List of Brigham Young University alumni
Entertainment
Table:
Name

Class year(s)

Degree(s)

Notability

Reference

Don Collier

B.A.

Western film and television actor

[95]

Jeremy Coon

2002

B.A.

Producer of the film Napoleon Dynamite

[96]

C. Jay Cox

1986

B.A.

Director and screenwriter

[97]

Brian Crane

1973

B.A.

Creator of Pickles comic strip

[98][99]

Mitch Davis

1982

B.A.

Film director and producer

[100]

Curt Doussett

B.A.

Actor, host on Discovery Channel's Hazard Pay, owner of ComedySportz Utah

[101][102]

Richard Dutcher

1988

B.A.

Film director, producer and actor; "father of Mormon cinema"

[103]

Aaron Eckhart

1994

B.A.

Golden Globe-nominated film actor best known for his roles in Thank You For Smoking (2006), Erin Brockovich (2000), Paycheck (2003), and The Dark Knight (2008)

[104]

Mireille Enos

1997

B.A.

Tony Award-nominated film and television actor

[16][105]

Steven Fales

1994

B.A.

Playwright and actor

[16][106]

Jon Heder

2004

BFA

Actor in Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Just Like Heaven (2005), The Benchwarmers (2006), School for Scoundrels (2006), Blades of Glory (2007)

[16][107]

Brett Helquist

1993

BFA

Illustrator best known for his work on A Series of Unfortunate Events

[108]

Jared and Jerusha Hess

2002

B.A.

Directors and screenwriters of Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and Nacho Libre (2006)

[109]

Ken Jennings

2000
2000

B.A.
B.S.

Jeopardy! all-time champion

[110]

Neil LaBute

1995

B.A.

Film director, screenwriter, playwright

[16][111]

Kieth Merrill

1967

B.A.

Academy Award-winning film director

[16][112]

Aaron Ruell

2001

B.A.

Actor, filmmaker

[16][113]

Tim Skousen

2001

B.A.

Filmmaker, The Sasquatch Gang (2006)

[16][114]

Daryn Tufts

1998

B.A.

Director and screenwriter

[115]

Johnny Whitaker

1986

B.A.

Actor best known for role in Family Affair

[116]

Considering the table plus the supporting evidence provided.

