Paul Albert Attanasio (born November 14, 1959) is an American screenwriter and producer. He has twice been nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, mus ...

, once for '' Quiz Show'' (1994) and once for '' Donnie Brasco'' (1997).

Early life

Paul Albert Attanasio was born in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

borough of New York City on November 14, 1959, the son of real estate broker Connie and commercial consultant Joseph Attanasio. His great-grandparents were Italian immigrants from

Positano Positano ( ; in Neapolitan language, Neapolitan: () is a village and ''comune'' on the Amalfi Coast (Province of Salerno), in Campania, Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. History The first evidence of a settle ...

. His older brother,

Mark Attanasio Mark L. Attanasio (born September 29, 1957) is an American businessman who is currently the principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team and the majority shareholder of English football club Norwich City FC. As of 2023, he is worth an ...

, became a multimillionaire businessman. Attanasio grew up in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, and later in Tenafly, New Jersey, where he attended public high school.Bernard Weinraub
"Flawed Characters In the Public Eye, Past and Present"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', September 12, 1994, retrieved September 4, 2013: "Mr. Attanasio grew up in the Bronx, in Pelham Bay, and his family later moved to Tenafly, N.J. (His father, Joseph, a businessman, had speaking parts in "Quiz Show" and "Disclosure.") After graduating from Harvard in 1981, and then Harvard Law School in 1984, he was hired at the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore." He is a 1981 graduate of

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

, where he lived in Currier House, and earned his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1984.

Career

Attanasio was a film critic for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' from 1984 to 1987.Meredith Berkman
"The Pagemaster"
''Entertainment Weekly'', December 16, 1994, retrieved September 7, 2013. He started writing for television with the CBS sitcom '' Doctor Doctor'' and the NBC crime drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', for which he holds a "created by" credit. In 1995 Attanasio won a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on '' Quiz Show''. He later wrote the screenplays for the thriller '' Disclosure'', the gangster thriller '' Donnie Brasco'', the science fiction thriller ''

Sphere A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, a sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

'', and the political thrillers '' The Sum of All Fears'' and '' The Good German''. While he was making films, he started Heel & Toe Films, with a first-look production pact at

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

on July 17, 1998. In 2000, Attanasio returned to television as an executive producer of and writer for the medical drama '' Gideon's Crossing,'' as well as the pilot for ''R.U.S.H''. On September 10, 2001, the Heel & Toe Films production company had signed a deal with Studios USA. In 2004, Attanasio, alongside his then-wife and business partner Katie Jacobs and

David Shore David Shore (born July 3, 1959) is a Canadian television writer. Shore worked on '' Family Law'', ''NYPD Blue'' and '' Due South'', also producing many episodes of the latter. He created the critically acclaimed series ''House'' and more recent ...

, pitched what would become ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'', of which he was credited as an executive producer. He also created '' Tommy'' and co-created ''Bull'', which premiered in 2020 and 2016, respectively. In 2017, it was confirmed that Attanasio would be writing and executive producing a new

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

series titled ''Tong Wars''. Attanasio was featured in ''The Dialogue'' interview series. In an interview with producer Mike DeLuca, he describes how he went from lambasting movies as a "snotty" ''Washington Post'' film critic to developing rewarding creative partnerships with Oscar-winning directors

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the ...

Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Rain Man'' (1988). His other best-known works are ''Diner'' (1982), '' The Natural'' (1984 ...

, and

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...

Personal life

Attanasio and his ex-wife, producer and director Katie Jacobs, have a son named John and two daughters named Annabelle (who became an actress) and Grace. They continue to run their production company Heel & Toe Films together. Attanasio is now married to artist Amanda Benefiel.

TV appearances

Attanasio was featured in ''The Dialogue'' interview series. In an interview with producer Mike DeLuca, he describes how he went from lambasting movies as a "snotty" ''Washington Post'' film critic to developing rewarding creative partnerships with Oscar-winning directors

, and

Filmography

Writer

* '' Quiz Show'' (1994) * '' Disclosure'' (1994) * '' Donnie Brasco'' (1997) * ''

'' (1998) * '' The Sum of All Fears'' (2002) * '' The Good German'' (2006)

Uncredited rewrites

* ''

Speed In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...

'' (1994) * ''

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...

'' (1997) * '' Armageddon'' (1998) * '' Patch Adams'' (1998) * '' Town & Country'' (2001) * '' The Bourne Ultimatum'' (2007) * '' The Fighter'' (2010)

Creator

* '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999) * '' Gideon's Crossing'' (2000–2001) * ''

'' (2004–2012, uncredited) * ''

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

'' (2016–2022) * '' Tommy'' (2020)

References

External links

* 1959 births Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners Film producers from New York (state) Television producers from New York City American male screenwriters American writers of Italian descent Harvard Law School alumni Harvard College alumni Living people The Washington Post people Writers from the Bronx Screenwriters from New York City Mass media people from Teaneck, New Jersey Screenwriters from New Jersey Film producers from New Jersey Television producers from New Jersey People from Pelham Bay, Bronx