Russell Gewirtz (born 1967 in

Great Neck Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincorp ...

, New York) is an American screenwriter, best known for writing the screenplay for

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

's 2006 film ''

Inside Man ''Inside Man'' is a 2006 American heist thriller film directed by Spike Lee and written by Russell Gewirtz. It centers on an elaborate bank heist on Wall Street over a 24-hour period. The film stars Denzel Washington as Detective Keith ...

''.

Life and career

Gewirtz attended Trinity School in New York City before earning a degree in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. He then attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, and because "one law degree wasn't enough," he earned an LL.M. in Taxation from the NYU School of Law. "I don't carry a business card. But if I did, it would say Esq., B.A., J.D., LL.M. after my name." Gewirtz spent his summers at Camp Swago in Damascus, Pennsylvania. After passing the

bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...

, Gewirtz went to work for his father running a small chain of clothing stores. After brokering a lucrative real estate deal in 1999, he left New York for several years and spent time in France and Brazil. It was at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival that he originally pitched the idea for ''Inside Man'' to Daniel Rosenberg and became a Hollywood screenwriter. He wrote two episodes for TV series '' Blind Justice'' in 2005, after penning ''

''. Gewirtz's second screenplay was ''

Righteous Kill ''Righteous Kill'' is a 2008 American action thriller film directed by Jon Avnet and written by Russell Gewirtz. The film stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as New York City Police Department detectives on the hunt for a serial killer. It is the ...

'', a thriller starring

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

and

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

, which received mainly negative reviews. and grossed $78.4 million. While he was resolute that the script he penned was every bit as good as Inside Man, if not better, Gewirtz blamed director Jon Avnet for the film's failure. "Not only was he arrogant and misguided in his faith in his storytelling ability, but he somehow believed that he could rewrite the script and give his mistress a leading role, without damaging morale of the cast and crew, or the finished product. Sadly, he was grossly mistaken."

Filmography

Films

* ''

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2008)

Television

* '' Blind Justice'' (2005)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gewirtz, Russell American male screenwriters Trinity School (New York City) alumni Tufts University alumni Living people 1967 births Screenwriters from New York (state)