Ann Peacock is a South African-born screenwriter based in the United States. After teaching Law in her native South Africa, she moved to the United States and started a screenwriting career at after doing an Extension Course in screenwriting at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. She has received awards and nominations for her works '' A Lesson Before Dying'' (1999), '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005), and ''

The First Grader ''The First Grader'' is a 2011 Biographical film, biographical drama film directed by Justin Chadwick. It stars Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, and Tony Kgoroge. The film is inspired by the true story of Kimani Maruge, a Kenyan farmer who enrolled ...

'' (2015).

Biography

Peacock was born in 1951 and raised in South Africa. She was educated at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

, where she obtained her law degree, and taught in the faculty of Law. Her screenwriting career began after she moved to the United States, writing her first screenplay ''June the 16th'' as a screenwriting student inspired by a family experience with

internal resistance to apartheid Several independent sectors of South African society opposed apartheid through various means, including social movements, passive resistance, and guerrilla warfare. Mass action against the ruling National Party (South Africa), National Party (N ...

. She wrote the HBO film '' A Lesson Before Dying'' (1999), for which she won the 1999

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie This is a list of the winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Winners and nominations 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Total awards by network * HBO � ...

. In 2000, she adapted the

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

short story Cora Unashamed into a TV movie of the same name for PBS' '' The American Collection''. In July 2002,

Walden Media Walden Media, LLC is an American independent studio that develops, produces and finances feature films and television series for the U.S. and global markets. Its films focus on stories of courage drawn from biographies, historical events, and li ...

hired Peacock as the screenwriter for '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', for which she was later nominated for the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form). Her screenwriting credits also include '' In My Comedy'' (2004), '' Pictures of Hollis Woods'' (2007), '' Kit Kittredge: An American Girl'' (2008), ''

Nights in Rodanthe ''Nights in Rodanthe'' is a 2008 American romantic drama film. It is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' 2002 novel of the same name. The film stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane in their third screen collaboration after '' The Cotton Club'' (19 ...

'' (2008), and ''

The Killing Room ''The Killing Room'' is a 2009 psychological thriller film directed by Jonathan Liebesman and starring Clea DuVall, Nick Cannon, Chloë Sevigny and Timothy Hutton. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It was distributed internationally ...

'' (2009) She won the 2012

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture. The award was first presented in 2008. Winners and nominees For each year in the tables below, the winner is listed first and highlig ...

for her screenplay ''

''. In 2015, she adapted

Alice Hoffman Alice Hoffman (born March 16, 1952) is an American novelist and Young adult literature, young-adult and Children's literature, children's writer, best known for her 1995 novel ''Practical Magic (novel), Practical Magic'', which was adapted for ...

's book ''

The Dovekeepers ''The Dovekeepers'' is a two-part television adaptation based on the book of the same name by Alice Hoffman from executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. It features a fictionalized account of the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman ...

'' into a television miniseries of the same name for CBS. She has a son who was engaged in the anti-apartheid movement.

Filmography (as screenwriter)

Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peacock, Ann Living people South African screenwriters South African women screenwriters American screenwriters American women screenwriters South African emigrants to the United States University of California, Los Angeles alumni Primetime Emmy Award winners 20th-century American writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century South African writers 20th-century South African women writers 21st-century South African writers 21st-century South African women writers Year of birth missing (living people)