Andrew Niccol Biography

Fast Facts

• Was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Film and won for Best Original Screenplay for the film "The Truman Show" in 1999
• Directed TV commercials for 10 years before making his film directing debut with "Gattaca․"
• Quote: "If you have some sort of serious idea, it's much easier to slip them by people if you wrap them into some futuristic world․ People can say, 'this has nothing to do with me,' when in fact it has everything to do with them․"
• Quote: "(On auditions): "It's like dating for me․ I kind of know in five seconds if there's a chance․․․I once met with an actor [Jude Law for "Gattaca"] and he was about to do a scene․․․and I said, "Actually, the audition's over․ You've got the role․""
• His films often tackle the topic of artificial reality in some way, such as the computer-generated actress in "S1m0ne" and gene manipulation in "Gattaca․"
• Best known for writing and directing "Gattaca," "In Time," and "The Host," and for writing and producing "The Truman Show․"
• Says he is proud to have both a reference to "Gattaca" in an episode of "The Simpsons" and a mental disorder, Truman Show Syndrome, named after "The Truman Show․"