Paul Attanasio
Encyclopedia
Paul Albert Attanasio is an American screenwriter
and producer
of film
and television
, who is currently an executive producer on the television series House
.
, New York City
, the son of Connie, a real estate broker, and Joseph Attanasio, a commercial consultant. Raised in the Pelham Bay
section of The Bronx, he moved with his family to Teaneck, New Jersey
. He is a 1981 graduate of Harvard College
where he lived in Currier House
, and earned his law degree at Harvard Law School
in 1984. His wife Katie Jacobs
is his producing partner; Attanasio and Jacobs have three children: Annabelle, John, and Grace. He is the brother of Mark Attanasio
, Los Angeles investment manager who is the principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers
.
He was a film critic for The Washington Post
from 1984 to 1987. He started writing for television with the CBS
sitcom Doctor Doctor and the NBC
crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street
, which he created. In 1994 he wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay adaptation for the drama Quiz Show
. He would later write the screenplays for the thriller Disclosure
, the gangster movie Donnie Brasco
, the science fiction film Sphere
, and the political thriller The Sum of All Fears
. In 2000 he returned to television and started executive producing, in addition to writing, the medical drama Gideon's Crossing
and the pilot for R.U.S.H. Along with David Shore
, he is one of the creators of the TV series House
. In 2006 he wrote the screenplay for the dramatic film The Good German
. According to various reports, Attanasio is co-writing a new film based on John Steinbeck's
novel, East of Eden.
, Barry Levinson
, and Steven Soderbergh
.
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:...
and producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, who is currently an executive producer on the television series House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
.
Life and career
Attanasio was born in The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the son of Connie, a real estate broker, and Joseph Attanasio, a commercial consultant. Raised in the Pelham Bay
Pelham Bay, Bronx
Pelham Bay is a neighborhood in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City. It is named for Pelham Bay Park, New York City's largest park which lies on the neighborhood's northeastern border.-History:...
section of The Bronx, he moved with his family to Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
. He is a 1981 graduate of Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
where he lived in Currier House
Currier House
Currier House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses of Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Opened in September 1970, it is named after Audrey Bruce Currier, a member of the Radcliffe College Class of 1956 who, along with her husband, was killed in a plane crash in 1967...
, and earned his law degree at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1984. His wife Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs is an American television producer and director. Together with her husband, Paul Attanasio, the couple run Heel and Toe Films production company, which produces the Fox series House and the now defunct series Century City...
is his producing partner; Attanasio and Jacobs have three children: Annabelle, John, and Grace. He is the brother of Mark Attanasio
Mark Attanasio
Mark L. Attanasio is a Los Angeles investment management principal who, in September 2004, reached a deal, on behalf of an investment group, to purchase the Milwaukee Brewers from the family of Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig for US$200 million...
, Los Angeles investment manager who is the principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
He was a film critic for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
from 1984 to 1987. He started writing for television with the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom Doctor Doctor and the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, which he created. In 1994 he wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay adaptation for the drama Quiz Show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
. He would later write the screenplays for the thriller Disclosure
Disclosure (film)
Disclosure is a 1994 thriller directed by Barry Levinson, starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore. It is based on Michael Crichton's novel of the same name.The cast also includes Donald Sutherland, Rosemary Forsyth and Dennis Miller...
, the gangster movie Donnie Brasco
Donnie Brasco (film)
Donnie Brasco is a 1997 crime drama film directed by Mike Newell, starring Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and Michael Madsen. It is loosely based on the real-life events of Joseph D. Pistone, an FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family, one of the Mafia's Five Families based in New York City...
, the science fiction film Sphere
Sphere (film)
Sphere is a 1998 science fiction psychological thriller film, starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson. Sphere was based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park and The Lost World...
, and the political thriller The Sum of All Fears
The Sum of All Fears (film)
The Sum of All Fears is a 2002 American action film/political thriller directed by Phil Alden Robinson and based on the novel The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy...
. In 2000 he returned to television and started executive producing, in addition to writing, the medical drama Gideon's Crossing
Gideon's Crossing
Gideon's Crossing is a US medical drama starring Andre Braugher. The series was loosely based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman and his book The Measure of Our Days. It premiered on October 10, 2000, and ran for one season, with its last episode airing on April 9, 2001, with...
and the pilot for R.U.S.H. Along with David Shore
David Shore
David Shore is a Canadian writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As a former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law, NYPD Blue, and Due South...
, he is one of the creators of the TV series House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. In 2006 he wrote the screenplay for the dramatic film The Good German
The Good German
The Good German is a 2006 feature film adaptation of the novel by Joseph Kanon. It was directed by Steven Soderbergh, and stars George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, and Tobey Maguire...
. According to various reports, Attanasio is co-writing a new film based on John Steinbeck's
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
novel, East of Eden.
TV appearances
Attanasio was featured in The Dialogue interview series. In this 90 minute interview with producer Mike DeLuca, Attanasio describes how he went from lambasting movies as a “snotty” Washington Post film critic to developing explosive and rewarding creative partnerships with Oscar-winning directors Robert RedfordRobert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
, Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
, and Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
.