Tom McCarthy (director)

Tom McCarthy
McCarthy at the 2015 Mill Valley Film Festival
Born
Thomas Joseph McCarthy

(1966-06-07) June 7, 1966 (age 57)
EducationBoston College (BA)
Yale University (MFA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1992–present

Thomas Joseph McCarthy[1] (born June 7, 1966)[2] is an American filmmaker and actor who has appeared in several films, including Meet the Parents and Good Night, and Good Luck, and television series such as The Wire, Boston Public and Law & Order.

McCarthy has received critical acclaim for his writing and directing work for the independent films The Station Agent (2003), The Visitor (2007), Win Win (2011), and Spotlight (2015), the last of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, won McCarthy the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director.

McCarthy also co-wrote the film Up (2009) with Bob Peterson and Pete Docter, for which they received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. McCarthy also wrote Million Dollar Arm (2014), and directed and executive-produced for the Netflix television series 13 Reasons Why (2017).

Early life[edit]

McCarthy was raised in New Providence, New Jersey, one of five children of Carol and Eugene F. "Gene" McCarthy;[3][4] His father worked in the textile industry.[5] McCarthy was raised Catholic in a family of Irish descent.[6] He is a graduate of New Providence High School in New Providence, New Jersey and Boston College (1988), where he was a member of the improv comedy troupe My Mother's Fleabag; and the Yale School of Drama,[7][8] where he studied under Earle R. Gister.

Career[edit]

McCarthy spent several years doing stand-up comedy and theater in Minneapolis and Chicago before going into television and film.[9] He starred in Flags of Our Fathers as James Bradley, and in the final season of The Wire as the morally challenged reporter Scott Templeton. He made his Broadway debut in the 2001 revival of Noises Off!.[10]

McCarthy's directorial debut, The Station Agent, which he also wrote, won the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and awards at film festivals ranging from San Sebastian to Stockholm, Mexico City, and Aspen.[11]

McCarthy's second feature film was The Visitor, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, and for which McCarthy won the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Director.[12] He appeared in the 2009 dramas The Lovely Bones and 2012.[13][14] In 2010, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the Pixar animated film Up, which he co-wrote.[15]

In 2010, McCarthy directed the unaired pilot for the HBO series Game of Thrones, but the final cut of the episode was poorly received by showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.[16] McCarthy was replaced by Tim Van Patten, who directed the final version of the pilot that aired in 2011.[17] The experience discouraged McCarthy from returning to television directing for several years.[18]

He also co-wrote and directed 2011's Win Win, based on his experiences as a wrestler at New Providence High School.[19]

McCarthy's independent drama film Spotlight (2015) was widely acclaimed. It received six Academy Awards nominations, three Golden Globe Awards nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, and eight Critics' Choice Movie Awards nominations.

McCarthy directed the first two episodes of 13 Reasons Why, from Anonymous Content and Paramount Television. It is based on the 2007 The New York Times bestselling YA book by Jay Asher.[20] In 2019, he signed a first-look TV deal with Fox 21 Television Studios (now 20th Television).[21]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Credit Notes
Director Writer Producer
2003 The Station Agent Yes Yes No BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
2007 The Visitor Yes Yes No
2009 Up No Story No Nominated – Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
2011 Win Win Yes Yes Yes
2014 Million Dollar Arm No Yes No
The Cobbler Yes Yes Yes
2015 Spotlight Yes Yes No Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Director
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Director
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
2018 Christopher Robin No Yes No
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms No Uncredited No Rewrites on reshoots[22]
2020 Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made Yes Yes Yes
2021 Stillwater Yes Yes Yes

Acting credits[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Crossing the Bridge Chris
1993 Rift Bartender #1
1997 Conspiracy Theory Helicopter Spotter
1999 In My Sister's Shadow Michael Butler
30 Days Brad Drazin
2000 Certain Guys Mitch
Meet the Parents Dr. Robert "Bob" Banks
2002 The Guru Lars
2004 The Last Shot Agent Pike
2005 Good Night, and Good Luck Palmer Williams
Syriana Fred Franks
The Great New Wonderful David Burbage
2006 All the King's Men Editor
The Situation Major Hanks
Beautiful Ohio Older William Messerman
Flags of Our Fathers James Bradley
2007 Year of the Dog Pier Spade
Michael Clayton Walter Voice only
2008 Baby Mama Kate's Date
2009 Mammoth Bob
Duplicity Jeff Bauer
The Lovely Bones Principal Caden
2012 Gordon Silberman
2010 Jack Goes Boating Dr. Bob
Fair Game Jeff
Little Fockers Dr. Bob
2015 Pixels Michael the Robot

Television[edit]

Year Title Credit Notes
Director Writer Producer
2010 Game of Thrones Yes No No Unaired pilot
2011 No No Consulting Episode: "Winter Is Coming"
2017 13 Reasons Why Yes No Executive Episodes "Tape 1, Side A" and "Tape 1, Side B"
2019 The Loudest Voice No Yes Executive Also creator
2022–23 Alaska Daily Yes Yes Executive Also creator

