Mark Andrus (born December 13, 1955) 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 ...

. After receiving a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from

UC Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in ...

, Andrus decided to take a creative writing class while waiting to hear from the law schools to which he had applied. Impressed by his work, instructor Tomás Rivera encouraged him to enroll in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

.Tloose.com
Andrus later joined

Castle Rock Entertainment Castle Rock Entertainment is an American independent film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick (September 8, 1947 – February 27, 2025) and Alan Horn. Histo ...

, where he received his first screen credit for the 1991 romantic fantasy ''Late for Dinner''. Shortly after, Andrus wrote ''Old Friends'', a screenplay about the vilest man in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and his gay neighbor. Initially

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. In a career spanning over five decades, he has become a prominent leading man across both Kevin Kline on screen and stage, stage and screen. List of awards and nominations recei ...

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ralph Fiennes, various accolades, including a British Academy Film ...

, Holly Hunter, and producer

Laura Ziskin Laura Ellen ZiskinGale Research Company (2002). ''Contemporary theatre, film, and television,'' p. 388. Gale Research Co., (March 3, 1950 – June 12, 2011) was an American film producer. She was the executive producer of '' Pretty Woman'' (1990 ...

expressed interest, but after many meetings the project fell into limbo for three years until James L. Brooks became involved. The two collaborated on a rewrite that became ''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt ...

'', which won the duo the

Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay The Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay is one of the three film writing awards given by the Writers Guild of America. Woody Allen holds the record for most wins and nominations for the award, with five wins out of twenty ...

and the Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay. The two also shared nominations for the

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

and the

Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay The Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Award given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins ...

. Andrus also wrote the original scripts ''

Life as a House ''Life as a House'' is a 2001 American drama film produced and directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Mark Andrus focuses on a man who is anxious to repair his relationship with his ex-wife and teenage son after he is diagnosed with termi ...

'' and ''

Georgia Rule ''Georgia Rule'' is a 2007 American black comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall from a screenplay by Mark Andrus. It stars Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, and Felicity Huffman. The film follows a rebellious young woman (Lohan) who is sent to ...

'', which won him and director

Garry Marshall Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American screenwriter, director, producer and actor. Marshall began his career in the 1960s as a writer for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' until he developed the T ...

the Entertainment Industries Council PRISM Award for Best Feature Film, and the adaptation of '' Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood''. Andrus lives in

San Juan Capistrano, California San Juan Capistrano (also known colloquially as San Juan or SJC) is a city in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 35,253 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. Named for Saint John of Capistrano, San Ju ...

Filmography

* ''

Late for Dinner Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudonym used by Dave Groh ...

'' (1991) * ''As Good as it Gets'' (1997) * ''

'' (2001) * ''Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'' (adaptation) (2002) * ''

'' (2007) * '' And So It Goes'' (2014) * '' Otherhood'' (2019)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrus, Mark American male screenwriters Writers Guild of America Award winners Living people 1955 births University of California, Riverside alumni University of Southern California alumni Screenwriters from Los Angeles