Provide an answer to this question: What year did the illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events graduate ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Don Collier ( born October 17 , 1928 ) is an actor particularly known for his role in television westerns during the 1960s . He played U.S . Marshal Will Foreman in the 1960-1962 NBC series Outlaws . He appeared as a deputy marshal to MacLane in the first season of Outlaws and was promoted to full marshal in the second season .
A Bachelor of Arts ( BA or AB ; from the Latin baccalaureus artium or artium baccalaureus ) is a bachelor 's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts and sciences . Bachelor of Arts programs generally take three or four years depending on the country and institution . Diplomas generally give the name of the institution , signatures of officials of the institution , type of degree conferred , conferring authority , and location at which the degree is conferred . Diplomas are printed on high-quality paper or parchment ; individual institutions set the preferred abbreviation for their degrees .
Western is a genre of fiction which tells stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West , often centering on the life of a nomadic cowboy or gunfighter armed with a revolver and a rifle who rides a horse . Cowboys and gunslingers typically wear Stetson hats , neckerchief bandannas , vests , spurs , cowboy boots , and buckskins ( alternatively dusters ) . Recurring characters include the aforementioned cowboys , Native Americans , Spaniards , Mexicans , bandits , lawmen , bounty hunters , outlaws , gamblers , soldiers ( especially mounted cavalry , such as buffalo soldiers ) , and settlers ( farmers , ranchers , and townsfolk ) . The ambience is usually punctuated with a Western music score , including American and Spanish/Mexican folk music such as country , Native American music , New Mexico music , and rancheras . Westerns often stress the harshness of the wilderness and frequently set the action in an arid , desolate landscape of deserts and mountains . Often , the vast landscape plays an important role , presenting a mythic vision of the plains and deserts of the American West . Specific settings include ranches , small frontier towns , saloons , railways , wilderness , and isolated military forts of the Wild West . Common plots include :
Film , also called movie or motion picture or ( less widely ) The Seventh Art , is a visual art-form used to simulate experiences that communicate ideas , stories , perceptions , feelings , beauty or atmosphere , by the means of recorded or programmed [ vague ] moving images , along with sound ( and more rarely ) other sensory stimulations . The word cinema , short for cinematography , is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry , and to the art form that is the result of it . The moving images of a film are created by photographing actual scenes with a motion-picture camera , by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques , by means of CGI and computer animation , or by a combination of some or all of these techniques , and other visual effects . Traditionally , films were recorded onto celluloid film through a photochemical process and then shown through a movie projector onto a large screen . Contemporary films are often fully digital through the entire process of production , distribution , and exhibition , while films recorded in a photochemical form traditionally included an analogous optical soundtrack ( a graphic recording of the spoken words , music and other sounds that accompany the images which runs along a portion of the film exclusively reserved for it , and is not projected ) . Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures . They reflect those cultures , and , in turn , affect them . Film is considered to be an important art form , a source of popular entertainment , and a powerful medium for educating - or indoctrinating - citizens . The visual basis of film gives it a universal power of communication . Some films have become popular worldwide attractions through the use of dubbing or subtitles to translate the dialog into other languages . The individual images that make up a film are called frames . In the projection of traditional celluloid films , a rotating shutter causes intervals of darkness as each frame , in turn , is moved into position to be projected , but the viewer does not notice the interruptions because of an effect known as persistence of vision , whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after its source disappears .
Television ( TV ) , sometimes shortened to tele or telly , is a telecommunication medium used for transmitting moving images in monochrome ( black and white ) , or in colour , and in two or three dimensions and sound . The term can refer to a television set , a television program ( TV show ) , or the medium of television transmission . Television is a mass medium for advertising , entertainment and news . Television became available in crude experimental forms in the late 1920s , but it would still be several years before the new technology would be marketed to consumers . After World War II , an improved form of black-and-white TV broadcasting became popular in the United States and Britain , and television sets became commonplace in homes , businesses , and institutions . During the 1950s , television was the primary medium for influencing public opinion . In the mid-1960s , color broadcasting was introduced in the US and most other developed countries . The availability of multiple types of archival storage media such as Betamax and VHS tapes , high-capacity hard disk drives , DVDs , flash drives , high-definition Blu-ray Discs , and cloud digital video recorders has enabled viewers to watch pre-recorded material - such as movies - at home on their own time schedule . For many reasons , especially the convenience of remote retrieval , the storage of television and video programming now occurs on the cloud . At the end of the first decade of the 2000s , digital television transmissions greatly increased in popularity . Another development was the move from standard-definition television ( SDTV ) ( 576i , with 576 interlaced lines of resolution and 480i ) to high-definition television ( HDTV ) , which provides a resolution that is substantially higher . HDTV may be transmitted in various formats : 1080p , 1080i and 720p .
