C. Jay Cox (born 1962 in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

) is a screenwriter and director.

Biography

Cox grew up in Eastern Nevada and made his first film when he was eight years old (a two-minute film noir called ''Vampire Cave''). Growing up, he continued writing and creating short films. He graduated with a BA in Journalism from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. He then moved to Los Angeles (where he currently lives) and worked as an actor, performance artist, photographer and other jobs. He began making video shorts, industrial films and documentaries. After he wrote his screenplay for ''The Thing in Bob's Garage'' in 1998, he was given a number of jobs rewriting other people's screenplays. His own screenplay, ''

Sweet Home Alabama "Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band's second album '' Second Helping'' (1974). It was written in response to Neil Young's 1970 song " Southern Man", which the band felt blamed t ...

'', became a box office hit when the film, starring

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...

, was released in 2002. His next film ''

Latter Days ''Latter Days'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama film about a gay relationship between a closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox and stars Steve Sandvoss as the missionary, ...

'', which he wrote, produced and directed, won him several audience awards at film festivals. The title ''Latter Days'' refers to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

. His familiarity with the subject matter came from his upbringing as a fifth-generation

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into seve ...

. When he moved to Los Angeles he came out as gay. The film is not autobiographical, but it is deeply personal. He directed and produced the 2008 film '' Kiss the Bride'', starring

Tori Spelling Victoria Davey Spelling (born May 16, 1973) is an American actress and author. Her first major role was Donna Martin on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', beginning in 1990. She has appeared in made for television films, including ''A Friend to Die Fo ...

, and is a screenwriter for the 2009 film '' New in Town'', starring

Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...

and

Harry Connick, Jr Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...

. He mentioned in a 2004 interview that some of his idols are James L. Brooks,

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film '' Out ...

and

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...

Filmography

Actor

*1987 '' Nightmare Sisters'' *1987 ''The Offspring''

Director

*1996 ''Get That Girl'' *1998 ''Reason Thirteen'' (

Short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

) *2003 ''

'' *2008 '' Kiss the Bride''

Writer

*1998 ''Reason Thirteen'' (

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

) *1998 ''The Governess'' *1998 ''The Thing in Bob's Garage'' *2002 ''

'' *2003 ''

'' *2009 '' New in Town'' *2013 ''The Makeover'' (

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in ...

)

Awards

*2003 Outie Award: Audience Award for ''Outstanding First Narrative Feature'', for ''Latter Days'' *2003

Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Philadelphia QFest was founded in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival by TLA Entertainment Group in 1995. It was given its current name, QFest, in 2009. One of the festival's founders and current Artistic Director, Raymon ...

: Audience Award for ''Best Feature – Gay Male'', for ''Latter Days'' *2004 Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival: Audience Award for ''Best Feature Film or Video'', for ''

References

External links

* *
NY Times: Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, C. Jay 1962 births Living people American film directors American film producers Former Latter Day Saints Brigham Young University alumni LGBT Latter Day Saints LGBT people from Nevada