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Frank Darabont Biography

Birth Name:Frank Arpad Darabont

Birth Place:Montbéliard, Doubs, France

Profession Writer, Script department, Director, Producer, Actor, Art department

Fast Facts

Enjoys adapting written material for film and worked with AMC throughout season one to adapt the comic book "The Walking Dead" for cable television
Regularly works with the same actors for his horror films including Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden and several others
Born in a French refugee camp after his parents fled the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
Quote: "If you're going to succeed, you've got to be like one of those punch-drunk fighters in the old Warner Brothers boxing pictures․ Too stupid to fall down, you just keep slugging and stay on your feet․"
Quote: "Don't get into this business if it's about trying to make a million-dollar sale․․․We need people who care about this as an art form․ Movies should count for more than an opening-weekend gross․"
After moving to Los Angeles at age 5, he became interested in filmmaking as a teen and began creating his own short films by the age of 20
Has worked with writer Stephen King on adapting several of his novels for film, including "The Shawshank Redemption․"
Is said to have been fired from AMC's "The Walking Dead" due to budget concerns and strained relationships with the cable network's executives
His original script for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was rejected in favor of George Lucas' work
Suggested adding the D-Day sequence to "Saving Private Ryan" during script revisions with Steven Spielberg

Awards

1991WGA Award (TV)-Anthology Episode/Single Program: nominated
1994ACCA-Best Director: nominated
1994ACCA-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
1994Chainsaw Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
1995Oscar-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: nominated
1995Saturn Award-Best Writing: nominated
1995Saturn Award-Best Writing: nominated
1995CFCA Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
1995DGA Award-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures: nominated
1995Golden Globe-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: nominated
1995Studio Crystal Heart Award-: winner
1995Hochi Film Award-Best Foreign Language Film: winner
1995Humanitas Prize-Feature Film Category: winner
1995Literary Award-Screenplay: winner
1995USC Scripter Award-: winner
1995WGA Award (Screen)-Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: nominated
1996Readers' Choice Award-Best Foreign Language Film: winner
1996Kinema Junpo Award-Best Foreign Language Film: winner
1996Mainichi Film Concours-Best Foreign Language Film: winner
1998OFTA Television Award-Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries: nominated
1999ACCA-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
1999Bram Stoker Award-Screenplay: nominated
2000Oscar-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: nominated
2000Oscar-Best Picture: nominated
2000Saturn Award-Best Director: nominated
2000Critics Choice Award-Best Screenplay, Adapted: winner
2000DGA Award-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures: nominated
2000OFCS Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
2000SEFCA Award-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
2000USC Scripter Award-: nominated
2001Readers' Choice Award-Best Foreign Language Film: winner
2001Nebula Award-Best Script: nominated
2007Fright Meter Award-Best Director: winner
2007Rondo Statuette-Best Movie: nominated
2008Saturn Award-Best Director: nominated
2011DGA Award-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series: nominated
2011INOCA TV-Best Episode of a Drama Series: nominated
2011TV Quick Award-Best New Drama: nominated
2011WGA Award (TV)-New Series: nominated
2012Rondo Statuette-Best TV Presentation: winner
2013OFTA Television Award-Best Writing in a Drama Series: nominated
2015Felix-Best Director: nominated
2015Felix-Best Adapted Screenplay: winner
2015iHorror Award-Best Horror Series: nominated
2020CinEuphoria-Merit - Honorary Award: winner