Will Reiser is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the 2011 film '' 50/50'', which was based on his own experience with cancer.

Early life

He is the cousin of actor and comedian

Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He played the roles of Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 film ''Diner (1982 f ...

. Reiser attended

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massach ...

, graduating in 2003.

Career

Reiser first worked as a producer in a number of TV productions, such as ''

Da Ali G Show ''Da Ali G Show'' is a British satirical sketch comedy television series created by and starring British comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen. In the series, Baron Cohen plays three unorthodox journalists: faux-streetwise poseur Ali G, Kazakh ...

''. In 2005, during his time working as an associate producer, he was diagnosed with a form of

spinal cancer Spinal tumors are neoplasms located in either the vertebral column or the spinal cord. There are three main types of spinal tumors classified based on their location: extradural and intradural (intradural-intramedullary and intradural-extramedulla ...

at the age of 25. After he underwent surgery, he was urged by

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...

and

Evan Goldberg Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer and director. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on a variety of films, including '' Superbad'', '' Pineapple Express'', '' This Is the En ...

, who also worked on ''Da Ali G Show'', to write a screenplay based on his experiences. In 2008, Reiser completed his first draft of '' 50/50'', his first screenplay. With Rogen and Goldberg producing the film, the script was bought by

Mandate Pictures Mandate Pictures was an independent full-service film production company acquired by Lionsgate in 2007. History In 2005, Mandate Pictures was officially formed when the Los Angeles–based Senator International completed a management buyout from ...

, with Rogen also attached to star in the film as the best friend of the protagonist, Adam (played by

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his leading perform ...

), and the film was released in September 2011. At the time of the film's release, Reiser had been cancer-free for six years. He won numerous awards for ''50/50'', including the

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

for Best First Screenplay and the

National Board of Review of Motion Pictures The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered the first major harbinger of the awards season, film award ...

award for Best Original Screenplay. He was also honored at the 2012 Annual OMG! Cancer Summit for Young Adults for his "courage, irreverence and creativity in achieving meaningful and impactful change on behalf of the young adult cancer survivorship movement". In September 2011, it was reported that Reiser was working on an American version of the German comedy film '' Men...'' That same month, it was also reported that Reiser was working on a film titled ''Jamaica'', based on a vacation he took to Jamaica with his grandma at the age of 14. Jonathan Levine, who directed ''50/50'', was attached to direct the film.

Filmography

Film

TV

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reiser, Will American male screenwriters Living people American television producers Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)