Ron Shelton
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Ronald Wayne Shelton (born September 15, 1945) is an American
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...
and
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
and former minor league baseball
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
. Shelton is known for the many films he has made about
sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
. His 1988 film '' Bull Durham'', based in part on his own baseball experiences, earned him an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
nomination for Best Original Screenplay. A former minor league
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...
infielder in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
's farm system, Shelton played with the Bluefield Orioles, Stockton Ports, Florida Instructional League Orioles, Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs and
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in do ...
from 1967 through 1971.


Film career

After working on the scripts for a number of films, including co-writing the Nick Nolte and Gene Hackman political drama ''
Under Fire Under Fire may refer to: Books * ''Under Fire'' (Barbusse novel) (French: ''Le Feu''), a novel by Henri Barbusse * ''Under Fire'' (Blackwood novel), by Grant Blackwood in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Jr. franchise series * ''Under Fire'' (North book ...
'', Shelton made his directorial debut with '' Bull Durham'' in 1988. Set in the world of minor league baseball, the romantic comedy stars
Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actors ...
, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. Shelton's screenplay netted him multiple awards, including Best Original Script from the Writers Guild of America and Best Script from the US National Society of Film Critics. It was also nominated for an Academy Award. In 1990, Ron Shelton had received a three-year first look writing and producing deal with 20th Century Fox. Shelton worked with Costner again on the 1996 golf-themed romantic comedy '' Tin Cup''. Other films as writer and director included the boxing comedy '' Play It to the Bone'', a critical and commercial flop, and acclaimed 1992 comedy ''
White Men Can't Jump ''White Men Can't Jump'' is a 1992 American sports comedy film written and directed by Ron Shelton. It stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as streetball hustlers. The film was released in the United States on March 27, 1992, by 20th Cent ...
'', starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as two basketball hustlers. Calling the latter film "very smart and very funny," and "not simply a basketball movie," critic Roger Ebert wrote that Shelton "knows how his characters talk and sound, and how they get into each other's minds with non-stop talking and boasting." Shelton has also written and directed two biopics: ''
Cobb Cobb may refer to: People * Cobb (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Cobb * Cobb Rooney (1900–1973), American professional football running back Places New Zealand * Cobb River * Cobb Reservoir * Cobb Power ...
'', in which
Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' T ...
portrayed record-breaking baseballer Ty Cobb, and '' Blaze'', which starred Paul Newman as colourful Louisiana Governor Earl Long. He wrote or co-wrote other sports-themed films including '' The Best of Times'', starring
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comed ...
and Kurt Russell as former football teammates; the basketball drama '' Blue Chips'', starring Nick Nolte, and a boxing comedy, '' The Great White Hype'', starring Samuel L. Jackson. He also directed two Los Angeles-based crime films, '' Dark Blue'', a drama starring Kurt Russell, and '' Hollywood Homicide'', a comedy with Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett. In 2022, Shelton received the Leonard Maltin Award at the Coronado Island Film Festival.


Personal life

Shelton grew up in Montecito, California, the oldest of four brothers. He is an alumnus of Santa Barbara High School and of the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. ...
and Westmont College. Shelton is married to Canadian-born actress Lolita Davidovich, who has appeared in several of his films, including taking the title role of Blaze Starr in ''Blaze''. The couple have two children and reside in Los Angeles and Ojai, California. Shelton has two daughters with his first wife, filmmaker Lois Shelton. On July 7, 2017, Shelton was inducted into the
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in do ...
Hall of Fame.


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shelton, Ron 1945 births Living people American male screenwriters Baseball players from Arizona Baseball players from California Bluefield Orioles players Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs players Film directors from California Florida Instructional League Orioles players People from Greater Los Angeles People from Montecito, California Rochester Red Wings players Screenwriters from Arizona Screenwriters from California Stockton Ports players University of Arizona alumni Westmont Warriors baseball players Writers from Whittier, California Writers Guild of America Award winners