Warren Leight
Encyclopedia
Warren Leight is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and television producer. He is best known for his work on Law & Order: Criminal Intent
, Lights Out
and the showrunner for In Treatment
and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
.
comedy Dear God.
In the 1980's, he was the creative director/writer for a highly regarded quartet of female comics known as the "High Heeled Women," which included actress Arleen Sorkin
that performed in cabarets in New York City.
For his first theatrical project, Leight teamed with composer-lyricist Charles Strouse
on the 1985 musical "Mayor", inspired by Ed Koch
and his dealings with Leona Helmsley
and Bess Myerson
. It ran for 185 performances at the Top of the Gate in Greenwich Village
before transferring uptown to the Latin Quarter for another seventy. His efforts garnered him a Drama Desk Award
nomination for Outstanding Book.
Leight's 1998 play Side Man
won him the Tony Award
and nominations for both the Drama Desk Award
for Outstanding Play and the Pulitzer Prize
for Drama. In 2001, his play Glimmer, Glimmer & Shine was produced by the Mark Taper Forum
in Los Angeles and the Manhattan Theatre Club
in NYC with John Spencer
. He contributed works to The 24 Hour Plays, a unique theatrical event in which six short plays are written, rehearsed, directed, and performed within 24 hours, in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. His 2006 off-Broadway effort, No Foreigners Beyond This Point, earned him another Drama Desk nomination. Other plays include James and Annie and Stray Cats;;.
Leight ventured into television as a freelance writer for 100 Centre Street in 2002. On a suggestion from playwright Theresa Rebeck
, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
executive producer René Balcer
hired Leight to join the staff of the series in its second season as a writer/producer. His colleagues included a reference to Leight's play "Side Man
"; in a third-season episode, "Shrink-Wrapped
"; a bickering couple argues about the motivations of the married couple in the play. Upon a recommendation from Balcer, Leight was named the show's executive producer and head writer in 2006 when Balcer left the show at the end of the fifth season. In 2008, he left the show after its seventh season to be the showrunner for HBO's series In Treatment
.
In July 2009, it was announced that Leight had joined FX's new drama Lights Out
.
On April 11, 2011, Variety
reported that Leight will serve as showrunner for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
starting with the thirteenth season
.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
, Lights Out
Lights Out (2011 TV series)
Lights Out is an American television boxing drama series from the FX network in the United States. It stars Holt McCallany as Patrick "Lights" Leary, a New Jersey native, and former heavyweight champion boxer who is considering a comeback. The series premiered on January 11, 2011 at 10 pm ET/PT. On...
and the showrunner for In Treatment
In Treatment
In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...
and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
.
Career
Raised in the Sunnyside section of the borough of Queens and the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Leight began his writing career with the 1980 horror flick Mother's Day, followed by the documentary Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter, the indie Stuck on You!, and the Miramax release The Night We Never Met, which he also directed and which earned him a nomination at the Deauville Film Festival. He also scripted the 1996 Greg KinnearGreg Kinnear
Gregory "Greg" Kinnear is an American actor and television personality who first rose to stardom in 1991. He has appeared in more than 20 motion pictures, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in As Good as It Gets.-Early life:Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, the son of...
comedy Dear God.
In the 1980's, he was the creative director/writer for a highly regarded quartet of female comics known as the "High Heeled Women," which included actress Arleen Sorkin
Arleen Sorkin
Arleen Sorkin is an American actress, screenwriter, presenter and comedienne. Sorkin is known for portraying Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime serial Days of our Lives and for voicing Batman DC comic supervillainess Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series and the many animated series and...
that performed in cabarets in New York City.
For his first theatrical project, Leight teamed with composer-lyricist Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse is an American composer and lyricist.-Life and career:Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel Strouse...
on the 1985 musical "Mayor", inspired by Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
and his dealings with Leona Helmsley
Leona Helmsley
Leona Mindy Roberts Helmsley was an American businesswoman and real estate entrepreneur. She was a flamboyant personality and had a reputation for tyrannical behavior that earned her the nickname Queen of Mean...
and Bess Myerson
Bess Myerson
Bess Myerson became the first Jewish woman to win the Miss America pageant in 1945. She appeared on various television shows in the 1950s and 1960s...
. It ran for 185 performances at the Top of the Gate in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
before transferring uptown to the Latin Quarter for another seventy. His efforts garnered him a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
nomination for Outstanding Book.
