Mark Nowrasteh (born November 30, 1985) is an American playwright and screenwriter.

Early life

Mark Nowrasteh was born in Burbank, California on November 30, 1985. Both his parents are writers in the film and television industry. His father,

Cyrus Nowrasteh Cyrus Nowrasteh (Persian language, Persian: سیروس/کوروش نورسته; ; born September 19, 1956) is an American filmmaker. He has worked on numerous television series and Television movie, made-for-TV movies including ''The Day Reagan W ...

, is also a director ("The Stoning of Soraya M.",

The Young Messiah ''The Young Messiah'' is a 2016 biblical drama film directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and co-written by Betsy and Cyrus Nowrasteh, based on the novel '' Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'' by Anne Rice. The film stars Adam Greaves-Neal, Sean Bean, David B ...

). His older brother is

Alex Nowrasteh Alexander Nowrasteh is an American analyst of immigration policy currently working at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank located in Washington D.C. Nowrasteh is an advocate of freer migration to the United States. He previously worked ...

, an immigration policy analyst at the

CATO Institute The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch ...

, a

libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

think tank in Washington D.C..

Career

Nowrasteh studied playwriting at UCLA. His instructor and mentor, Leon Martell, worked extensively in the world of theater in Los Angeles and elsewhere. It was there that Nowrasteh authored his first work. The play, entitled, "The Emperor and the Apostle," depicts the trial of the Apostle Paul in Rome under Emperor Nero in 64 A.D. during the great fire. The play brought Nowrasteh to Austin, Texas where it will be produced in 2016. Nowrasteh's play led to him being hired to write screenplays. One of which, ''Ends of the Earth,'' was a finalist for the $50,000 Chronos Prize held by

MovieGuide Millard Robert E. Theodore Baehr (born 1946) is an American media critic and chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a division of Good News Communications, Inc. He is publisher and editor-in-chief of ''Movieguide'', a website ...

in 2014. The film depicts the Apostle Peter leading the infant Church in its struggle to survive following the ascension of Jesus Christ. ''Ends of the Earth'' is now owned b
Ocean Blue Entertainment
in partnership with 1492 Pictures, the same companies that produced ''

''. Nowrastehʼs success on the above projects led to producer Michael Emerson hiring him to pen a screenplay about Leigh Ann Hester, the most decorated female in American military history. Currently entitle
''Raven Four-Two''
the project has attracted support from the US Army and is scheduled for production in 2016.https://www.facebook.com/RavenFourTwo/info/?tab=page_info/

Upcoming projects

Nowrasteh is currently in talks to write two screenplays, one based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, and is ghostwriting a book to be published next year. His ambition is to also publish a novel in the future.

Personal life

Nowrasteh married his wife, Elizabeth (née Dupree), on August 9, 2013, in Austin, Texas. He resides in Austin with her and her son. The couple also have one daughter together.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nowrasteh, Mark UCLA Film School alumni 1985 births Living people American dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from California Writers from Burbank, California