Introduction
Daniel Christopher "Dan" Gilroy (born June 24, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director. An Academy Award nominee, he has co-written films such as Real Steel (2011) and The Bourne Legacy (2012), but is best known for writing and directing the 2014 thriller Nightcrawler, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
Early life
Gilroy was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Frank D. Gilroy, and sculptor and writer Ruth Dorothy (Gaydos). His brother, Tony Gilroy, is a screenwriter and director; and his fraternal twin brother, John Gilroy, is a film editor.
Gilroy grew up in Washingtonville, New York, and graduated from Washingtonville High School. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1981.
Career
Gilroy wrote the script for 2005 gambling drama Two for the Money, starring Al Pacino and Gilroy's wife Rene Russo. His earliest credit is as co-writer of science fiction thriller Freejack (1992), followed by co-writing Dennis Hopper-directed comedy Chasers.
Gilroy was also one of the many writers to contribute to the unmade Superman film Superman Lives and later appeared in the documentary The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?
He made his directorial debut with the 2014 crime thriller Nightcrawler. Gilroy also wrote the screenplay, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Gilroy is set to write the upcoming comic strip adventure The Annihilator.
It was revealed that his next directorial project is Roman Israel, Esq., a legal drama in the vein of Paul Newman's The Verdict. Gilroy has cast Denzel Washington in the lead role.
Personal life
He has been married to actress Rene Russo since 1992; they have a daughter, Rose, born in 1993.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Freejack | Co-writer | with Steven Pressfield and Ronald Shusett |
| 1994 | Chasers | Co-writer | with Joe Batteer and John Rice |
| 2005 | Two for the Money | Writer/Executive Producer | |
| 2006 | The Fall | Co-writer | with Tarsem Singh and Nico Soultanakis |
| 2011 | Real Steel | Story Co-writer | with Jeremy Leven |
| 2012 | The Bourne Legacy | Co-writer | with Tony Gilroy |
| 2014 | Nightcrawler | Director/Writer | Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best First Film Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best New Filmmaker Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Debut Director Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Breakthrough Performance Behind the Camera San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Director San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated - Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Award for Most Promising Filmmaker Nominated - Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated - Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Director Nominated - Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year Nominated - St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Runner-up - Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best First Feature Runner-up - Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated - Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay |
| 2017 | Kong: Skull Island | Co-writer | with Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly |
| 2018 | Roman Israel, Esq. | Director/Writer | Filming |