Gregory Widen is an American

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

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. He is the creator of the '' Highlander'' film and television franchise, and the writer-director of the

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

'' The Prophecy''.

Biography

A native of Laguna Beach, California, Gregory Widen holds a master's degree from UCLA and once worked full-time as a city firefighter.

Filmmaking

''Highlander''

While still an undergrad film student at

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

, he sold his script for '' Highlander'' (1986). The film stars Christopher Lambert,

Clancy Brown Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...

, and

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

. Its tagline, "There can be only one" has gained pop culture fame. The original movie became a cult classic, spawning five sequels and '' Highlander: The Series'', tie-in novels and video games.

''Backdraft''

Widen worked as a

firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

for three years while still an undergraduate at UCLA. He witnessed a person being killed by an explosive

backdraft A backdraft (North American English), backdraught (British English) or smoke explosion is the abrupt combustion, burning of superheated gases in a fire caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a windo ...

, which became the basis for the screenplay he wrote for the movie ''

Backdraft A backdraft (North American English), backdraught (British English) or smoke explosion is the abrupt combustion, burning of superheated gases in a fire caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a windo ...

'', directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

and starring

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor before transitioning to leading roles as an adult in various genres such as action adventures, science-fiction, westerns, romance films, co ...

, William Baldwin,

Scott Glenn Theodore Scott Glenn (born January 26 between 1938 and 1942) is an American actor. His roles have included Bill Lester in '' She Came to the Valley'' (1979), Pfc Glenn Kelly in ''Nashville'' (1975), Wes Hightower in '' Urban Cowboy'' (1980), as ...

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received List of awards and nominations received by Donald Sutherland, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award ...

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

. Released in 1991, ''Backdraft'' received three Academy Award nominations. ''Backdraft'' was turned into a ride for Universal Studios Hollywood (opened 1992, closed 2010) and Universal Studios Japan where it is still active. A sequel (''

Backdraft 2 ''Backdraft 2'' (also known as ''Backdraft II'') is a 2019 American action film, action Thriller film, thriller film directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego and written by Gregory Widen. A sequel to the 1991 film ''Backdraft (film), Backdraft'', also ...

'') began production in April 2018.

''The Prophecy''

In 1995, Widen wrote and directed the supernatural thriller '' The Prophecy'' starring

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Christopher Walken on stage and screen, His work on stage and screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Christopher Walken, accolades includin ...

, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, and

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received nominations for three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Mortensen made his film debut with a small role in ...

. The film spawned four

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

s: '' The Prophecy II'' (1998), '' The Ascent'' (2000), '' Uprising'' (2005) and '' Forsaken'' (2005).

Television

Widen was the creator, writer and executive producer of the series '' Rescue 77'' and wrote for '' Tales from the Crypt''.

Filmography

Film Direct-to-video Television

''Blood Makes Noise'' novel

In 2013 he released his debut novel, ''Blood Makes Noise'' published by Thomas & Mercer. The book received critical praise, including a starred review from ''Publishers Weekly'' and ''Booklist''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Widen, Gregory 21st-century American novelists Film directors from California American male novelists American male screenwriters Living people UCLA Film School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters