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Fran Walsh Biography

Birth Name:Frances Rosemary Walsh

Birth Place:Wellington, New Zealand

Profession Writer, Producer, Soundtrack, Script department, Actress, Casting director, Assistant director, Casting department

Fast Facts

  • She and Peter Jackson are known for their good deeds in Wellington, New Zealand, where they spent millions to spare a church from demolition and kept the nonprofit Bats Theater operating
  • Along with singer Annie Lennox and composer Howard Shore, won a Grammy award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for the song "Into the West" from "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King․"
  • Graduated from Victoria University with a degree in English literature
  • Set out to become a fashion designer, and when she discovered that she wasn't very good at sewing, joined a punk band called the Wallsockets
  • Quote: "[on the Nazgul scream] "I went into the room with the mike and let out all the stress and the horror and the terror of making those movies․""
  • Started contributing to Peter Jackson's films in 1989 as a co-writer and eventually a producer
  • Works closely with Philippa Boyens during the writing process
  • In the portrait of Bilbo's parents over the fireplace in Bag End in "The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring," the portrait of the mother is actually modeled off of her
  • Recorded the Nazgul scream, the high pitched screech the Ringwraiths make in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy
  • Though she did not appear in an on-camera interview for the DVDs of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, she did participate in the commentary recordings

Awards

  • 1993Chainsaw Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 1993Film Award-Best Screenplay: winner
  • 1994ACCA-Best Original Screenplay: nominated
  • 1995Oscar-Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: nominated
  • 1995WGA Award (Screen)-Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: nominated
  • 1997Saturn Award-Best Writer: nominated
  • 1997Chainsaw Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 2001ACCA-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2001ACCA-Best Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2001Bram Stoker Award-Screenplay: nominated
  • 2001Golden Schmoes-Best Screenplay of the Year: nominated
  • 2001SEFCA Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2002Oscar-Best Picture: nominated
  • 2002Oscar-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: nominated
  • 2002Saturn Award-Best Writing: nominated
  • 2002Best Foreign Film Award-: winner
  • 2002ACCA-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 2002ACCA-Best Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2002BAFTA Children's Award-Best Feature Film: nominated
  • 2002BAFTA Film Award-Best Screenplay - Adapted: nominated
  • 2002Chlotrudis Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2002Hugo-Best Dramatic Presentation: winner
  • 2002Sierra Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 2002OFTA Film Award-Best Picture: winner
  • 2002OFTA Film Award-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: winner
  • 2002OFCS Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 2002PGA Award-Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: nominated
  • 2002PFCS Award-Best Screenplay - Adaptation: winner
  • 2002Golden Satellite Award-Best Screenplay, Adapted: nominated
  • 2002Seattle Film Critics Award-Best Screenplay, Adapted: nominated
  • 2002USC Scripter Award-: nominated
  • 2002WGA Award (Screen)-Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: nominated
  • 2003Oscar-Best Picture: nominated
  • 2003Saturn Award-Best Writing: nominated
  • 2003Best Foreign Film Award-: winner
  • 2003ACCA-Best Motion Picture: winner
  • 2003BAFTA Film Award-Best Film: nominated
  • 2003BAFTA Children's Award-Best Feature Film: nominated
  • 2003Audience Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2003Chlotrudis Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 2003DVD Premiere Award-Best Audio Commentary, New Release: winner
  • 2003DVDX Award-Best Audio Commentary (New for DVD): nominated
  • 2003Gold Derby Film Award-Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 2003Gold Derby Film Award-Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2003Gold Derby Film Award-Original Song: nominated
  • 2003Golden Schmoes-Best Screenplay of the Year: winner
  • 2003Hugo-Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form: winner
  • 2003INOCA-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 2003INOCA-Best Original Song: nominated
  • 2003IOMA-Best Screenplay (Miglior sceneggiatura): nominated
  • 2003OFTA Film Award-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
  • 2003OFTA Film Award-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: nominated
  • 2003OFTA Film Award-Best Picture: winner
  • 2003OFCS Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 2003PGA Award-Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: nominated
  • 2003PFCS Award-Best Original Song: winner
  • 2003PFCS Award-Best Screenplay - Adapted: winner
  • 2003Golden Satellite Award-Best Screenplay, Adapted: nominated
  • 2003Nebula Award-Best Script: winner
  • 2003Seattle Film Critics Award-Best Screenplay, Adapted: nominated
  • 2003SEFCA Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 2003USC Scripter Award-: nominated
  • 2003UFCA Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 2003WAFCA Award-Best Screenplay, Adapted: nominated
  • 2003World Soundtrack Award-Best Original Song Written for a Film: nominated
  • 2004Oscar-Best Picture: winner
  • 2004Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: winner
  • 2004Oscar-Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2004Saturn Award-Best Writing: winner
  • 2004AFI Award-Best Foreign Film: winner
  • 2004BAFTA Film Award-Best Film: winner
  • 2004BAFTA Children's Award-Best Feature Film: nominated
  • 2004BAFTA Film Award-Best Screenplay - Adapted: winner
  • 2004COFCA Award-Best Screenplay, Adapted: nominated
  • 2004CFCA Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 2004DFWFCA Award-Best Screenplay: winner
  • 2004Gold Derby Film Award-Motion Picture: winner
  • 2004Gold Derby Film Award-Original Song: nominated
  • 2004Gold Derby Film Award-Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2004Golden Globe-Best Original Song - Motion Picture: winner
  • 2004Hugo-Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form: winner
  • 2004ICS Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2004INOCA-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2004INOCA-Best Original Song: winner
  • 2004IOMA-Best Adapted Screenplay (Miglior sceneggiatura non originale): nominated
  • 2004Sierra Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 2004OFTA Film Award-Best Music, Original Song: winner
  • 2004OFTA Film Award-Best Picture: winner
  • 2004OFTA Film Award-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: winner
  • 2004OFCS Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
  • 2004PGA Award-Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: winner
  • 2004PFCS Award-Best Screenplay, Adapted: winner
  • 2004Nebula Award-Best Script: winner
  • 2004USC Scripter Award-: nominated
  • 2004World Soundtrack Award-Best Original Song Written for Film: nominated
  • 2004WGA Award (Screen)-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 2005ACCA-Best Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2005DVDX Award-Best Audio Commentary (New for DVD): winner
  • 2005Grammy-Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: winner
  • 2005IFMCA Award-Best New Release, Re-Release or Re-Recording of an Existing Score: winner
  • 2005Nebula Award-Best Script: winner
  • 2006Saturn Award-Best Writing: nominated
  • 2007IFMCA Award-Best New Release, Re-Release or Re-Recording of an Existing Score: nominated
  • 2010Gold Derby Film Award-Adapted Screenplay of the Decade: nominated
  • 2012ACCA-Best Adapted Screenplay of the Decade: winner
  • 2013Hugo-Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form: nominated
  • 2014Saturn Award-Best Writing: nominated
  • 2015Felix-Best Original Screenplay: nominated
  • 2015Saturn Award-Best Writing: nominated
  • 2015CCOP-Best Original Song (Melhor Canção Original): nominated