Jessie Nelson is an American film producer, director, and writer.

Career

Nelson began her career acting with the theater group

Mabou Mines Mabou Mines is an experimental theatre company founded in 1970 and based in New York City. Founding and history Mabou Mines was founded by David Warrilow, Lee Breuer, Ruth Maleczech, JoAnne Akalaitis, and Philip Glass, at the house of Akalaitis an ...

at the

Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

in New York and she went on to perform in Shakespeare In The Park. Nelson began her directing career with the award-winning short film ''To the Moon, Alice'' (1990), which she also wrote. The film starred

Chris Cooper Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including '' American Beauty'' (1999), ''October Sky'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), '' Cap ...

and was part of a television program for

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

titled ''The Showtime 30-Minute Movie''. Her first feature film was '' Corrina, Corrina'' (1994) which she wrote, directed, and produced. It starred Whoopi Goldberg and Ray Liotta. The film was suggested by her life. She went on to write, direct, and produce '' I Am Sam'' (2001) starring

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

. She received the first Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild for ''I Am Sam'' in 2002. Her most recent film is ''

Love the Coopers ''Love the Coopers'' (titled ''Christmas with the Coopers'' in the UK and Ireland) is a 2015 American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Jessie Nelson and written by Steven Rogers. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Alan Arkin, Jo ...

'' (2015), starring a large ensemble cast, including Diane Keaton,

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, an ...

, and Alan Arkin. She co-wrote '' Stepmom'' (1998) and '' The Story of Us'' (1999), and co-wrote and produced ''Because I Said So'' and produced '' Fred Claus'' based on a bedtime story she would tell her daughter. In 2014 she produced ''

Danny Collins Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to the male name Daniel. It may refer to: People * Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English journal ...

'' which starred

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

and Annette Bening. She wrote the Broadway musical adaptation of the movie '' Waitress'' with music and lyrics by

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...

, directed by

Diane Paulus Diane Marie Paulus (born 1966) is an American theater and opera director who is currently the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University.Colleen Walsh"Paulus reaches beyond boards" ''Harvar ...

, which premiered on Broadway in April 2016. She co-wrote and directed the musical ''

Alice by Heart ''Alice by Heart'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater, and a book by Sater with Jessie Nelson (filmmaker), Jessie Nelson. The musical is inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel ''Alice's Adventures in Wo ...

'' with Steven Sater and music by Duncan Sheik, which opened

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in February 2019. Nelson co-authored the 2011 children's book ''Labracadabra'' (Penguin, 2011, ) with Karen Leigh Hopkins.

Personal life

She is married to director

Bryan Gordon Bryan Gordon is an American film and television director, writer and producer who is primarily known for directing comedy television shows. Early life Gordon was born and raised in Dover, Delaware. He graduated from Dover High School. He grad ...

. They have a daughter, actress Molly Gordon. She is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Jessie American film directors American film producers 20th-century American screenwriters University of California, Santa Cruz alumni American women film directors American women screenwriters Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) American children's writers American women children's writers American women film producers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American women writers American musical theatre librettists Women librettists