Leight's 1998 play Side Man
Side Man
Side Man is a memory play by Warren Leight. His inspiration was his father Donald, who worked as a sideman, in jazz parlance a musician for hire who can blend in with the band or star as a solo performer, according to what is required by the gig.-Plot:...
won him the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and nominations for both the Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Play and 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...
for Drama. In 2001, his play Glimmer, Glimmer & Shine was produced by the Mark Taper Forum
Mark Taper Forum
The Mark Taper Forum is a 739 seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles and the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
in NYC with John Spencer
John Spencer (actor)
John Spencer was an American film and television actor. He was most widely known for playing White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on the NBC political drama series The West Wing, which earned him an Emmy Award in 2002.-Early life:Spencer was born as John Speshock, Jr. in New York City, and...
. He contributed works to The 24 Hour Plays, a unique theatrical event in which six short plays are written, rehearsed, directed, and performed within 24 hours, in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. His 2006 off-Broadway effort, No Foreigners Beyond This Point, earned him another Drama Desk nomination. Other plays include James and Annie and Stray Cats;;.
Leight ventured into television as a freelance writer for 100 Centre Street in 2002. On a suggestion from playwright Theresa Rebeck
Theresa Rebeck
Theresa Rebeck is an American playwright, television writer and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award.-Biography:...
, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
executive producer René Balcer
René Balcer
René Balcer is a Canadian television writer, director and producer.-Early life:He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and attended Lower Canada College in Montreal. He earned his B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Communication Studies from Concordia University in 1978. He began his career as a journalist,...
hired Leight to join the staff of the series in its second season as a writer/producer. His colleagues included a reference to Leight's play "Side Man
Side Man
Side Man is a memory play by Warren Leight. His inspiration was his father Donald, who worked as a sideman, in jazz parlance a musician for hire who can blend in with the band or star as a solo performer, according to what is required by the gig.-Plot:...
"; in a third-season episode, "Shrink-Wrapped
Shrink-Wrapped
"Shrink-Wrapped" is a third season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:Detective Goren and Eames investigate the brutal muder of a young jazz musician found in his recording studio...
"; a bickering couple argues about the motivations of the married couple in the play. Upon a recommendation from Balcer, Leight was named the show's executive producer and head writer in 2006 when Balcer left the show at the end of the fifth season. In 2008, he left the show after its seventh season to be the showrunner for HBO's series In Treatment
In Treatment
In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...
.
In July 2009, it was announced that Leight had joined FX's new drama Lights Out
Lights Out (2011 TV series)
Lights Out is an American television boxing drama series from the FX network in the United States. It stars Holt McCallany as Patrick "Lights" Leary, a New Jersey native, and former heavyweight champion boxer who is considering a comeback. The series premiered on January 11, 2011 at 10 pm ET/PT. On...
.
On April 11, 2011, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that Leight will serve as showrunner for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
starting with the thirteenth season
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 13)
The 13th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit debuted on September 21, 2011 on NBC.This season Law & Order: SVU will be broadcast without any other running U.S. Law & Order series...
.
Filmography
- Mother's DayMother's Day (film)Mother's Day is a 1980 American horror-thriller film, directed by Charles Kaufman, brother of Troma Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, who served as an associate producer for the film....
(1980) - Stuck on You! (1982)
- Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter (1982) (Documentary)
- Hot Flashes (1984) (TV)
- Me and Him (1988)
- The Night We Never Met (1993) (also Director)
- Dear God (1996)
- 100 Centre Street100 Centre Street100 Centre Street is an American legal drama created by Sidney Lumet and starring Alan Arkin.-Premise:The show takes its name for the street address of the criminal division of the New York Supreme Court for New York County. The show aired in the United States on the A&E Network cable television...
(2002) (TV) - Hey JoelHey JoelHey Joel is an American animated television series. It is about Joel Stein, the host of a three-minute rock-star interview show on VH1 called "3 minutes with Joel". However, he is anything but respectful to his famous guests, often badgering them with aggressive, pointless, irreverent, and often...
(2003) (TV) - Law & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
(2003-2008) (TV) (also Producer) - In TreatmentIn TreatmentIn Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...
(2009) (TV) - Lights OutLights Out (2011 TV series)Lights Out is an American television boxing drama series from the FX network in the United States. It stars Holt McCallany as Patrick "Lights" Leary, a New Jersey native, and former heavyweight champion boxer who is considering a comeback. The series premiered on January 11, 2011 at 10 pm ET/PT. On...
(2011) (TV) (also Executive Producer) - Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
(2011-) (showrunner)
Selected Stage
- MayorMayor (musical)Mayor is a musical with a book by Warren Leight and music and lyrics by Charles Strouse. It is based on the best-selling memoir by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch and depicts a single day in the life of the city's leader....
(1985) - Side ManSide ManSide Man is a memory play by Warren Leight. His inspiration was his father Donald, who worked as a sideman, in jazz parlance a musician for hire who can blend in with the band or star as a solo performer, according to what is required by the gig.-Plot:...
(1998) - Glimmer, Glimmer, & Shine (2001)
- No Foreigners Beyond This Point (2006)