A Decade Under the Influence

Richard LaGravenese is an American screenwriter and occasional film director. He is best known as the writer of The Fisher King. LaGravenese was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a taxi driver. He graduated New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Experimental Theatre Program. LaGravenese... wrote The Fisher King on spec in the late 1980s. It was acquired by Lynda Obst and Debra Hill's production company and subsequently directed by Terry Gilliam. All credits are as screenwriter only, unless otherwise specified: LaGravenese was announced to script a biography of Liberace. Showtime is developing an hour-long drama from LaGravenese focused on an open marriage. LaGravenese's screenplay for The Fisher King garnered an Academy Award nomination. In 2002, LaGravenese was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award.
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Edward K. "Ted" Demme was an American film director and producer. Born in New York City, Demme grew up in Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York and attended South Side Senior High School. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1985. His media career likely began with a radio show at WSUC-FM in... Cortland, NY. His show was a mix of comedy and talk radio with the usual sidekick, as well as some music and was widely listened to on and off campus. He was the nephew of movie producer and director Jonathan Demme. His career had modest beginnings — starting as a production assistant at MTV, he later became a producer in the On-Air Promotions Department and created the cable network's seminal hip-hop show Yo! MTV Raps and directed other projects for them, including the infamous black-and-white rants starring then-unknown chain-smoking comedian Denis Leary. Over the course of his career, he established a group of actors that he chose to work with on more than one occasion. The most frequently used of these was Denis Leary, who he directed as a lead or star in No Cure for Cancer, The Ref, Denis Leary: Lock 'n Load, and Monument Ave..
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