C. Jay Cox
Encyclopedia
C. Jay Cox is an American director
and screenwriter
.
in Journalism
from Brigham Young University
. He then moved to Los Angeles
(where he currently lives) and worked as an actor, performance artist, photographer and other jobs. He began making video shorts, industrial films and documentaries. After he wrote his screenplay for The Thing in Bob's Garage in 1998, he was given a number of jobs rewriting other people's screenplays. His own screenplay, Sweet Home Alabama
, became a box office hit when the film, starring Reese Witherspoon
, was released in 2002. His next film Latter Days
, which he wrote, produced and directed, won him several audience awards at film festivals. The title Latter Days refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His familiarity with the subject matter came from his upbringing as a fifth-generation Mormon
. When he moved to Los Angeles he came out as gay. The film is not autobiographical, but it is deeply personal. He directed and produced the 2008 film Kiss the Bride
, starring Tori Spelling
, and is a screenwriter for the 2009 film New in Town, starring Renée Zellweger
and Harry Connick, Jr. He mentioned in a 2004 interview that some of his idols are James L. Brooks
, Sydney Pollack
and Billy Wilder
.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
Biography
Cox grew up in Eastern Nevada and made his first film when he was eight years old (a two minute film noir called Vampire Cave). Growing up, he continued writing and creating short films. He graduated with a BABachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. He then moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(where he currently lives) and worked as an actor, performance artist, photographer and other jobs. He began making video shorts, industrial films and documentaries. After he wrote his screenplay for The Thing in Bob's Garage in 1998, he was given a number of jobs rewriting other people's screenplays. His own screenplay, Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama (film)
Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Patrick Dempsey. The film was released on September 27, 2002.-Plot:...
, became a box office hit when the film, starring Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
, was released in 2002. His next film Latter Days
Latter Days
Latter Days is a 2003 American romantic drama film about a gay relationship between a closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox. It stars Steve Sandvoss as the missionary, Aaron, and Wes Ramsey as the neighbor, Christian. Joseph...
, which he wrote, produced and directed, won him several audience awards at film festivals. The title Latter Days refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His familiarity with the subject matter came from his upbringing as a fifth-generation Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
. When he moved to Los Angeles he came out as gay. The film is not autobiographical, but it is deeply personal. He directed and produced the 2008 film Kiss the Bride
Kiss the Bride (2008 film)
Kiss the Bride is a romantic comedy, directed by C. Jay Cox, which had a limited release in April 2008. It stars Tori Spelling, Philipp Karner and James O'Shea...
, starring Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
, and is a screenwriter for the 2009 film New in Town, starring Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
and Harry Connick, Jr. He mentioned in a 2004 interview that some of his idols are James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
, Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting...
and Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
.
Director
- 1996 Get That Girl
- 1998 Reason Thirteen (ShortShort subjectA short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
) - 2003 Latter DaysLatter DaysLatter Days is a 2003 American romantic drama film about a gay relationship between a closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox. It stars Steve Sandvoss as the missionary, Aaron, and Wes Ramsey as the neighbor, Christian. Joseph...
- 2008 Kiss the BrideKiss the Bride (2008 film)Kiss the Bride is a romantic comedy, directed by C. Jay Cox, which had a limited release in April 2008. It stars Tori Spelling, Philipp Karner and James O'Shea...
Writer
- 1998 Reason Thirteen (shortShort subjectA short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
) - 1998 The GovernessThe GovernessThe Governess is a 1998 British period drama film written and directed by Sandra Goldbacher. The screenplay focuses on a young Jewish woman of Sephardic background, who reinvents herself as a gentile governess when she is forced to find work to support her family.-Plot synopsis:Set in the 1830s,...
- 1998 The Thing in Bob's Garage
- 2002 Sweet Home AlabamaSweet Home Alabama (film)Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Patrick Dempsey. The film was released on September 27, 2002.-Plot:...
- 2003 Latter DaysLatter DaysLatter Days is a 2003 American romantic drama film about a gay relationship between a closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox. It stars Steve Sandvoss as the missionary, Aaron, and Wes Ramsey as the neighbor, Christian. Joseph...
- 2009 New in Town
Awards
- 2003 Outie AwardOutfestOutfest is an LGBT-oriented film showcase and festival in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1982 as the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference", the name was changed to Outfest in 1994.-Programs:...
: Audience Award for Outstanding First Narrative Feature, for Latter Days - 2003 Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalPhiladelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalThe Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by TLA Entertainment Group in 1995. The event is the third largest of its kind in the US, and the largest on the East Coast....
: Audience Award for Best Feature - Gay Male, for Latter Days - 2004 Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video FestivalInside Out Film and Video FestivalThe Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario, devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film and video works...
: Audience Award for Best Feature Film or Video, for Latter DaysLatter DaysLatter Days is a 2003 American romantic drama film about a gay relationship between a closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox. It stars Steve Sandvoss as the missionary, Aaron, and Wes Ramsey as the neighbor, Christian. Joseph...