", The New York Times, September 12, 1994, retrieved September 4, 2013: "Mr. Attanasio grew up in the Bronx, in Pelham Bay, and his family later moved to Tenafly, N.J. (His father, Joseph, a businessman, had speaking parts in "Quiz Show" and "Disclosure.") After graduating from Harvard in 1981, and then Harvard Law School in 1984, he was hired at the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore."
  4. ^ Meredith Berkman, "The Pagemaster", Entertainment Weekly, December 16, 1994, retrieved September 7, 2013.
  5. Harriet Winslow, The Washington Post, "'Homicide' defies odds, marks 100th episode", The Post and Courier, April 30, 1998, p. 34, retrieved September 7, 2013.
  6. Film: Adapted Screenplay, BAFTA Awards, retrieved December 22, 2014.
  7. Petrikin, Chris; Hindes, Andrew (July 17, 1998). "Attanasio duo ink Par pact". Variety. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  8. Adalian, Josef (September 11, 2001). "Heel & Toe marching to Studios USA". Variety. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  9. "Amazon Orders Fred Armisen-Maya Rudolph Come Wong Kar-wai Drama, 3 Other Projects (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. September 8, 2017.
  10. Tyler Kepner, "Owner Goes All In on the Brewers", The New York Times, September 30, 2011, retrieved September 4, 2013.
  11. "WATCH: Son of Famed Screenwriter Unleashes Homophobic Tirade". HuffPost. September 6, 2013.
  12. "Hollywood Screenwriter's Son Nearly Rear-Ends Car, Goes on Rich Kid Rant".

External links

Awards for Paul Attanasio
BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
1983–2000
2001–present
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year
Categories: