Stephen Schiff
Encyclopedia
Stephen Schiff is an American screenwriter and journalist. He grew up in Littleton, Colorado
and began his writing career at The Boston Phoenix, where he became the chief film critic and film editor (succeeding David Denby
), and hired and trained such critics as Owen Gleiberman
and David Edelstein
.
In 1983, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
in Criticism. Later that year, he was named Critic-at-Large of Vanity Fair
, a post he held until 1992, when he became a staff writer at The New Yorker
, specializing in cultural profiles, many of which appeared under his rubric, “Cultural Pursuits.” His subjects included Steven Spielberg
, V.S. Naipaul, Steven Sondheim, Oliver Stone
, Muriel Spark
, and Edward Gorey
.
From 1987 until 1996, Schiff was also the Film Critic of National Public Radio's Fresh Air
. He served three terms as chairman of the National Society of Film Critics
, and spent two seasons as a Correspondent on CBS
-TV's prime-time newsmagazine West 57th
, whose other Correspondents included Steve Kroft
and Meredith Vieira
.
In 1995, Schiff was asked to write a screenplay adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov
’s novel Lolita
, by the prospective film’s then-producer, Richard Zanuck. It was Schiff’s first screenplay, and the controversial film that was made from it, directed by Adrian Lyne
, was released in 1998. In her New York Times review, critic Caryn James called "Stephen Schiff's discerning, faithful screenplay...sensitive to Nabokov's wit as well as his lyricism." Schiff became a full-time screenwriter, leaving The New Yorker in 2003. His subsequent films include The Deep End of the Ocean
(1999), starring Michelle Pfeiffer
, and True Crime
(1999), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood
. He also did uncredited writing on Unfaithful (2002), starring Diane Lane
and Richard Gere
, and Leatherheads
(2008), directed by and starring George Clooney
.
His recent work includes the screenplay for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the Oliver Stone
-directed sequel to the 1987 film Wall Street.
Schiff served four terms on the governing Council of the Writers Guild of America East. He also served as the Writers Guild’s National Chairman and twice headed the East’s negotiating committee. In 2002, he was given the Guild’s Richard B. Jablow Award. Since 2005, he has served as chairman of the Board of the Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition, which publishes Parabola
magazine. He recently contributed the critical essay on Nabokov's Lolita
to Harvard University Press
's landmark scholarly compendium A New Literary History of America
, which was published in September, 2009.
In December 2009, Henry Holt and Company
announced that it would publish Schiff's forthcoming biography of Norman Mailer
.
Schiff is a graduate of Wesleyan University
.
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
and began his writing career at The Boston Phoenix, where he became the chief film critic and film editor (succeeding David Denby
David Denby (film critic)
David Denby is an American journalist, best known as a film critic for The New Yorker magazine.-Background and education:Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A...
), and hired and trained such critics as Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic for Entertainment Weekly, a position he has held since the magazine's launch in 1990. From 1981–89, he worked at the Boston Phoenix....
and David Edelstein
David Edelstein
David Edelstein is the chief film critic for New York Magazine, as well as the film critic for NPR's Fresh Air and CBS Sunday Morning. He lives in Brooklyn, New York....
.
In 1983, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in Criticism. Later that year, he was named Critic-at-Large of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, a post he held until 1992, when he became a staff writer at The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, specializing in cultural profiles, many of which appeared under his rubric, “Cultural Pursuits.” His subjects included Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, V.S. Naipaul, Steven Sondheim, Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, Muriel Spark
Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Spark, DBE was an award-winning Scottish novelist. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Early life:...
, and Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey
Edward St. John Gorey was an American writer and artist noted for his macabre illustrated books.-Early life:...
.
From 1987 until 1996, Schiff was also the Film Critic of National Public Radio's Fresh Air
Fresh Air
Fresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
. He served three terms as chairman of the National Society of Film Critics
National Society of Film Critics
The National Society of Film Critics is an American film critic organization. As of December 2007 the NSFC had approximately 60 members who wrote for a variety of weekly and daily newspapers.-History:...
, and spent two seasons as a Correspondent on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-TV's prime-time newsmagazine West 57th
West 57th (TV series)
West 57th was a newsmagazine series which aired on CBS from August 13, 1985, through September 9, 1989. Thought by Don Hewitt to be the younger rival of 60 Minutes, he campaigned internally against the show. West 57th originally premiered as a summer series, and took its name from the New York...
