Paul Haggis Biography
Paul Haggis absorbed the principles of playwriting and theater production at an early age. His parents owned the Gallery Theatre in London, Ontario, and it was there that he began to develop his skills. Haggis went on to study cinematography at Fanshawe College before moving to California in 1975 at the age of 22, ready to begin writing for the camera. He started by contributing to such programs as The_Love_Boat, One Day at a Time, Diff'rent_Strokes, and The Facts of Life -- where he took the title of producer for the first time. Television proved to be a natural venue for Haggis' creative talents. He spent the 1980s and '90s writing for series like The_Tracey_Ullman_Show, Due_South, L.A. Law, and EZ Streets. He also created and co-created such shows as Walker,_Texas_Ranger and Family_Law, and acted as executive producer for series like Michael Hayes and Family_Law. A serious milestone for Haggis would come in 2004, however, when he made his first high-profile foray into feature film.
Haggis had his eye on two stories written by former fight manager Jerry_Boyd (published under the name F.X. Toole) as the material through which he could create a screenplay. After securing them both, he wrote a script titled Million_Dollar_Baby -- a project that soon found Clint_Eastwood signing on to play the lead, though the actor negotiated his way into the director's chair as well. He left Haggis' original draft unchanged and within a year of shooting, the film was in theaters, racking up four Oscars, including Best Picture. By this time Haggis was already steeped in his next project, a crime drama called Crash. Working from a story he'd conceived and a script he'd written himself, Haggis was able to achieve a unique vision by also helming the film. It was his first time directing a major motion picture, but it promised not to be the last, as Crash received vocal if not universal critical acclaim, including film critic Roger_Ebert's proclamation that it was the best film of 2005. Crash was also nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture, surprising many when it won the latter prize on Oscar night. In addition to his Academy Award for producing the Best Picture-winning film, Haggis also went home with an Oscar for co-writing the screenplay.
Haggis wasn't about to rest on the success of his recent efforts, however. He began 2006 by penning the screenplay for the Zach_Braff comedy The_Last_Kiss as well as adapting the James_Bradley book -The Flags of Our Fathers, which Clint_Eastwood signed on to direct. Cammila Albertson, Rovi
Browse More Actors:
