Neil N. LaBute is an American film director, screenwriter and playwright. LaBute was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Marian, a hospital receptionist, and Richard LaBute, a long-haul truck driver. LaBute is of French Canadian, English and Irish ancestry, and was raised in Spokane, Washington. He studied theater at Brigham Young University , where he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At BYU he also met actor Aaron Eckhart, who would later play leading roles in several of his films. He produced a number of plays that pushed the envelope of what was acceptable at the... conservative religious university, some of which were shut down after their premieres. However, he also was honored as one of the "most promising undergraduate playwrights" at the BYU theater department's annual awards. LaBute also did graduate work at the University of Kansas, New York University, and the Royal Academy of London. LaBute's exposure to and interest in the film industry came with a viewing of The Soft Skin , said the director to Robert K. Elder in an interview for The Film That Changed My Life.
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