Wayne Roberts is an American film director and screenwriter, known for his work on the films ''

Katie Says Goodbye ''Katie Says Goodbye'' is a 2016 drama film written and directed by Wayne Roberts in his directorial debut. The film stars Olivia Cooke, Mireille Enos, Christopher Abbott, Mary Steenburgen, Jim Belushi, Keir Gilchrist and Chris Lowell. The film h ...

'' (2016) and '' The Professor'' (2018).

Life and career

Born and raised in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, Roberts attended and graduated from the New York University's

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

. He majored in film and philosophy. Roberts made his directorial debut with the drama film ''Katie Says Goodbye''. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 and was noted for its compelling storytelling and strong performances. The film stars

Olivia Cooke Olivia Kate Cooke (born 27 December 1993) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Alicent Hightower in the fantasy drama television series '' House of the Dragon'' (2022–present). In television, she has starred as Emma Deco ...

as a young small-town waitress that turns to sex work in hopes of building a better future for herself.

Christopher Abbott Christopher Jacob Abbott (born February 10, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his work in independent films. In 2011, Abbott made his feature film debut in '' Martha Marcy May Marlene'' and his Broadway debut in the revival of the pla ...

Mary Steenburgen Mary Nell Steenburgen (; born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the Western comedy film '' Goin ...

Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009), and '' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016). Belushi appeared in fi ...

, and

Mireille Enos Marie Mireille Enos (; born September 22, 1975) is an American actress known for the lead role as homicide detective Sarah Linden in the drama series '' The Killing.'' Early life Enos was born on September 22, 1975, in Kansas City, Missouri. ...

also co-starred. In 2018, Roberts wrote and directed the comedy drama '' The Professor'' (2018), which starred

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...

as a terminally ill college professor.

Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an American-British actor, director and screenwriter. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for ...

Rosemarie DeWitt Rosemarie Braddock DeWitt (born October 26, 1971) is an American actress. DeWitt played Emily Lehman in the Fox television series '' Standoff'' (2006–07), co-starring with her future husband Ron Livingston, as well as Charmaine Craine on '' U ...

, and

Zoey Deutch Zoey Francis Chaya Thompson Deutch ( ; born November 10, 1994) is an American actress and producer. The younger daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson, Deutch made her acting debut in television during the early 20 ...

also co-starred.

References

Living people 21st-century American screenwriters New York University alumni Film directors from Alaska {{US-screenwriter-stub