Cynthia Mort (born June 18, 1956) is an American

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, and producer. Mort has worked primarily in

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

since beginning her career in 1994, writing for the sitcom ''

Roseanne ''Roseanne'' is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams (producer), Matt Williams that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May ...

''. Her notable works include the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series '' Tell Me You Love Me'' as a creator and executive producer, the revenge film '' The Brave One'' (2007) as a screenwriter, and the

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

'' Nina'' (2016) as a director.

Biography

Mort was born and raised in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Career

Television

Mort began her career as a screenwriter in 1994. She wrote multiple episodes for the sitcom ''

,'' and was later a producer on the show. She continued in television as a writer and producer for the program ''

Will and Grace Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and wi ...

.'' In 2007, Mort created and produced the drama '' Tell Me You Love Me'', which aired on

, and starred an ensemble cast including

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American-Canadian actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 ...

and Adam Scott''.'' The plot of the program closely examines various struggles that may arise in a committed marriage. The series gained notoriety for including highly graphic simulated sexual sequences, to the point that audiences asked whether the actors actually engaged in sexual intercourse on camera. The series ended after one season. Mort co-wrote a

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

for HBO called ''Tilda'' in 2011, but experienced conflicts with her co-writer

Bill Condon William Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American director and screenwriter. Condon is known for writing and/or directing numerous successful and acclaimed films including ''Gods and Monsters (film), Gods and Monsters'', ''Chicago (2002 fi ...

. The project was not picked up as a series.

Writing in film

Mort, along with Roderick Taylor and Bruce A. Taylor, wrote the screenplay for the 2007 film '' The Brave One''. The film features

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...

as a woman seeking revenge on the men who killed her fiancé.

''Nina'', controversy, and lawsuit

In 2016, Mort released her first film as a director, '' Nina'', a

chronicling the life of singer

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

. The film elicited a strong negative response from both critics and audiences alike as a result of Mort's choice to cast actress Zoe Saldana in the title role, despite discrepancies between the two women's skin colours. The film and its creators were accused of perpetuating

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

by darkening Saldana's skin to play the role. Furthermore, the film underwent another controversy in which Mort filed a

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

against the producers of ''Nina'' in 2014, after finding that choices made by the company compromised her long-standing artistic vision of the film. As a result, the film was not released for another two years, and while Mort has expressed her support for the project, she maintains that the final result does not properly reflect her work.

Personal life

Mort is a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

. She was involved in a long-term relationship with actress

Melanie Mayron Melanie Joy MayronRiggs, Thomas, ed. (2002). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Volume 40'. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale. p. 149. . (born October 20, 1952) is an American actress and director of film and television. Mayron is ...

and helped raise Mayron's children until their separation in 2008. Mort's personal life garnered attention after the release of '' The Brave One'' for her rumoured

adulterous Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept e ...

romance with actress

, who starred in the film. Both Foster and Mort broke up with their partners and began dating each other, but ended their relationship the following year.

Filmography

Film Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mort, Cynthia 1956 births Living people American women screenwriters American LGBTQ film directors LGBTQ film producers LGBTQ television producers Lesbian screenwriters American women television producers Mass media people from Detroit Film directors from Michigan Screenwriters from Michigan American lesbian writers American LGBTQ screenwriters American women television directors American television directors 21st-century American LGBTQ people Television producers from Michigan 21st-century American women