, whose other Correspondents included Steve Kroft
Steve Kroft
Steve Kroft is an American journalist and a longtime correspondent for 60 Minutes. His investigative reporting has garnered him much acclaim, including three Peabody Awards and nine Emmy awards, one of which was an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement.-Early life:Born on August 22, 1945 in Kokomo,...
and Meredith Vieira
Meredith Vieira
Meredith Louise Vieira is an American journalist, television personality, and game show host. She is best known for her roles as the original moderator of the ABC talk program The View and co-host of the long-running NBC News morning news program, Today...
.
In 1995, Schiff was asked to write a screenplay adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
’s novel Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
, by the prospective film’s then-producer, Richard Zanuck. It was Schiff’s first screenplay, and the controversial film that was made from it, directed by Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for directing films that focus on sexually charged characters and often uses natural light, a fog machine and other effects to create eroticized atmospheres...
, was released in 1998. In her New York Times review, critic Caryn James called "Stephen Schiff's discerning, faithful screenplay...sensitive to Nabokov's wit as well as his lyricism." Schiff became a full-time screenwriter, leaving The New Yorker in 2003. His subsequent films include The Deep End of the Ocean
The Deep End of the Ocean (film)
The Deep End of the Ocean is an American motion picture drama directed by Ulu Grosbard, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Jackson and Ryan Merriman...
(1999), starring Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
, and True Crime
True Crime (1999 film)
True Crime is a 1999 American mystery drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, and based on Andrew Klavan's 1997 novel of the same name. Eastwood also stars in the film as a journalist covering the execution of a death row inmate, only to discover that the convict may actually be innocent.-Plot:Steve...
(1999), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
. He also did uncredited writing on Unfaithful (2002), starring Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
and Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
, and Leatherheads
Leatherheads
Leatherheads is a 2008 American sports comedy film from Universal Pictures directed by and starring George Clooney. The film also stars Renée Zellweger, Jonathan Pryce and John Krasinski and focuses on the early years of professional American football....
(2008), directed by and starring George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
.
His recent work includes the screenplay for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
-directed sequel to the 1987 film Wall Street.
Schiff served four terms on the governing Council of the Writers Guild of America East. He also served as the Writers Guild’s National Chairman and twice headed the East’s negotiating committee. In 2002, he was given the Guild’s Richard B. Jablow Award. Since 2005, he has served as chairman of the Board of the Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition, which publishes Parabola
Parabola (magazine)
Parabola: Where Spiritual Traditions Meet, whose founder and editor was D.M. Dooling, began publishing in 1976 as a quarterly magazine on the subjects of mythology and the world's religious and cultural traditions. It is published by The Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition, a not-for-profit...
magazine. He recently contributed the critical essay on Nabokov's Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
to Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
's landmark scholarly compendium A New Literary History of America
A New Literary History of America
A New Literary History of Americais a collection of essays edited by Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors. Its roughly 200 essays span a range of topics that the editors selected as a sample of the different voices and perspectives on North America since the genesis of the European concept of a New World....
, which was published in September, 2009.
In December 2009, Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company is an American book publishing company. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt...
announced that it would publish Schiff's forthcoming biography of Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
.
Schiff is a graduate of Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
.
Filmography
- LolitaLolita (1997 film)Lolita is a 1997 French-American drama film directed by Adrian Lyne. It is the second screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name and stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert and Dominique Swain as Dolores "Lolita" Haze, with supporting roles by Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze,...
(1997) - The Deep End of the OceanThe Deep End of the Ocean (film)The Deep End of the Ocean is an American motion picture drama directed by Ulu Grosbard, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Jackson and Ryan Merriman...
(1999) - True CrimeTrue Crime (1999 film)True Crime is a 1999 American mystery drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, and based on Andrew Klavan's 1997 novel of the same name. Eastwood also stars in the film as a journalist covering the execution of a death row inmate, only to discover that the convict may actually be innocent.-Plot:Steve...
(1999) - Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
See also
- Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
- LolitaLolita (1997 film)Lolita is a 1997 French-American drama film directed by Adrian Lyne. It is the second screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name and stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert and Dominique Swain as Dolores "Lolita" Haze, with supporting roles by Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze,...
- The Deep End of the OceanThe Deep End of the Ocean (film)The Deep End of the Ocean is an American motion picture drama directed by Ulu Grosbard, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Jackson and Ryan Merriman...
- True CrimeTrue Crime (1999 film)True Crime is a 1999 American mystery drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, and based on Andrew Klavan's 1997 novel of the same name. Eastwood also stars in the film as a journalist covering the execution of a death row inmate, only to discover that the convict may actually be innocent.-Plot:Steve...