An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance ( also actress ; see below ) . The actor performs in the flesh in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film , radio , and television . The analogous Greek term is ὑποκριτής ( hupokritḗs ) , literally one who answers . The actor 's interpretation of their role - the art of acting - pertains to the role played , whether based on a real person or fictional character . Interpretation occurs even when the actor is playing themselves , as in some forms of experimental performance art . Formerly , in ancient Greece and Rome , the medieval world , and the time of William Shakespeare , only men could become actors , and women 's roles were generally played by men or boys . After the English Restoration of 1660 , women began to appear on stage in England . In modern times , particularly in pantomime and some operas , women occasionally play the roles of boys or young men .
Jeremy Coon ( born 1979 ) is an American executive producer and editor of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite , a cult hit made on a $ 400,000 budget that has earned more than $ 44 million since its release . Coon attended film school at Brigham Young University and graduated in 1997 from Lloyd V. Berkner High School in Richardson , Texas . He was friends at Brigham Young with fellow film student Jared Hess , where he was told of Hess ' nascent screenplay for Dynamite and agreed to raise the money to produce the film . On the opening day of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival , Coon sold the film to Fox Searchlight Pictures for $ 3.2 million . After a 22-day shoot in Preston , Idaho , Coon edited the film during a nine-day cram session using Apple Final Cut Pro software for the first time . We spent about a year assembling our crew -- 95 percent were friends from the BYU post department , he told the Apple publication Pro . People would come by to check on me and I didnt even know what time of day it was .
Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 American comedy film produced by Jeremy Coon , Chris Wyatt , Sean Covel and Jory Weitz , written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and directed by Jared Hess . The film stars Jon Heder in the role of the title character , for which he was paid $ 1,000 . After the film 's runaway success , Heder re-negotiated his compensation and received a cut of the profits . The film was Jared Hess ' first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film , Peluca . Napoleon Dynamite was acquired at the Sundance Film Festival by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Paramount Pictures , in association with MTV Films . It was filmed in and near Franklin County , Idaho in the summer of 2003 . It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2004 . Most of the situations in the movie are loosely based on Hess ' life . The film 's total worldwide gross revenue was $ 46,122,713 . The film has since developed a cult following . The film has since been voted at number 14 on Bravo 's 100 funniest movies .
C. Jay Cox ( born 1962 in Nevada ) is an screenwriter and director .
Brian Crane is an American cartoonist who created Pickles , a comic strip featuring a retired couple , Earl and Opal Pickles , their family , and their family pets , Muffin ( cat ) and Roscoe ( dog ) . Born in Twin Falls , Idaho , Crane grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area . He began drawing at an early age , according to accounts by his mother , and hoped to grow up to be a comic strip artist . But as he got older he did n't think he had the writing talent or sense of humor to be able to come up with material for a daily comic strip , so he became a graphic designer and art director , working for publishing companies , art studios and advertising agencies . Along the way he graduated with a BA degree from Brigham Young University in 1973 , married his college sweetheart , Diana Long , and they had seven children . When he got near the age of forty he began reminiscing about his childhood dream of doing a newspaper comic strip , so he created Pickles , a strip about an elderly couple , their daughter , their grandson , and their pets . It became syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group in 1990 , and today appears in nearly 1000 newspapers around the world . In 2001 it was awarded the prize for Best Comic Strip by the National Cartoonist Society . In 2005 and 2011 he was a nominee for Cartoonist of the Year by the same group . In 2013 he won the Reuben award for cartoonist of the year from the National Cartoonist Society . Crane creates Pickles by hand from a studio in his home in Sparks , NV . His daughter Emily colors the daily and Sunday strips for him .
Pickles is a daily and Sunday comic strip by Brian Crane focusing on a retired couple in their seventies , Earl and Opal Pickles . Pickles has been published since April 2 , 1990 .
Mitch Davis is an American film director , writer , and producer noted for his 2001 film The Other Side of Heaven about the trials and adventures of an LDS Missionary , John H. Groberg . His movies range from intense dramas to lighthearted , family-friendly comedies . He has written seven films , directed five , and produced three . He is from Escondido , California . He attended Brigham Young University ( BYU ) and the University of Southern California .
Curt Doussett is an American actor who is the host of the Discovery Channel 's Hazard Pay and owner of ComedySportz Utah .
Discovery Channel ( known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995 , and often referred to as simply Discovery ) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by Discovery , Inc. , a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav . As of June 2012 [ update ] , Discovery Channel is the third most widely distributed subscription channel in the United States , behind TBS and The Weather Channel ; it is available in 409 million households worldwide , through its U.S. flagship channel and its various owned or licensed television channels internationally . It initially provided documentary television programming focused primarily on popular science , technology , and history , but by the 2010s had expanded into reality television and pseudo-scientific entertainment . Programming on the flagship Discovery Channel in the U.S. is primarily focused on reality television series , such as speculative investigation ( with shows such as MythBusters , Unsolved History , and Best Evidence ) , automobiles , and occupations ( such as Dirty Jobs and Deadliest Catch ) ; it also features documentaries specifically aimed at families and younger audiences . A popular annual feature on the channel is Shark Week , which airs on Discovery during the summer months . Despite its popularity and success , the program has garnered criticism , especially from the scientific community , for being scientifically inaccurate . As of September 2018 [ update ] , Discovery Channel is available to approximately 88,589,000 pay television households in the United States .
