Ronald Wayne Shelton (born September 15, 1945) is an American film director and screenwriter and former minor league baseball infielder. Shelton is known for the many films he has made about

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

. His 1988 film ''

Bull Durham ''Bull Durham'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film. It is partly based upon the minor-league baseball experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor-league baseball team in ...

'', based in part on his own baseball experiences, earned him an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award 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 Story. Beginning with the ...

. A former minor league

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

infielder in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

's farm system, Shelton played with the Bluefield Orioles, Stockton Ports, Florida Instructional League Orioles,

Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs The Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs were an American minor league baseball team in the Texas League from 1965–1971.Rochester Red Wings from 1967 through 1971.

Film career

After working on the scripts for a number of films, including co-writing the

Nick Nolte Nicholas King Nolte (born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1991 film ''The Prince of Tides''. He received ...

and Gene Hackman political drama '' Under Fire'', Shelton made his directorial debut with ''

'' in 1988. Set in the world of minor league baseball, the romantic comedy stars

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...

and Tim Robbins. Shelton's screenplay netted him multiple awards, including Best Original Script from the Writers Guild of America and Best Script from the US National Society of Film Critics. It was also nominated for an Academy Award. In 1990, Ron Shelton had received a three-year first look writing and producing deal with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. Shelton worked with Costner again on the 1996 golf-themed romantic comedy ''

Tin Cup ''Tin Cup'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy and sports film co-written and directed by Ron Shelton, and starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo with Cheech Marin and Don Johnson in major supporting roles. The film received generally positive r ...

''. Other films as writer and director included the boxing comedy ''

Play It to the Bone ''Play It to the Bone'' is a 1999 American sports comedy drama film, starring Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson, written and directed by Ron Shelton. It follows the adventures of two boxers and best friends who travel to Las Vegas in order t ...

'', a critical and commercial flop, and acclaimed 1992 comedy ''

White Men Can't Jump ''White Men Can't Jump'' is a 1992 American sports comedy film written and directed by Ron Shelton. It stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as streetball hustlers. The film was released in the United States on March 27, 1992, by 20th Century ...

'', starring Woody Harrelson and

Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. His prominent film roles include '' Major League'' (1989), ''New Jack City'' (1991), '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992), '' Passenger 57'' (1992), '' ...

as two basketball hustlers. Calling the latter film "very smart and very funny," and "not simply a basketball movie," critic Roger Ebert wrote that Shelton "knows how his characters talk and sound, and how they get into each other's minds with non-stop talking and boasting." Shelton has also written and directed two biopics: '' Cobb'', in which Tommy Lee Jones portrayed record-breaking baseballer

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the ...

, and '' Blaze'', which starred Paul Newman as colourful Louisiana Governor

Earl Long Earl Kemp Long (August 26, 1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American politician and the 45th governor of Louisiana, serving three nonconsecutive terms. Long, known as "Uncle Earl", connected with voters through his folksy demeanor and c ...

. He wrote or co-wrote other sports-themed films including '' The Best of Times'', starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell as former football teammates; the basketball drama '' Blue Chips'', starring

, and a boxing comedy, '' The Great White Hype'', starring

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

. He also directed two Los Angeles-based crime films, '' Dark Blue'', a drama starring Kurt Russell, and ''

Hollywood Homicide ''Hollywood Homicide'' is a 2003 American action comedy film starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett, with an ensemble supporting cast including Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Isaiah Washington, Lolita Davidovich, Keith David, Gladys Knight, Mast ...

'', a comedy with Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett. In 2022, Shelton received the Leonard Maltin Award at the

Coronado Island Film Festival The Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival based in Coronado, a resort city across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It consists of a four-day festival in November – and a monthly year-round "Classic Movie Seri ...

Personal life

Shelton grew up in Montecito, California, the oldest of four brothers. He is an alumnus of

Santa Barbara High School Santa Barbara Senior High School, "Home of the Dons," is situated on a sprawling campus in Santa Barbara, California in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Among the oldest high schools in California and one of five high schools in the Dis ...

and of the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

and

Westmont College Westmont College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Montecito, California. It was founded in 1937. History Ruth Kerr, owner and CEO of the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company, established the school as the Bible Missionary Institute in ...

. Shelton is married to Canadian-born actress

Lolita Davidovich Lolita Davidovich ( sr-Latn, Lolita Davidović, italic=unset; born July 15, 1961) is a Canadian-born film and television actress, best known for portraying Blaze Starr in the 1989 film '' Blaze'', for which she received a Chicago Film Critics As ...

, who has appeared in several of his films, including taking the title role of

Blaze Starr Blaze Starr (born Fannie Belle Fleming; April 10, 1932 – June 15, 2015) was an American stripper and burlesque star. Her vivacious presence and inventive use of stage props earned her the nickname "The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque". She ...

in ''Blaze''. The couple have two children and reside in Los Angeles and Ojai, California. Shelton has two daughters with his first wife, filmmaker Lois Shelton. On July 7, 2017, Shelton was inducted into the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shelton, Ron 1945 births Living people American male screenwriters Baseball players from Arizona Baseball players from California Bluefield Orioles players Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs players Film directors from California Florida Instructional League Orioles players People from Greater Los Angeles People from Montecito, California Rochester Red Wings players Screenwriters from Arizona Screenwriters from California Stockton Ports players University of Arizona alumni Westmont Warriors baseball players Writers from Whittier, California Writers Guild of America Award winners