GAVIN O'CONNOR
A native of Long Island, New York, Gavin O'Connor wanted to be a filmmaker since he was a small boy. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he began his career as the writer and producer of the short film The Bet (1992), directed by Ted Demme. O'Connor then wrote, produced and directed the award-winning short American Standoff (1994) before making his feature film directorial debut with Comfortably Numb (1995). Although it screened at Cannes, the film generated no interest from studios and was shelved.
O'Connor turned to the stage, directing an off-off Broadway play called Rumblings of a Romance before returning to film with Tumbleweeds (1999). He co-wrote the script with his wife, model/actress Angela Shelton, based on her childhood experiences. O'Connor not only directed and executive-produced, but played the lead actress's (Janet McTeer) hot-tempered trucker boyfriend, Jack Ranson. The film was a hit, with McTeer receiving Golden Globe and Oscar nominations and O'Connor winning the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Festival.
Following the success of Tumbleweeds, Gavin formed the company Solaris with his brother Greg. In 2001, Solaris made Murphy's Dozen, a pilot for the WB network written and directed by Gavin. He next directed the feature Miracle, written by Eric Guggenheim. Based on the true-life story of the US hockey team's gold medal-winning efforts at the 1980 Olympics, the film starred Kurt Russell.
O'Connor resides in Los Angeles.
Filmography:
Born to Rock (2009)
Pride and Glory(2008)
Miracle(2004)
Tumbleweeds(1999)