David Hemingson (born July 26, 1964) is an American writer and producer for film and television. He is best known for writing the critically acclaimed film ''

The Holdovers ''The Holdovers'' is a 2023 American Christmas comedy drama film directed by Alexander Payne, written by David Hemingson, and starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa. Set in 1970, it tells the story of a strict classics ...

'', which earned him an Academy Award nomination for

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

Early life and education

Hemingson was born on July 26, 1964, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. His father worked both as a teacher and a merchant marine, while his mother was a nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. His parents divorced in 1969. In 1982, Hemingson graduated from

Watkinson School Watkinson School is a private co-educational independent day school in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Watkinson is situated on Bloomfield Avenue adjacent to the University of Hartford. It serves students from 6th through 12th grade. Wat ...

, a prep school in Hartford. His experiences in prep school, along with life lessons acquired from an uncle during his youth, informed Hemingson's screenplay for the 2023

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is noted for his satire, satirical depictions of contemporary American society. Payne has received List of awards and nominations rec ...

film ''

''. Hemingson earned a bachelor's degree at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and graduated from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

in 1990. After graduation, he worked in the entertainment division of the Loeb & Loeb law firm in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

before deciding to pursue a writing career.

Career

Hemingson's first role after leaving the legal field was as an assistant writer on Nickelodeon's ''

The Adventures of Pete & Pete ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American television sitcom created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It focuses on two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal humour, surreal adventures in subur ...

''. In addition to his television writing career, Hemingson served as a producer on series such as ''

Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series originally aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons, including 3 episodes aired on syndication. The show, cre ...

'', ''

Kitchen Confidential ''Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly'' is a ''New York Times'' bestselling nonfiction book written by American chef Anthony Bourdain, first published in 2000. In 2018, following Bourdain's death, it topped the ''New Yor ...

'', '' The Deep End'', ''

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 ''Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23'' is an American television sitcom created by Nahnatchka Khan. It was broadcast on ABC between April 11, 2012, and September 6, 2014, comprising two seasons and 26 episodes. Originally a mid-season replac ...

'', and ''

Whiskey Cavalier ''Whiskey Cavalier'' is an American action comedy-drama television series, created by David Hemingson, that premiered on February 24, 2019. The full pilot episode debuted after the Oscars and was rebroadcast in the show’s regular time slot thr ...

''. Hemigson is credited with creating ''The Deep End'' and ''Whiskey Cavalier''. He adapted ''Kitchen Confidential'' from Anthony Bourdain's book. In 2017, Hemingson wrote a pilot for a series set at a

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

boarding school based on his own experiences at the Watkinson School. He was later contacted by director

, who wanted his next film to be set in a prep school environment. Hemingson adapted the pilot script into the screenplay for Payne's 2023 film ''

''. In March 2024, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reported that screenwriter Simon Stephenson had contacted the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

alleging similarities between ''The Holdovers'' and ''Frisco'', Stephenson's own unproduced screenplay. ''Frisco'' producer Tom McNulty questioned the validity of Stephenson's claim.

Personal life

Hemingson married writer and actress Victoria Morsell in 1998. They reside in Los Angeles with their sons.

Filmography

Film TV series TV movies

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hemingson, David American male screenwriters American television producers People from New Haven, Connecticut Yale University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Writers Guild of America Award winners 1964 births Living people