ComedySportz ( CSz ) is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow , Bob Orvis , Brian Green , and others .
Utah ( /ˈjuːtɑː/ YOO-tah , /ˈjuːtɔː/ ( listen ) YOO-taw ) is a state in the western United States . It became the 45th state admitted to the U.S. on January 4 , 1896 . Utah is the 13th-largest by area , 30th-most-populous , and 11th-least-densely populated of the 50 United States . Utah has a population of more than 3 million according to the Census estimate for July 1 , 2018 . Urban development is mostly concentrated in two areas : the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state , which contains approximately 2.5 million people ; and Washington County in Southern Utah , with over 160,000 residents . Utah is bordered by Colorado to the east , Wyoming to the northeast , Idaho to the north , Arizona to the south , and Nevada to the west . It also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast . Approximately 62% of Utahns are reported to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( LDS Church ) , making Utah the only state with a majority population belonging to a single church . This greatly influences Utahn culture , politics , and daily life . The church 's world headquarters is located in Salt Lake City . The state is a center of transportation , education , information technology and research , government services , and mining and a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation . In 2013 , the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Utah had the second-fastest-growing population of any state .
Richard Alan Dutcher ( born 1964 ) is an American independent filmmaker who produces , writes , directs , edits , and frequently stars in his films . After making God 's Army , a successful 2000 movie about LDS missionaries , Dutcher became well known among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( LDS Church ) . Film critic Jeff Vice , of the Deseret News , dubbed Dutcher The Godfather of Mormon Cinema , a title that is very important personally for Dutcher . In 2007 , Dutcher left the LDS Church .
A film director is a person who directs the making of a film . A film director controls a film 's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay ( or script ) while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision . The director has a key role in choosing the cast members , production design , and the creative aspects of filmmaking . Under European Union law , the director is viewed as the author of the film . The film director gives direction to the cast and crew and creates an overall vision through which a film eventually becomes realized , or noticed . Directors need to be able to mediate differences in creative visions and stay within the budget . There are many pathways to becoming a film director . Some film directors started as screenwriters , cinematographers , producers , film editors or actors . Other film directors have attended a film school . Directors use different approaches . Some outline a general plotline and let the actors improvise dialogue , while others control every aspect , and demand that the actors and crew follow instructions precisely . Some directors also write their own screenplays or collaborate on screenplays with long-standing writing partners .
A film producer is a person who oversees film production . Either employed by a production company or working independently , producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production , such as selecting the script ; coordinating writing , directing , and editing ; and arranging financing . During the discovery stage , the producer finds and selects promising material for development . Then , unless the film is based on an existing script , the producer has to hire a screenwriter and oversee the development of the script . Once a script is completed , the producer will lead a pitch to secure the financial backing ( a green light ) to allow production to begin . The producer also supervises the pre-production , production , and post-production stages of filmmaking . One of the most important tasks is to hire the director and other key crew members . Whereas the director makes the creative decisions during the production , the producer typically manages the logistics and business operations , though some directors also produce their own films . The producer is tasked with making sure the film is delivered on time and within budget , and has the final say on creative decisions . Finally , the producer will oversee the marketing and distribution . For various reasons , producers can not always supervise all of the production . In this case , the main producer or executive producer may hire and delegate work to associate producers , assistant producers , line producers or unit production managers .
Mormon cinema ( informally Mollywood , a portmanteau of Mormon and Hollywood ) usually refers to films with themes relevant to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( LDS Church ) . The terminology has also been used to refer to films that do not necessarily reflect Mormon themes but have been made by Mormon filmmakers . LDS cinema films might be considered distinct from LDS Church movies like Legacy and Testaments , since they are commercial and not produced for teaching or proselytizing LDS doctrine . LDS cinema is usually produced and directed by Latter-day Saints . The films typically have LDS themes and are often marketed especially toward Latter-day Saints , though there has been an effort to cross over into more mainstream themes .