Acting credits[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1996 Mary & Tim Tim Melville Television film
New York Undercover Gus Farina Episode "Toy Soldiers"
1998 Saint Maybe Ian Bedloe Television film
Spin City Priest Episode "Bye, Bye, Birdie"
2000 D.C. Joseph Scott Episode "Truth"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Nick Ganzer Episode "Contact"
Ally McBeal Peter Hanks Episode "Do You Wanna Dance?"
2000–2001 Boston Public Kevin Riley 14 episodes
2001 The Practice Episode "The Day After"
2002–2008 Law & Order Various characters 3 episodes
2008 The Wire Scott Templeton 10 episodes
2020 Little America Professor Robbins Episode "The Cowboy"
2022 The Last Movie Stars Sidney Lumet Documentary series

Other awards and nominations[edit]

Year Title Award
2003 The Station Agent Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay
Sundance Film Festival Audience Award (Dramatic)
Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
2007 The Visitor Brisbane International Film Festival Interfaith Award
Deauville American Film Festival Grand Special Prize
Independent Spirit Award for Best Director
Method Fest Independent Film Festival Award for Best Director
Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Director
Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
2009 Up Nominated – Annie Award for Writing in a Feature Production
Nominated – Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form
2011 Win Win Nominated – Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
2014 The Cobbler Nominated – Saturn Award for Best DVD or Blu-ray Release
2015 Spotlight AACTA International Award for Best Screenplay
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Director
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Original Screenplay
Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Director
Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Original Screenplay
Boston Online Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay
Chicago International Film Festival Best Narrative English-Language Feature
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Screenplay
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay
Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay
Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay
Independent Spirit Award for Best Director
Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay
Satellite Award for Best Director
Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated – Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Nominated – Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
Nominated – Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Director
Nominated – Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Director
Nominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Director
Nominated – Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film
Nominated – Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director
Nominated – National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director
Nominated – Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Thomas McCarthy Biography ((?)-)".
  2. ^ Jessica Iredale (June 23, 2011). "Boys' Night Out With Tom McCarthy". WWD.
  3. ^ "Thomas McCarthy on His First Cast". Wall Street Journal. March 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "Obituary: Eugene F. McCarthy of New Providence". Independent Press. NJ.com. March 25, 2013.
  5. ^ Hoby, Hermione (May 20, 2011). "The 'man strength' behind Win Win's Thomas McCarthy". The Guardian.
  6. ^ "Tom McCarthy Speaks About Opening 'Spotlight' In Catholic Italy, How He Cast Michael Keaton, And How Journalism Is Deteriorating". Variety. September 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "The Heights 4 November 2003 — Boston College". newspapers.bc.edu. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  8. ^ "Five Yalies nominated for Academy Awards; two take home the prize". yale.edu. March 2, 2016.
  9. ^ "'Spotlight' writer-director Tom McCarthy on his time as a Chicago theater actor". Chicago Tribune. November 10, 2015.
  10. ^ Wiltz, Teresa (September 3, 2001). "Down to "The Wire": It's a Wrap for Gritty TV Series". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
  11. ^ "The Station Agent – Awards". Retrieved March 14, 2008.
  12. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (February 23, 2009). "'The Wrestler' tops Spirit Awards". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  13. ^ "HBO: The Wire: Inside". HBO.
  14. ^ "Tom McCarthy to helm HBO's "Game of Thrones" starring Peter Dinklage". www.moviejungle.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  15. ^ "The 82nd Academy Awards (2010) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  16. ^ Hough, Q.V. (February 14, 2019). "Game of Thrones' Original Pilot Would Have Killed the Show Before It Began". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  17. ^ Oller, Jacob (September 14, 2020). "Game of Thrones' Disastrous Unaired Pilot Included Cersei as 'Medieval Dolly Parton,' Totally Different Daenerys Wedding". SyFy. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Robinson, Joanna (February 3, 2016). "Game of Thrones Show-Runners Get Extremely Candid About Their Original "Piece of Sh—t" Pilot". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  19. ^ Angelo, Megan. "Just Like the Good Old Days in the Ring", The New York Times, March 18, 2011. Accessed July 25, 2012. ""I just called Joe and said, 'Let's develop a movie based on New Providence wrestling,' " Mr. McCarthy said.... Because of tax credits, they shot on Long Island rather than in New Providence. But they scouted locations tirelessly, most notably the office and home that Mr. Giamatti's character shuttles between.... Though the locations might have been fudged, the filmmakers kept New Providence High School in the film by using its banners, uniforms and wrestling mats, an effort facilitated by one of their former classmates, who's now the school's principal."
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. [1], "Deadline", February 25, 2016. Accessed July 16, 2016.
  21. ^ Otterson, Joe (December 10, 2019). "Tom McCarthy Signs Overall Deal With Fox 21 Television Studios". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  22. ^ Kit, Borys (December 12, 2017). "Joe Johnston to Direct Disney's 'Nutcracker and the Four Realms' Reshoots (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

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