Jeb Stuart

Jeb Stuart (born January 21, 1956) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer, known for writing blockbuster action films such as Die Hard and The Fugitive (1993), and creating the Netflix television series Vikings: Valhalla (2022–2024).

Early life and education Stuart grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Gastonia, North Carolina, and graduated from Ashbrook High School. His father Dr. James Stuart was minister at First Presbyterian Church in Gastonia.

He received Bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a Masters of Arts in communications from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

He is a former member of the graduate faculty at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he taught in the Writing for Stage and Screen Program.

Career Stuart's first screenplay was for the 1988 action film Die Hard, which was later revised by veteran screenwriter Steven E. de Souza. Adapted from the Roderick Thorp 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, the film was a massive financial and critical success, spawning four sequels and being considered one of the greatest and most influential action films of all time.

He helped write the science-fiction horror film Leviathan (1988) and the Sylvester Stallone prison thriller Lock Up (1989).

Stuart was heavily involved in the writing of The Fugitive (1993), reworking David Twohy's original draft while on set and working with director Andrew Davis and stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones.

He wrote an early draft of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, entitled Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars, in 1995.

In 1997, he made his directorial debut with Switchback, a thriller starring Dennis Quaid and Danny Glover. The film's negative critical reception led to Stuart semi-retiring from filmmaking for over a decade, before returning by writing, producing, and directing Blood Done Sign My Name (2010), adapted from the autobiography of author and historian Timothy Tyson.

He is the creator of Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla, a historical fiction drama television series and a sequel to History's Vikings. This spin-off series starts a century after the original series and tells the tales of some of the best known Northmen in history: Leif Erikson, Freydis and Harald Hardrada.

Accolades Stuart has been nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as nominated twice for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.

He has received recognition for his writing from the American Film Institute and is a recipient of a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, administered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, of which he has been a member for over 25 years.

Personal life He was married to his high school sweetheart Anne Bryant Stuart from March 1, 2001, until her death. They had two children, Alexandra "Lexi" Stuart and Baker Stuart.

Filmography Film Year Film Writer Producer Director Notes 1988 Die Hard Co-written with Steven E. de Souza Nominated for Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture 1989 Leviathan Co-written with David Webb Peoples Next of Kin Lock Up Co-written with Richard Smith and Henry Rosenbaum 1990 Vital Signs Co-written with Larry Ketron Another 48 Hrs. Co-written with John Fasano and Larry Gross 1993 The Fugitive Co-written with David TwohyNominated – Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture and WGA Award for Best Screenplay 1995 Just Cause Co-written with Peter Stone 1997 Fire Down Below Co-written with Philip Morton Switchback 2010 Blood Done Sign My Name 2026 Takeover Co-written with Brandon M. Easton Also uncredited wrote an earlier draft for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).

Television + Year Title WriterExecutive Producer Creator Notes 2020 The Liberator 2022–2024 Vikings: Valhalla Also showrunner

Awards and nominations Nominations 1988 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture: Die Hard (with Steven E. de Souza) 1993 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture: The Fugitive (with David Twohy) 1993 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: The Fugitive (with David Twohy)