Aaron Edward Eckhart ( born March 12 , 1968 ) is an American actor . Born in Cupertino , California , Eckhart moved to England at age 13 , when his father relocated the family . Several years later , he began his acting career by performing in school plays , before moving to Australia for his high school senior year . He left high school without graduating , but earned a diploma through an adult education course , and graduated from Brigham Young University ( BYU ) in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film . For much of the mid-1990s , he lived in New York City as a struggling , unemployed actor . As an undergraduate at BYU , Eckhart met director and writer Neil LaBute , who cast him in several of his own original plays . Five years later Eckhart made a debut as an unctuous , sociopathic ladies ' man in LaBute 's black comedy film In the Company of Men ( 1997 ) . Under LaBute 's guidance he worked in the director 's films Your Friends & Neighbors ( 1998 ) , Nurse Betty ( 2000 ) , and Possession ( 2002 ) . Eckhart gained wide recognition as George in Steven Soderbergh 's critically acclaimed film Erin Brockovich ( 2000 ) , and , in 2006 , he received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking . Another mainstream breakout occurred in 2008 when he starred in the blockbuster Batman film The Dark Knight as District Attorney Harvey Dent . Other key roles include The Pledge ( 2001 ) , The Core ( 2003 ) , Paycheck ( 2003 ) , Rabbit Hole ( 2010 ) , Battle : Los Angeles ( 2011 ) , Olympus Has Fallen ( 2013 ) and its sequel London Has Fallen ( 2016 ) , I , Frankenstein ( 2014 ) , and Sully ( 2016 ) , Midway ( 2019 ) .
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944 , recognizing excellence in film , both American and International , and the American television . The annual ceremony at which the awards are presented is normally held every January , and is a major part of the film industry 's awards season , which culminates each year in the Academy Awards . The eligibility period for the Golden Globes corresponds to the calendar year ( i.e . January 1 through December 31 ) . The 77th Golden Globe Awards , honoring the best in film and television in 2019 , were held on January 5 , 2020 .
Thank You for Smoking is a 2005 American satirical black comedy film written and directed by Jason Reitman and starring Aaron Eckhart , based on the 1994 satirical novel of the same name by Christopher Buckley . It follows the efforts of Big Tobacco 's chief spokesman , Nick Naylor , who lobbies on behalf of cigarettes using heavy spin tactics while also trying to remain a role model for his 12-year-old son . Maria Bello , Adam Brody , Sam Elliott , Katie Holmes , Rob Lowe , William H. Macy , J. K. Simmons , and Robert Duvall appear in supporting roles . The film was released in a limited run on March 17 , 2006 , and had a wide release on April 14 . As of 2007 , the film had grossed a total of more than $ 39 million worldwide . The film was released on DVD in the US on October 3 , 2006 , and in the UK on January 8 , 2007 .
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 American biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Susannah Grant . The film is a dramatization of the true story of Erin Brockovich , portrayed by Julia Roberts , who fought against the energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company ( PG & E ) . The film was a box office success , and critical reaction was positive . Roberts won the Academy Award , BAFTA , Golden Globe Award , Screen Actors Guild Award , and various critics awards for Best Actress . The film itself was also nominated for the Best Picture . Steven Soderbergh , the film 's director , was nominated for the Best Director for both this film and Traffic , but he won the award for Traffic . Early in the film , the real Erin Brockovich has a cameo appearance as a waitress named Julia .
Paycheck is a 2003 American science fiction action film based on the short story of the same name by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick . The film was directed by John Woo and stars Ben Affleck , Uma Thurman , and Aaron Eckhart . Paul Giamatti , Michael C. Hall , Joe Morton , and Colm Feore also appear .
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed , co-produced , and co-written by Christopher Nolan . Based on the DC Comics character Batman , the film is the second installment of Nolan 's The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005 's Batman Begins , starring Christian Bale and supported by Michael Caine , Heath Ledger , Gary Oldman , Aaron Eckhart , Maggie Gyllenhaal , and Morgan Freeman . In the film , Bruce Wayne / Batman ( Bale ) , Police Lieutenant James Gordon ( Oldman ) and District Attorney Harvey Dent ( Eckhart ) form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City , but are menaced by an anarchistic mastermind known as the Joker ( Ledger ) , who seeks to undermine Batman 's influence and turn the city to chaos . Nolan 's inspiration for the film was the Joker 's comic book debut in 1940 , the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke , and the 1996 series The Long Halloween , which retold Harvey Dent 's origin . The Dark Knight nickname was first applied to Batman in Batman # 1 ( 1940 ) , in a story written by Bill Finger . The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago , as well as in several other locations in the United States , the United Kingdom , and Hong Kong . The film was the first mainstream feature to partially utilize IMAX 70 mm cameras , with Nolan using them for 28 minutes of the film , including the Joker 's first appearance . Warner Bros. initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight , developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Ledger as the Joker . Ledger died on January 22 , 2008 , some months after he completed filming and six months before the film 's release from a toxic combination of prescription drugs , leading to intense attention from the press and movie-going public . A co-production of the United States and the United Kingdom , The Dark Knight was released on July 18 , 2008 , in the United States and on July 25 , 2008 , in the United Kingdom . Considered one of the best films of its decade and one of the best superhero films of all time , the film received highly positive reviews , particularly for its action , score , screenplay , performances ( particularly Ledger 's ) , visual effects , and direction , setting numerous records during its theatrical run . The Dark Knight appeared on 287 critics ' top-ten lists , more than any other film of 2008 with the exception of WALL-E , and more critics ( 77 ) named The Dark Knight the best film released that year .
