Christopher Wilkinson

For other people named Chris Wilkinson, see Chris Wilkinson (disambiguation).
Christopher Wilkinson
Born (1950-03-29) March 29, 1950
New York, NY
Nationality American
Alma mater Temple University
Occupation Screenwriter, producer, director
Years active 1979–present
Spouse(s) Cathy Guisewite (1997-2011)
Children 2

Christopher Wilkinson (born March 29, 1950) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Nixon (1995).[1] He also wrote the screenplays for Ali (2001)[2] and Copying Beethoven (2006), the latter of which he also produced.[3] Most of his scripts are historically based and co-written with Stephen J. Rivele.

Early life

Wilkinson was born in New York City and raised in Philadelphia. He began his career as a musician before attending film school at Temple University.[4]

Career

Wilkinson starting out his career writing, producing and directing industrials, commercials and documentaries in Philadelphia and New York, while also working as a cameraman for ESPN, CBS Sports and EUE/Screen Gems. His documentaries from this time include Engine 2, Ladder 3, Echoes and One in Ten, all of which appeared on PBS. These films won awards at the Chicago International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and CINE (among others).[4]

Wilkinson has written several biopics with frequent writing partner Stephen J. Rivele, starting with 1995's Nixon, directed by Oliver Stone and starring Anthony Hopkins, about the life of president Richard Nixon.[5] Ali (2001), directed by Michael Mann and starring Will Smith, details Muhammad Ali's boxing career and soul-searching struggles.[2] Copying Beethoven (2006) dramatized the last years of Ludwig van Beethoven's life as he became increasingly isolated, struggled with deafness and was scorned by the public. Wilkinson also produced the film, which was directed by Agnieszka Holland and starred Ed Harris.[3][6] In 2008, he and Rivele did script work on Moneyball (2011).[7] He was a writer and executive producer on Pawn Sacrifice (2014), Miles Ahead (2015), and wrote and directed the PBS film, Virtuosity (2014).

Wilkinson worked on the screenplays for Mercury, a biopic about Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, who died of complications from AIDS in 1991,[8] the long-planned All Eyez on Me, based on the final days of rapper Tupac Shakur, who was killed in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting in 1996,[9][10][11] and Birth of the Dragon, Bruce Lee origin story inspired by the real-life no-rules fight between Lee and Chinese kung fu master Wong Jack Man.[12]

Personal life

Wilkinson resides in Los Angeles, California, with his son.[13] He was formerly married to cartoonist Cathy Guisewite (creator of the comic strip Cathy).

Filmography

References

External links

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