Frank Beddor
Encyclopedia
Frank Beddor is a former world champion freestyle skier, film producer, actor, stuntman, and author. He is best known for his work as producer on Something About Mary and Wicked
and as author of the New York Times best seller The Looking Glass Wars
.
Frank Beddor grew up in Excelsior
in Minnesota. His parents often travelled and by age 12 Beddor already knew how to barefoot-ski. Beddor's father set the world record skiing the length of Mississippi river. Beddor began skiing professionally and in competitions. After winning nationals Beddor was invited to join the Olympic ski team. He went on tour in Europe for competitive skiing. Beddor was World Champion freestyler skier in 1981 and 1982. When Beddor was 23 he retired from skiing and became involved in the entertainment industry.
In 1985 Beddor played John Cusacks skiing stunt double in "Better Off Dead". Beddor moved to Los Angeles during this period and studied with acting coach Stella Adler
. Part of Adler's method was encouraging her students to write the scene the character is in before stepping onstage. Beddor became frustrated with the lack of good scripts he was being given and began to try producing. His most notable work as a producer was on the 1998 film Something About Mary starring Cameron Diaz
and Ben Stiller
.
However, Beddor found not being the creative force behind projects frustrating and then turned the writing. Beddor spent five years writing "The Looking Glass Wars
" after being inspired by playing cards in the Museum of London
. The book was rejected by every major publisher in the US before Beddor was accepted by Egmont Books in the UK.
The Looking Glass Wars became hugely popular and were on the New York Times Bestseller list. The books are a re imagining of Lewis Carroll
's novel Alice in Wonderland. The premise of the novels is that the character of Alice in Alice in Wonderland is real as is the world of Wonderland but that Carroll rewrote the events and made Wonderland seem childlike and did not reflect the reality of Wonderland.
Beddor has written 2 more books in The Looking Glass Wars series, Seeing Redd
and ArchEnemy
. The book has also inspired a spin-off comic book called Hatter Madigan, also written by Beddor and co-authored by Liz Cavalier with the art by Ben Templesmith
. The spin off focuses on Hatter Madigan, a character in The Looking Glass Wars. A script has also been written for the series to be created into a movie with Chuck Roven having signed on as a producer. However, since the realse of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland the film has been in "wait and see" mode. Beddor was also involved in the development of two video games, Card Soldiers Wars (2008), a free MMORG and The Looking Glass Wars Card Game (2009), similar to the Chinese game Go!. There has also been a deck of Hatter M playing cards produced with images from the novels.
Beddor also manages Automatic Games and Automatic Publishing.
Wicked
Wicked is generally used as an adjective to mean evil or sinful.Wicked may also refer to:* Wicked Pictures, an American pornographic studio...
and as author of the New York Times best seller The Looking Glass Wars
The Looking Glass Wars
The Looking Glass Wars is a series of novels by Frank Beddor, inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The base is that the two books written by Lewis Carroll is a distortion of the 'true story' portrayed in these novels...
.
Frank Beddor grew up in Excelsior
Excelsior
Excelsior is a Latin and archaic English word meaning "ever higher". It may refer to:- Literature and music :* "Excelsior" , a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
in Minnesota. His parents often travelled and by age 12 Beddor already knew how to barefoot-ski. Beddor's father set the world record skiing the length of Mississippi river. Beddor began skiing professionally and in competitions. After winning nationals Beddor was invited to join the Olympic ski team. He went on tour in Europe for competitive skiing. Beddor was World Champion freestyler skier in 1981 and 1982. When Beddor was 23 he retired from skiing and became involved in the entertainment industry.
In 1985 Beddor played John Cusacks skiing stunt double in "Better Off Dead". Beddor moved to Los Angeles during this period and studied with acting coach Stella Adler
Stella Adler
Stella Adler was an American actress and an acclaimed acting teacher, who founded the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and the The Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles with long-time protege Joanne Linville, who continues to teach and furthers Adler's legacy...
. Part of Adler's method was encouraging her students to write the scene the character is in before stepping onstage. Beddor became frustrated with the lack of good scripts he was being given and began to try producing. His most notable work as a producer was on the 1998 film Something About Mary starring Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
and Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
.
However, Beddor found not being the creative force behind projects frustrating and then turned the writing. Beddor spent five years writing "The Looking Glass Wars
The Looking Glass Wars
The Looking Glass Wars is a series of novels by Frank Beddor, inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The base is that the two books written by Lewis Carroll is a distortion of the 'true story' portrayed in these novels...
" after being inspired by playing cards in the Museum of London
Museum of London
The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre, as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 70s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb damaged...
. The book was rejected by every major publisher in the US before Beddor was accepted by Egmont Books in the UK.
The Looking Glass Wars became hugely popular and were on the New York Times Bestseller list. The books are a re imagining of Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's novel Alice in Wonderland. The premise of the novels is that the character of Alice in Alice in Wonderland is real as is the world of Wonderland but that Carroll rewrote the events and made Wonderland seem childlike and did not reflect the reality of Wonderland.
Beddor has written 2 more books in The Looking Glass Wars series, Seeing Redd
Seeing Redd
Seeing Redd is a novel written by Frank Beddor inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass....
and ArchEnemy
Archenemy
An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy .- Etymology :The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated...
. The book has also inspired a spin-off comic book called Hatter Madigan, also written by Beddor and co-authored by Liz Cavalier with the art by Ben Templesmith
Ben Templesmith
Ben Templesmith is an Australian comic book artist best known for his work in the American comic book industry, most notably the Image Comics series Fell, with writer Warren Ellis, which is credited with pioneering a new format for commercial comics, and IDW's 30 Days of Night with writer Steve...
. The spin off focuses on Hatter Madigan, a character in The Looking Glass Wars. A script has also been written for the series to be created into a movie with Chuck Roven having signed on as a producer. However, since the realse of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland the film has been in "wait and see" mode. Beddor was also involved in the development of two video games, Card Soldiers Wars (2008), a free MMORG and The Looking Glass Wars Card Game (2009), similar to the Chinese game Go!. There has also been a deck of Hatter M playing cards produced with images from the novels.
Beddor also manages Automatic Games and Automatic Publishing.