Kenneth Lonergan
Writer

Kenneth Lonergan

Kenneth Lonergan

Date of birth
Age
64
Place of birth
New York City, New York, USA
Citizenship
United States
Occupations
screenwriter, playwright, theatre director, actor, film director, author, director
Languages
English

Biography

Kenneth Lonergan (born October 16, 1962) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. He is known for his works, which explore complex emotional and interpersonal dynamics. He has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award, as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and three Tony Awards.

In 1982, Lonergan wrote his first one-act play, The Rennings Children. He then earned acclaim for a string of off-Broadway plays, including This is Our Youth (1996), The Waverly Gallery (2000), and Lobby Hero (2001), which were later revived on Broadway, earning him nominations for three Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play in 2015, 2019, and 2018, respectively. For his work on The Waverly Gallery, he was selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

He directed and wrote the drama film Manchester by the Sea (2016), which won him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director. He was previously Oscar-nominated as a writer for his first film, You Can Count on Me (2000), and as a co-writer for Martin Scorsese's historical epic film, Gangs of New York (2002). He also wrote and directed the psychological drama film Margaret (2011) and adapted E.M. Forster's novel Howards End into the 2017 miniseries of the same name.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenneth Lonergan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Education

  • Wesleyan University
  • New York University Tisch School of the Arts
  • HB Studio

Awards

  • Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award2000 You Can Count on Me
  • National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay2000 You Can Count on Me
  • Sutherland Trophy2000 You Can Count on Me
  • Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature2001 You Can Count on Me
  • Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay2001 You Can Count on Me
  • Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay2001 You Can Count on Me
  • Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay2001 You Can Count on Me
  • New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay
  • Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay2017 Manchester by the Sea
  • National Board of Review Award for Best Film

Nominations

  • Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay2001 You Can Count on Me
  • Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay2003 Gangs of New York
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play1997
  • National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay2000 You Can Count on Me
  • Open Palm Award2000 You Can Count on Me
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay2000 You Can Count on Me
  • Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature2001 You Can Count on Me
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play2001
  • Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay2001 You Can Count on Me
  • Pulitzer Prize for Drama2001 The Waverley Gallery
  • Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay2001 You Can Count on Me
  • Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay2001 You Can Count on Me
  • BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay2003 Gangs of New York
  • Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy2003
  • Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay2003 Gangs of New York
  • Academy Award for Best Director2017 Manchester by the Sea
  • Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay2017 Manchester by the Sea

Education and awards: Wikidata information may be incomplete. Wikidata · Updated: 2026-10-24

Photos

Kenneth LonerganKenneth Lonergan

Filmography

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