Paul Haggis - Biography

Last Editor: Gammabba				Paul Haggis Biography -   Name : Paul Haggis Date of birth : 10 March 1953 Place of birth : London, Ontario, Canada

Paul Haggis Trivia -

Son of Edward H. Haggis and Mary Yvonne Metcalf, children : Alissa Sullivan, Lauren Kilvington, Katy Elizabeth. In March 2003, Razor Magazine made a list of "nonconformists that defy dictates, the iconoclasts that cling to independent thought, the radicals that refuse adherence, that give us pause. They are what legends are made of." Along with Sam Shepard, Julian Schnabel, Baz Luhrmann, Lance Armstrong, Richard Branson, Robert Shapiro, John Irving and Bill Clinton, Razor Magazine named Haggis one of its "25 Mavericks of our time." The April 7, 2005 issue of Rolling Stone chose him as their breakthrough filmmaker of the year, saying "Crash, Haggis' directorial film debut is already being touted for this year's awards race." He was originally going to direct Million Dollar Baby (2004). He was in the middle of directing Crash (2004) when Clint Eastwood asked to direct the film after being offered the lead. Haggis agreed. Had a heart attack during the filming of "Crash," yet refused to let anyone else finish directing it. He returned to directing 2 weeks after the event.

Paul Haggis Detailed Biography -

In 2000, Paul left a successful career in television to concentrate on making feature films. His first step was finding a book of short stories by longtime fight manager Jerry Boyd, writing under the name F.X. Toole. Paul optioned two of his short stories with his producing partner and then wrote the screenplay on spec. It wasn't an easy adaptation, and once finished, it wasn't obvious studio material. But after attaching Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, Paul's producing partner sent it to Clint Eastwood, and Million Dollar Baby quickly became a reality. In 2004, Clint shot Paul's first draft script without change and the film was in the theatres less than a year after Clint first read it. Back in 2000, Paul also concocted a story for an original screenplay that he and friend Bobby Moresco wrote, entitled Crash. Paul's producing partner, Mark Harris, set it up at Bob Yari's Stratus/Bulls Eye Entertainment, and Paul directed the film in 2003. The ensemble cast includes Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Thandie Newton and Ryan Phillippe. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to sold-out crowds and rave reviews and was acquired by Lions Gate for domestic distribution. It is set to be released April 29, 2005. Paul then wrote the screenplay for Clint Eastwood's next film, Flags Of Our Fathers, the true story of the six men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima, based on the book by James Bradley. Steven Spielberg is producing. Steven and Paul are now co-writing an untitled script, an original idea of Steven's, for Paul to direct for Dreamworks SKG. And over on the Warner Lot, Paul and Clint are collaborating on a third project, which they are also keeping under wraps. Paul is currently casting what he hopes will be his next directing project, Honeymoon with Harry, a screenplay he wrote for New Line Cinema and Karz Entertainment, based on the book by Bart Baker. Also going into production in the Spring of 2005 is The Last Kiss, a screenplay Paul wrote for Lakeshore Entertainment, based on the Italian film of the same title. Zach Braff and Rachel McAdams are starring with Tony Goldwyn directing. Paul has created a variety of shows for television; his favorite being the critically acclaimed CBS series EZ Street. Although the series was short-lived, it still routinely turns up on critics' Top Ten lists. The NY Times recently named it one of the most influential TV series of all time, saying "without EZ Streets, there would be no Sopranos." Haggis is the recipient of many awards, including two Emmys, The Humanitas Prize, TV Critics Association Program of the Year Award, Viewers For Quality Television Founders Award, Banff TV Award, the Columbia Mystery Writers Award, six Geminis, two Houston Worldfest Gold Awards and the Prism Award. He also recently accepted the EMA Award, the Genesis Award, the Ethel Levitt Memorial Award for Humanitarian Service and the WGA's prestigious Valentine Davies Award, awarded to Paul for "bringing honor and dignity to writers everywhere." Haggis is co-founder of Artists for Peace and Justice, a member of the Board of Directors of The Hollywood Education and Literacy Project; For the Arts - For Every Child; the Environmental Media Association; and a founding board member of ECO, the Earth Communications Office. He is also member of The President's Council of The Defenders of Wildlife, and a member of the Advisory Board of The Center for the Advancement of Non-Violence.