Marie Mireille Enos ( /mɪəˈreɪ ˈiːnəs/ ; born September 22 , 1975 ) is an American actress . Drawn to acting from a young age , she graduated in performing arts from Brigham Young University , where she was awarded the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship . Having made her acting debut in the 1994 television film Without Consent , she has since received nominations for a Tony Award , a Golden Globe Award , and an Emmy Award . Early in her career , Enos appeared variously as a guest star on such television shows as Sex and the City and The Education of Max Bickford among others . She made her feature film debut with a minor part in the 2001 romantic comedy Someone Like You , but garnered wider attention for her role as Honey in the 2005 Broadway production of Who 's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? . Her performance in the latter earned her a nomination for Best Featured Actress at the Tony Awards . She again ventured into television roles and landed the role of twins Kathy and JoDean Marquart in the HBO drama series Big Love . Enos ' breakout role was on the AMC crime drama series The Killing ; she played Sarah Linden , a Seattle-based police officer for the show 's four seasons from 2011 to 2014 . Her performance garnered her critical acclaim and earned her nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the Primetime Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award . Enos starred as Karin Lane in the 2013 disaster film World War Z and Kathleen Hall in the 2014 romantic drama If I Stay ; both of the films were blockbuster productions . She continued to draw praise for her work in independent films like Never Here ( 2017 ) . Enos starred as the lead character in the short-lived ABC legal thriller The Catch .
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre , more commonly known as the Tony Award , recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre . The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in Midtown Manhattan . The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances , and an award is given for regional theatre . Several discretionary non-competitive awards are also given , including a Special Tony Award , the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre , and the Isabelle Stevenson Award . The awards are named after Antoinette Tony Perry , co-founder of the American Theatre Wing . The trophy consists of a medallion , with a face portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks , mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel . The rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the official document Rules and Regulations of The American Theatre Wing 's Tony Awards , which applies for that season only . The Tony Awards are considered the highest U.S. theatre honor , the New York theatre industry 's equivalent to the Academy Awards ( Oscars ) for film , the Emmy Awards for television , and the Grammy Awards for music . It also forms the fourth spoke in the EGOT , that is , someone who has won all four major annual American entertainment awards . The Tony Awards are also considered the equivalent of the Laurence Olivier Awards in the United Kingdom and the Molière Awards in France . The 73rd annual ceremony was held on June 9 , 2019 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and was broadcast live on CBS . James Corden served as the host .
Steven Heard Fales ( born March 17 , 1970 ) is a classically trained playwright and actor who has gained broad recognition in both the theatre world gay community and the LDS community for his award-winning one-man play , Confessions of a Mormon Boy .
Jonathan Joseph Heder ( /ˈhiːdər/ ; born October 26 , 1977 ) is an American actor and producer . His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite . He has also acted in the films The Benchwarmers , School for Scoundrels , Blades of Glory , Mama 's Boy , When in Rome , and Walt Before Mickey as Roy Disney , and provided voice talents in the animated films Monster House , Surf 's Up and Pinocchio , as well as the Napoleon Dynamite animated series .
A Bachelor of Fine Arts ( BFA , B.F.A . ) is the standard undergraduate degree for students in the United States and Canada seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts .
Just Like Heaven is a 2005 American romantic comedy fantasy film directed by Mark Waters , starring Reese Witherspoon , Mark Ruffalo , and Jon Heder . It is based on the French novel If Only It Were True ( Et si c'était vrai . ) written by Marc Levy . Steven Spielberg obtained the rights to produce the film from the book . The film was released in the United States and Canada on September 16 , 2005 .
The Benchwarmers is a 2006 American sports-comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Rob Schneider , David Spade , and Jon Heder . It is produced by Revolution Studios and Happy Madison Productions and is distributed by Columbia Pictures .
School for Scoundrels is a 2006 American comedy film , starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder , and directed by Todd Phillips . The film is based on the 1960 British film School for Scoundrels . The film was released on September 29 , 2006 . The remake has a similar theme to the original film , but a noticeably different plot and tone .
Blades of Glory is a 2007 American sports comedy film directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck and starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as a mismatched pair of banned figure skaters who become teammates upon discovering a loophole that will allow them to compete in the sport again . The film 's story was conceived by Busy Philipps , who fleshed out the screenplay ; co-writers Jeff and Craig Cox , however , dropped her name from the script . The film was produced by MTV Films , Red Hour and Smart Entertainment and released on March 30 , 2007 , by DreamWorks Pictures .
Brett L. Helquist ( born in 1966 ) is an American illustrator best known for his work in the children 's books A Series of Unfortunate Events . As such , his illustrations for that series have appeared in multiple media , including the books , the audio book covers , and the calendars .
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of thirteen novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket . Although they are classified children 's novels , the books often have a dark , mysterious feeling to them . The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet , Klaus , and Sunny Baudelaire . After their parents ' death in a fire , the children are placed in the custody of a murderous relative , Count Olaf , who attempts to steal their inheritance and , later , orchestrates numerous disasters with the help of his accomplices as the children attempt to flee . As the plot progresses , the Baudelaires gradually confront further mysteries surrounding their family and deep conspiracies involving a secret society known as V.F.D. , with connections to Olaf , their parents , and many other relatives . The series is narrated by Lemony Snicket , who dedicates each of his works to his deceased love interest , Beatrice , and often attempts to dissuade the reader from reading