Richard LaGravenese

Richard LaGravenese (; born October 30, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director, known for The Fisher King, The Bridges of Madison County, and Behind the Candelabra.

Personal life LaGravenese was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a taxi driver. He is of Italian descent. He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1980 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting.

Career LaGravenese wrote The Fisher King on spec in the late 1980s. It was acquired by Stacey Sher, Lynda Obst, Debra Hill's production company and subsequently directed by Terry Gilliam. For writing the film, LaGravenese received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

In New York City during the early 1980s, billed as "The Double R" comedy duo, in collaboration with playwright Richard O'Donnell, LaGravenese co-penned and consecutively performed in several Off-Off-Broadway productions including Spare Parts, Blood-Brothers at The 78th Street Theatre Lab, The Lion Theatre, and West Bank Cafe.

LaGravenese wrote an adaptation for the famously on-and-off version of the musical Gypsy for Barbra Streisand. In 2015, he revealed that he'd spent several months working on the script with Streisand. "I had the best time with her. I can't even tell you. It was like a fantasy come true. I did my first draft and went to her house to do rewrites. She's so meticulous in the best possible way. We went through it page by page by page."

Filmography Film Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 1989 Rude Awakening 1991 The Fisher King 1994 The Ref 1995 A Little Princess The Bridges of Madison County Unstrung Heroes 1996 The Mirror Has Two Faces 1998 The Horse Whisperer Living Out Loud Beloved 2003 A Decade Under the Influence Documentary film 2006 Paris, je t'aime Segment: "Pigalle"2007 Freedom Writers P.S. I Love You 2010 Conviction 2011 Water for Elephants 2013 Beautiful Creatures 2014 The Last Five Years Unbroken 2016 The Comedian 2022 Disenchanted 2024 A Family Affair

Television Year Title Writer ExecutiveProducer Creator Notes 2013 Behind the Candelabra Television film 2014 The Divide TBA The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey