Thomas Joseph McCarthy (born June 7, 1966) is an American filmmaker and actor who has appeared in several films, including '' Meet the Parents'' and '' Good Night, and Good Luck'', and television series such as ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'', ''

Boston Public ''Boston Public'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high sc ...

'' and '' Law & Order''. McCarthy has received critical acclaim for his writing and directing work for the

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

s '' The Station Agent'' (2003), '' The Visitor'' (2007), '' Win Win'' (2011), and '' Spotlight'' (2015), the last of which won the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...

, won McCarthy the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and earned him a nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...

. McCarthy also co-wrote the film '' Up'' (2009) with Bob Peterson and Pete Docter, for which they received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He also wrote '' Million Dollar Arm'' (2014), and directed and executive-produced for the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

television series ''

13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' (also stylized as ''TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY'') is an American teen drama television series based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. Developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and with Selena Gomez ser ...

'' (2017). McCarthy also directed '' Stillwater'' (2021), based on a script he co-wrote.

Early life

McCarthy was raised in New Providence, New Jersey, one of five children of Carol and Eugene F. "Gene" McCarthy; His father worked in the textile industry. McCarthy was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in a family of Irish descent. He is a graduate of New Providence High School in New Providence, New Jersey and

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

(1988), where he was a member of the improv comedy troupe My Mother's Fleabag; and the Yale School of Drama, where he studied under Earle R. Gister.

Career

McCarthy spent several years doing stand-up comedy and theater in Minneapolis and Chicago before going into television and film. He starred in '' Flags of Our Fathers'' as James Bradley, and in the final season of ''

'' as the morally challenged reporter Scott Templeton. He made his Broadway debut in the 2001 revival of ''Noises Off!.'' McCarthy's directorial debut, '' The Station Agent'', which he also wrote, won the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2003

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and awards at film festivals ranging from San Sebastian to

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Mexico City, and Aspen. McCarthy's second feature film was '' The Visitor'', which premiered at the 2007

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

, and for which McCarthy won the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Director. He appeared in the 2009 dramas '' The Lovely Bones'' and ''

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

''. In 2010, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the Pixar animated film '' Up,'' which he co-wrote. In 2010, McCarthy directed the unaired pilot for the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

,'' but the final cut of the episode was poorly received by showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. McCarthy was replaced by Tim Van Patten, who directed the final version of the pilot that aired in 2011. The experience discouraged McCarthy from returning to television directing for several years. He also co-wrote and directed 2011's '' Win Win,'' based on his experiences as a wrestler at New Providence High School. McCarthy's independent drama film '' Spotlight'' (2015) was widely acclaimed. It received six

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

nominations, three

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, and eight

Critics' Choice Movie Awards The Critics' Choice Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Written ballots are ...

nominations. McCarthy directed the first two episodes of ''

'', from Anonymous Content and

Paramount Television The first incarnation of Paramount Television was operated as the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, until it changed its name to CBS Paramount Television on January 17, 2006. History Desilu Pro ...

. It is based on the 2007 ''

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 ...

'' bestselling YA book by Jay Asher. In 2019, he signed a first-look TV deal with Fox 21 Television Studios (now 20th Television).

Filmography

Film

Acting credits

Television

Acting credits

Other awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Tom 1966 births Living people American male film actors American male screenwriters American male television actors American people of Irish descent Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award winners Boston College alumni Independent Spirit Award for Best Director winners New Providence High School alumni People from New Providence, New Jersey David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Film directors from New Jersey Independent Spirit Award winners Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Best Screenplay AACTA International Award winners Sundance Film Festival award winners Catholics from New Jersey Screenwriters from New Jersey Writers Guild of America Award winners Yale University alumni Directors of Best Picture Academy Award winners Writers from Union County, New Jersey