the Baudelaires ' story . Characterized by Victorian Gothic tones and absurdist textuality , the books are noted for their dark humor , sarcastic storytelling , and anachronistic elements , as well as frequent cultural and literary allusions . They have been classified as postmodern and metafictional writing , with the plot evolution throughout the later novels being cited as an exploration of the psychological process of transition from the idyllic innocence of childhood to the moral complexity of maturity . Likewise , the final installments of the series are also acknowledged for their escalatingly intricate ethical ambiguity toward philosophical ambivalence , as the nature of some of the Baudelaires ' actions becomes increasingly harder to discern from those of their antagonist counterparts and more characters are revealed to be responsible for permanent wrongdoing , despite their identification with the self-proclaimed good side of the tale . Since the release of the first novel , The Bad Beginning , in September 1999 , the books have gained significant popularity , critical acclaim , and commercial success worldwide , spawning a film , a video game , assorted merchandise and a television series on Netflix . The main thirteen books in the series have collectively sold more than 60 million copies and have been translated into 41 languages . Several companion books set in the same universe of the series have also been released , including Lemony Snicket : The Unauthorized Autobiography , The Beatrice Letters and the noir prequel tetralogy All the Wrong Questions , which chronicles Snicket 's childhood .
Jared Lawrence Hess ( born July 18 , 1979 ) and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess ( née Demke ; born May 12 , 1980 ) are husband-and-wife American filmmakers known for their work on Napoleon Dynamite ( 2004 ) , Nacho Libre ( 2006 ) and Gentlemen Broncos ( 2009 ) , all of which they co-wrote and which were directed by Jared Hess ( Nacho Libre was co-written with Mike White ) . They also produced music videos for The Postal Service 's third single , We Will Become Silhouettes , and The Killers ' Christmas charity single Boots .
A screenplay writer ( also called screenwriter for short ) , scriptwriter or scenarist is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting , writing screenplays on which mass media , such as films , television programs and video games , are based .
Nacho Libre is a 2006 Mexican-American sports comedy-drama film directed by Jared Hess and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White . It stars Jack Black , and is loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta ( Friar Storm , a.k.a . Rev . Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez ) , a real-life Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador and competed in order to support the orphanage he directed . The film was produced by Black , White , David Klawans and Julia Pistor . The film was released on June 16 , 2006 by Paramount Pictures . It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $ 99.3 million at the worldwide box office against its $ 35 million production budget .
Kenneth Wayne Jennings III ( born May 23 , 1974 ) is an American game show contestant and author . He is the highest-earning American game show contestant of all time . Jennings holds the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. game show Jeopardy ! with 74 wins . He also holds the record for the highest average correct responses per game in Jeopardy ! history ( for those contestants with at least 300 correct responses ) with 35.9 during his original run ( no other contestant has exceeded 30 ) and 33.1 overall including tournaments and special events . In 2004 , Jennings won 74 consecutive Jeopardy ! games before he was defeated by challenger Nancy Zerg on his 75th appearance . His total earnings on Jeopardy ! are $ 4,522,700 , consisting of : $ 2,520,700 over his 74 wins ; a $ 2,000 second-place prize in his 75th appearance ; a $ 500,000 second-place prize in the Jeopardy ! Ultimate Tournament of Champions ( 2005 ) ; a $ 300,000 second-place prize in Jeopardy 's IBM Challenge ( 2011 ) , when he lost to the Watson computer but became the first human to best third-place finisher Brad Rutter ; a $ 100,000 second-place prize in the Jeopardy ! Battle of the Decades ( 2014 ) ; a $ 100,000 second-place prize ( his share of his team 's $ 300,000 prize ) in the Jeopardy !
A Bachelor of Science ( Latin Baccalaureus Scientiae , B.S. , BS , B.Sc . or BSc ; or , less commonly , S.B. , SB , or Sc.B. , from the equivalent Latin Scientiae Baccalaureus ) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years . The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of London in 1860 . Whether a student of a particular subject is awarded a Bachelor of Science degree or a Bachelor of Arts degree can vary between universities . For example , an economics degree may be given as a Bachelor of Arts ( BA ) by one university but as a BS by another , and some universities offer the choice of either . Some liberal arts colleges in the United States offer only the BA , even in the natural sciences , while some universities offer only the BS , even in non-science fields . At universities that offer both BA and BS degrees in the same discipline , the BS degree is usually more extensive in that particular discipline and is targeted toward students who are pursuing graduate school or a profession in that field .
Jeopardy ! is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin . The show features a quiz competition in which contestants are presented with general knowledge clues in the form of answers , and must phrase their responses in the form of questions . The original daytime version debuted on NBC on March 30 , 1964 , and aired until January 3 , 1975 . A weekly nighttime syndicated edition aired from September 1974 to September 1975 , and a revival , The All-New Jeopardy ! , ran on NBC from October 1978 to March 1979 . The current version , a daily syndicated show produced by Sony Pictures Television , premiered on September 10 , 1984 . Both NBC versions and the weekly syndicated version were hosted by Art Fleming . Don Pardo served as announcer until 1975 , and John Harlan announced for the 1978-1979 season . Since its inception , the daily syndicated version has featured Alex Trebek as host and Johnny Gilbert as announcer . With over 8,000 episodes aired , the daily syndicated version of Jeopardy ! has won a record 33 Daytime Emmy Awards as well as a Peabody Award . In 2013 , the program was ranked No .
