Doug Richardson is an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe 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. ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

who writes

action movie Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

s and

thrillers Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Suc ...

. He is best known for writing movies like ''

Die Hard 2 ''Die Hard 2'' (also known by its tagline ''Die Harder'')The film's onscreen title is ''Die Hard 2'', as also given at the initial home-video release'official website The film's original advertising used "Die Harder" as a tagline, and many rele ...

'', '' Bad Boys'', and ''

Hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...

'' and was the first Hollywood writer to sell a

spec script A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...

for a million dollars.

Career

Richardson's first major Hollywood project was writing Die Hard 2, a commission he received from

Larry Gordon Larry Gordon (July 8, 1954 – June 25, 1983) was an American football linebacker who played seven seasons in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins. A member of the Dolphins' Silver Anniversary team, he was in the starting lineup ...

just three weeks into the theatrical run of the original

Die Hard ''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan, with a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. Based on the 1979 novel '' Nothing Lasts Forever'', by Roderick Thorp, it stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Ale ...

film. He went on to write Bad Boys, adapting it from an existing screenplay by

George Gallo George Gallo Jr. (born January 1, 1956) is an American screenwriter, film director, producer, painter and musician. He is known for writing ''Midnight Run ''Midnight Run'' is a 1988 American road action comedy film directed by Martin Brest ...

. The film was set to be directed by

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of ...

, and became a final film starring

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...

and

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

Filmography

*''

'' (1990) (Screenplay) *''

Money Train A money train is one or more railcars used to collect cash fare revenue from stations on a subway system and return it to a central location for processing. This train was typically used to carry money bags guarded by transit police to deter ...

'' (1995) (Screenplay) *'' Bad Boys'' (1995) (Screenplay) *''

Welcome to Mooseport ''Welcome to Mooseport'' is a 2004 American political satire comedy film directed by Donald Petrie, and starring Ray Romano and Gene Hackman in his final film role. It was filmed in Jackson's Point, Ontario and Port Perry, Ontario. Plot Former P ...

'' (2004) (Story/Executive Producer) *''

'' (2005) (Screenplay) *''

Live Free or Die Hard ''Live Free or Die Hard'' (released as ''Die Hard 4.0'' outside North America) is a 2007 American action-thriller film directed by Len Wiseman, and serves as the fourth installment in the ''Die Hard'' film series. It is based on the 1997 articl ...

'' (2007) (Re-write). *''

Black Water Transit ''Black Water Transit'' is an unreleased 2009 American crime drama film based on the novel of the same name by Carsten Stroud. It is directed by Tony Kaye and stars an ensemble cast including Laurence Fishburne and Karl Urban. Premise In post-K ...

'' (2009, unreleased) (Initial draft).

Novels

*''Dark Horse'' (1997) *''True Believers'' (1999) *''The Safety Expert'' (2011) *''Blood Money'' (2013) *''99 Percent Kill: A Lucky Dey Thriller'' (2015) *''Reaper: A Lucky Dey Thriller'' (2016) *''American Bang: A Lucky Dey Thriller'' (2017) *''The Night is Never Black: A Lucky Dey Thriller'' (2018)

Nonfiction

*''The Smoking Gun: True Tales from Hollywood's Screenwriting Trenches'' (2015)

References

External links

* * American male screenwriters 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers {{US-screen-writer-stub