Danny Strong

Danny Strong

Strong at the 2013 Peabody awards
Born Daniel W. Strong
(1974-06-06) June 6, 1974
Occupation Actor, screenwriter, producer, film director
Years active 1997-present

Daniel W. "Danny" Strong (born June 6, 1974) is an American actor, screenwriter, television & film producer, and film director. As an actor, Strong is best known for his roles as Jonathan Levinson in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Doyle McMaster in Gilmore Girls. He also wrote the screenplays for Recount, the HBO adaptation Game Change, Lee Daniels' The Butler, and the two-part finale of The Hunger Games film trilogy, Mockingjay – Part 1 and Mockingjay – Part 2. Strong also is a co-creator, executive producer, and writer for the Fox series Empire.

Strong has won two Emmy Awards, two Writers Guild of America Awards, a Producers Guild of America Award, and a NAACP Image Award.

Early life

Strong grew up in Manhattan Beach, California. He was raised in a Jewish family (of Lithuanian, Russian, and Polish origin).[1][2] He began acting at a young age. Strong rented videos from Video Archives, and became friends with Quentin Tarantino, who worked there as a clerk. "I would just literally sit and chat with him for 45 minutes, an hour at a time about movies, and he got me turned on to all these different movies that 10 year olds don't see."[3] Strong attended Mira Costa High School, and then studied film and theatre at the University of Southern California.[4]

Career

Acting

Strong is known for playing Jonathan Levinson on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Paris Geller's boyfriend Doyle McMaster on Gilmore Girls, but he has also appeared in films such as Pleasantville, Dangerous Minds, Seabiscuit, the spoof Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday The Thirteenth, and was in the film Sydney White as the Grumpy dork, Gurkin. Strong has also had guest parts in sitcoms such as Seinfeld, Clueless, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Over the Top, Grey's Anatomy and How I Met Your Mother and has also guest-lectured in acting classes on finding a job as an actor. Most recently, Strong appeared in the popular AMC series Mad Men as Danny Siegel, a young man with no talent, trying to break into the advertising industry, later making a career in Hollywood. Strong also appeared on the HBO series Girls in the third and fourth seasons; and appeared on the fifth and sixth seasons of Justified as Albert Ferkus, a rapist prison guard.

Writing

At 25, in the hopes of being the lead actor in his own film, Strong wrote a dark comedy about two men who kill an elderly man for his rent-controlled apartment.[5] The film never materialized, but it sparked his desire to become a full-time writer.[5] His first successful script was Recount, a film about the 2000 US Elections, produced by HBO and directed by Jay Roach.[6] The film starred Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Denis Leary, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson and premiered on May 25, 2008.[7] The script had been voted number one on the 2007 Hollywood Black List,[8] a list of the "most liked" but unproduced scripts as voted on by the Hollywood community and insiders.[9] Strong was nominated for a 2008 Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for Recount. The film was nominated for Best Television Miniseries or Film at the 66th Golden Globe Awards and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie as well as the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay for a Television movie.[10]

Strong followed up Recount with the 2012 film adaptation of Game Change, based on the book written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin.[11] The film starred Julianne Moore and aired on HBO on March 10, 2012.[12] In 2012, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for Game Change.[13] The film was also awarded a Peabody Award, which recognizes distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals.[14]

In February 2012, he was hired to write the screenplay for the film adaptation of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, whose production has been stalled since 2013.[15][16]

Strong wrote the screenplay for the film The Butler.[17] Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker starred in the film and it was directed by Lee Daniels.[18] The script was voted on to the 2010 Hollywood Black List.[19] It was released in August 2013 and grossed over $100 million in the US box office.[20] He also had a cameo in the film.

I write characters of every race, gender and sexual orientation. I write some characters that are animals. That's just my job. To me, writing 'Empire' is not more difficult than Sarah Palin [in 'Game Change']. ... I mean, I'm not a Republican from Alaska.

