Tom McCarthy

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, Boston Public, and Law & Order.

McCarthy has received critical acclaim for his writing and directing work for the independent films The Station Agent (2003), The Visitor (2007), Win Win (2011), and Spotlight (2015), the last of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, won McCarthy the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director. McCarthy also directed Stillwater (2021), based on a script he co-wrote.

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 the Netflix television series 13 Reasons Why (2017).

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 in a family of Irish descent. He is a graduate of New Providence High School in New Providence, New Jersey and Boston College (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 The Wire 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. 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, Mexico City, and Aspen.

McCarthy's second feature film was The Visitor, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, and for which McCarthy won the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Director. He appeared in the 2009 dramas The Lovely Bones and 2012. 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 series Game of Thrones, 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 nominations, three Golden Globe Awards nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, and eight Critics' Choice Movie Awards nominations.

McCarthy directed the first two episodes of 13 Reasons Why, from Anonymous Content and Paramount Television. It is based on the 2007 The New York Times bestselling YA book by Jay Asher. In 2019, he signed a first-look TV deal with Fox 21 Television Studios (now 20th Television).

In 2026, Sony Pictures Classics acquired worldwide rights to McCarthy’s next film The Statement, an adaptation of Losing Earth, with production scheduled to begin at the end of February.

Filmography Film Year Title Credit Notes Director Writer Producer 2003 The Station Agent BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay 2007 The Visitor 2009 Up Nominated – Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay 2011 Win Win 2014 Million Dollar Arm The Cobbler 2015 Spotlight Academy Award for Best PictureAcademy Award for Best Original ScreenplayBAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated – Academy Award for Best DirectorNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best DirectorNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay2018 Christopher Robin The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Rewrites on reshoots 2020 Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made 2021 Stillwater 2026 The Gallerist Post-production A Statement

Acting credits Year Title Role Notes 1992 Crossing the Bridge Chris 1993 Rift Bartender #1 1997 Conspiracy Theory Helicopter Spotter 1999 In My Sister's Shadow Michael Butler 30 Days Brad Drazin 2000 Certain Guys Mitch Meet the Parents Dr. Robert "Bob" Banks 2002 The Guru Lars 2004 The Last Shot Agent Pike 2005 Good Night, and Good Luck Palmer Williams Syriana Fred Franks The Great New Wonderful David Burbage 2006 All the King's Men Editor The Situation Major Hanks Beautiful Ohio Older William Messerman Flags of Our Fathers James Bradley 2007 Year of the Dog Pier Spade Michael Clayton Walter Voice only 2008 Baby Mama Kate's Date 2009 Mammoth Bob Duplicity Jeff Bauer The Lovely Bones Principal Caden 2012 Gordon Silberman 2010 Jack Goes Boating Dr. Bob Fair Game Jeff Little Fockers Dr. Bob 2015 Pixels Michael the Robot 2024 The Friend Dr. Warren 2026 Anima Pete TBA Evil Genius Filming

Television

Acting credits Year Title Role Notes 1996 Mary & Tim Tim Melville Television film New York Undercover Gus Farina Episode "Toy Soldiers" 1998 Saint Maybe Ian Bedloe Television film Spin City Priest Episode "Bye, Bye, Birdie" 2000 D.C. Joseph Scott Episode "Truth" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Nick Ganzer Episode "Contact" Ally McBeal Peter Hanks Episode "Do You Wanna Dance?" 2000–2001 Boston Public Kevin Riley 14 episodes 2001 The Practice Episode "The Day After" 2002–2008 Law & Order Various characters 3 episodes 2008 The Wire Scott Templeton 10 episodes 2020 Little America Professor Robbins Episode "The Cowboy" 2022 The Last Movie Stars Sidney Lumet (voice) Documentary series 2025 The Lowdown Trip Keating 4 episodes

Other awards and nominations Year Title Award 2003 The Station Agent Independent Spirit Award for Best First ScreenplayIndependent Spirit John Cassavetes AwardLas Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best ScreenplaySundance Film Festival Audience Award (Dramatic)Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt Screenwriting AwardNominated – Satellite Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay 2007 The Visitor Brisbane International Film Festival Interfaith AwardDeauville American Film Festival Grand Special PrizeIndependent Spirit Award for Best DirectorMethod Fest Independent Film Festival Award for Best DirectorSatellite Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated – Satellite Award for Best DirectorNominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay 2009 Up Nominated – Annie Award for Writing in a Feature ProductionNominated – Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form 2011 Win Win Nominated – Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best ScreenplayNominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay 2014 The Cobbler Nominated – Saturn Award for Best DVD or Blu-ray Release 2015 Spotlight AACTA International Award for Best ScreenplayAlliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best DirectorAlliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Original ScreenplayAwards Circuit Community Award for Best DirectorAwards Circuit Community Award for Best Original ScreenplayBoston Online Film Critics Association Award for Best Original ScreenplayBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ScreenplayCentral Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best DirectorCentral Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Original ScreenplayChicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original ScreenplayChicago International Film Festival Best Narrative English-Language FeatureCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best ScreenplayDallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best ScreenplayDenver Film Critics Society Award for Best Original ScreenplayDetroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Original ScreenplayFlorida Film Critics Circle Award for Best ScreenplayIndependent Spirit Award for Best DirectorIndependent Spirit Award for Best ScreenplayLondon Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the YearLos Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best ScreenplayNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best ScreenplaySatellite Award for Best DirectorSatellite Award for Best Original ScreenplayWriters Guild of America Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated – Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best DirectorNominated – Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best DirectorNominated – Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best DirectorNominated – Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best DirectorNominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best DirectorNominated – Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature FilmNominated – Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best DirectorNominated – National Society of Film Critics Award for Best DirectorNominated – Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay

Directed Academy Award performancesUnder McCarthy's direction, these actors have received Academy Award nominations for their performances in their respective roles.