Neil N. LaBute ( born March 19 , 1963 ) is an American playwright , film director , screenwriter , and actor . He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film , In the Company of Men ( 1997 ) , which won awards from the Sundance Film Festival , the Independent Spirit Awards , and the New York Film Critics Circle . He wrote and directed the films Your Friends & Neighbors ( 1998 ) , Possession ( 2002 ) ( based on the A.S. Byatt novel ) , The Shape of Things ( 2003 ) ( based on his play of the same name ) , The Wicker Man ( 2006 ) , Some Velvet Morning ( 2013 ) , and Dirty Weekend ( 2015 ) . He directed the films Nurse Betty ( 2000 ) , Lakeview Terrace ( 2008 ) , and the American adaptation of Death at a Funeral ( 2010 ) . LaBute created the TV series Billy & Billie , writing and directing all of the episodes . He is also the creator of the TV series Van Helsing . Recently , he executive produced , co-directed and co-wrote the Netflix 's The I-Land . He also directed several episodes for shows such as Hell on Wheels and Billions .
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays . One of the most famous playwrights was William Shakespeare ( 1564-1616 ) .
Kieth W. Merrill ( born May 22 , 1940 ) is an American filmmaker who has worked as a writer , director , and producer in the film industry since 1967 . He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America , and received an Academy Award for The Great American Cowboy ( 1973 ) and a nomination for Amazon ( 1997 ) . He published a novel , The Evolution of Thomas Hall , through Shadow Mountain in May 2011 . His first fantasy novel , The Immortal Crown , was published by Shadow Mountain in May 2016 .
The Academy Awards , more popularly known as the Oscars , are awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry . Given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) , the awards are an international recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy 's voting membership . The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette , officially called the Academy Award of Merit , although more commonly referred to by its nickname , the Oscar . The statuette depicts a knight rendered in the Art Deco style . The award was originally sculpted by George Stanley from a design sketch by Cedric Gibbons . AMPAS first presented it in 1929 at a private dinner hosted by Douglas Fairbanks in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in what would become known as the 1st Academy Awards . The Academy Awards ceremony was first broadcast by radio in 1930 and was televised for the first time in 1953 . It is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony and is now televised live worldwide . It is also the oldest of the four major annual American entertainment awards ; its other three equivalents - the Emmy Awards for television , the Tony Awards for theater , and the Grammy Awards for music - are modeled after the Academy Awards . The 91st Academy Awards ceremony , honoring the best films of 2018 , was held on February 24 , 2019 , at the Dolby Theatre , in Los Angeles , California . The ceremony was broadcast on ABC . A total of 3,096 Oscar statuettes have been awarded from the inception of the award through the 91st ceremony .
Derek Aaron Ruell ( born June 23 , 1976 in Fresno , California ) , is an American director and photographer . He is most recognized for his performance as Kip Dynamite in the indie movie Napoleon Dynamite .
Tim Skousen is an American screenwriter , producer , and director .
Filmmaking ( or , in an academic context , film production ) is the process of making a film , generally in the sense of films intended for extensive theatrical exhibition . Filmmaking involves a number of discrete stages including an initial story , idea , or commission , through screenwriting , casting , shooting , sound recording and pre-production , editing , and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a film release and exhibition . Filmmaking takes place in many places around the world in a range of economic , social , and political contexts , and using a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques .
The Sasquatch Gang ( also known as The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang ) is a 2006 comedy film written and directed by Tim Skousen , the first assistant director on Napoleon Dynamite . The six-week shoot was completed in the summer of 2005 . The film premiered in January 2006 at the Slamdance Film Festival , where it won the Audience Award . It was also shown at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen , picking up 2 awards . One for Justin Long for Best Actor and Tim Skousen Best Director . It also showed at the Waterfront Film Festival , New Zealand Film Festival , Sidewalk Film Festival , and Vail Film Festival . The film opened in limited release in the United States on November 30 , 2007 . The film was released on DVD on March 25 , 2008 .
Daryn Tufts ( born April 1 , 1973 in Arcadia , California ) is a writer , director , producer , and actor . Tuftss writing , producing , and directing credits include feature films , documentaries , and television commercials and he has acted in several successful independent films . Tufts has also performed and taught sketch comedy and improvisational comedy with several professional comedy troupes and is the commercial spokesperson for the Questar Corporation ( gas company ) . He currently lives in Holladay , Utah .
John Orson Whitaker , Jr. ( born December 13 , 1959 ) is an American actor notable for several performances for film and television during his childhood . The redheaded Whitaker played Jody Davis on Family Affair from 1966 to 1971 . He also originated the role of Scotty Baldwin on General Hospital in 1965 , played the lead in Hallmark 's 1969 The Littlest Angel , and portrayed the title character in the 1973 musical version of Tom Sawyer .
Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12 , 1966 , to March 4 , 1971 . The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis ( Brian Keith ) as he attempted to raise his brother 's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment . Davis ' traditional English gentleman 's gentleman , Mr. Giles French ( Sebastian Cabot ) , also had adjustments to make as he became saddled with the responsibility of caring for 15-year-old Cissy ( Kathy Garver ) and the five-year-old twins , Jody ( Johnny Whitaker ) and Buffy ( Anissa Jones ) . Family Affair ran for 138 episodes in five seasons . The show was created and produced by Edmund Hartmann and Don Fedderson , also known for My Three Sons and The Millionaire .