Danny Strong, Huffington Post interview, June 2015[5]

In December 2013, Strong signed on to pen the new screenplay for the film adaptation of the musical Guys and Dolls, which originally premiered on Broadway in 1950.[21]

Strong also co-created the TV series Empire with Daniels in 2014, for which he has written and directed multiple episodes.[22]

Strong co-wrote the two-part Mockingjay, the finale of The Hunger Games series.[23] Part 1 was released on November 21, 2014, and Part 2 was released on November 20, 2015.[24][25]

Directing

Strong is making his directorial debut with the biographical drama film Rebel in the Rye.[26]

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
2016 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Drama Series Empire Won
2016 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series Empire Nominated
2016 Critics Choice Award Best Drama Series Empire Nominated
2016 Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series - Drama Empire Nominated
2015 TCA Awards Program of the Year Empire Won
2015 AFI Award Television Program of the Year Empire Won
2014 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture Lee Daniels’ The Butler Nominated
2014 Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square Recognizing a contemporary storyteller whose work has had a significant impact on the public dialogue. Game Change, Recount, Lee Daniels’ The Butler Won
2013 Golden Globe Awards Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Game Change Won
2013 Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Game Change Won
2013 Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form - Adapted Game Change Won
2013 PEN Center USA Awards Best Teleplay Game Change Won
2012 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries or Movie Game Change Won
2012 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Game Change Won
2012 American Film Institute Top 10 TV Program of the Year Game Change Won
2009 Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form - Original Recount Won
2008 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Recount Nominated
2008 American Film Institute Top 10 TV Program of the Year Recount Won

References

  1. ↑ LIL VACHA, Danny Strong, Celebrity Ethnicity
  2. ↑ Jewish Journal: "The Jewish writer and actor who’s ‘the voice of black America’" by Curt Schleier September 11, 2015
  3. ↑ "Filmforce.ign.com". IGN. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "The Official Danny Strong Website". Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Duca, Lauren (June 10, 2015), "How Doyle From 'Gilmore Girls' Came Up With The Idea For 'Empire'", Huffington Post.
  6. ↑ Flynn, Gillian (16 May 2008). "TV Review: Recount". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  7. ↑ Fickett, Travis (22 May 2008). "Danny Strong on Writing the Recount". Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  8. ↑ Finke, Nikki (7 December 2007). "Black List 2007's Best Liked Screenplays". Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  9. ↑ Sperling, Nicole (13 December 2011). "A "Black List" that's a career boost". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  10. ↑ Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
  11. ↑ de Moraes, Lisa (March 10, 2011). "The TV Column: HBO announces new McCain/Palin film, 'Game Change'". The Washington Post.
  12. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (12 January 2012). "HBO Schedules "Veep," "Game Change"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  13. ↑ Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for 2012 - Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
  14. ↑ "Peabody Awards Winner Database". Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  15. ↑ New Writer For The Lost Symbol | Movie News | Empire
  16. ↑ "UPDATE: Tom Hanks And Ron Howard To Return For Next Dan Brown Movie 'Inferno'; Sony Sets December 2015 Release Date". Deadline. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  17. ↑ DODES, RACHEL August 9, 2013, "All the Butler's Presidents". Wall Street Journal. 262 (34):D5
  18. ↑ "INTERVIEW: The Cast Of 'The Butler' Speak On Authenticity, Civil Rights & More". 5 August 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  19. ↑ Finke, Nikki (13 December 2010). "The Black List 2010: Screenplay Roster". Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  20. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (15 September 2013). "Box Office Milestone: Lee Daniels' The Butler Hits $100 Million". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  21. ↑ Champion, Lindsay. "It’s Good Old Reliable Danny Strong! Hunger Games Screenwriter to Pen Guys & Dolls Movie Reboot". Broadway.com. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  22. ↑ Gilman, Greg (March 4, 2015). "‘Empire’ Co-Creator Disputes Mo'Nique's Claim She Was Offered Taraji P. Henson’s Breakout Cookie Roler".
  23. ↑ Busis, Hillary (6 December 2012). "Best of 2012 (Behind the Scenes): 'Game Change' (and 'Mockingjay') writer Danny Strong on his biggest year". Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  24. ↑ The Deadline Team (10 July 2012). "Lionsgate Dates 'Hunger Game' Finale: 2-Part 'Mockingjay'". Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  25. ↑ "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, first trailer". Screen Daily. Screen International. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  26. ↑ McClintock, Pamela; Ford, Rebecca (April 29, 2014). "Danny Strong Making Directorial Debut With Biopic 'Salinger's War' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 28, 2016.

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