Phyllis Nagy ( ; born November 7, 1962) is an American
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
and film director, screenwriter and playwright. In 2006, Nagy was nominated for the
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for
writing
Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically Epigraphy, inscribed, Printing press, mechanically transferred, or Word processor, digitally represented Symbols (semiot ...
and
directing ''
Mrs. Harris
''Mrs. Harris'' is a 2005 American-British made-for-television drama film written and directed by Phyllis Nagy. The teleplay, based on the book ''Very Much a Lady'' by Shana Alexander, focuses on the tempestuous relationship between Herman Tarnower ...
'' (2005), her screen debut. In 2016, Nagy received an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination, among numerous other
accolades
The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...
, for
Best Adapted Screenplay
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
for the 2015 film ''
Carol''.
Life and career
Nagy was born in New York City and moved to London in 1992, where her playwriting career began in earnest at the
Royal Court Theatre under the artistic direction of
Stephen Daldry for whom she served as the Royal Court's writer-in-residence in the mid-1990s.
Nagy's plays have been performed in many countries. They include ''Weldon Rising'', first produced by the
Royal Court Theatre in association with the
Liverpool Playhouse in 1992
Butterfly Kiss , first produced by the
Almeida Theatre Company in 1994 (not to be confused with the Michael Winterbottom film of the same nam
; ''
The Scarlet Letter
''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym ...
'', an adaptation of
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.
He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
's classic novel, commissioned and first produced by the
Denver Centre Theatre in 1994; ''Trip's Cinch'', commissioned and first produced by the
Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1994 and received its UK premiere in 2002; ''The Strip'', commissioned and first produced by the Royal Court Theatre in 1995; and ''Disappeared'', a joint winner of both the 1992 Mobil International Playwriting Prize and the 1995
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. ''Disappeared'' premiered at the Royal Court in 1995 in a production directed by the author which subsequently toured the UK before a London run at the Royal Court Theatre. The play went on to win the
Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Regional Play and the
Eileen Anderson
Eileen Anderson (October 18, 1928 – November 3, 2021) was an American politician who served as Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii from 1981 to 1985. She was the first woman to hold the office. A Democrat, Anderson served in various positions in the cit ...
/Central Television Award for Best Play. In February 1999, ''Disappeared'' was presented at the
Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago by RoadWorks Productions.
Nagy's most recent plays are ''Never Land'', which premiered at the
Royal Court Theatre in January 1998, in a co-production with ''The Foundry''; and ''
The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
'', adapted from the novel by
Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley.
She wrote 22 novel ...
which premiered at the
Watford Palace Theatre, in October 1998, and later produced by the
Melbourne Theatre Company in February 1999. Her version of
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
's ''
The Seagull
''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises t ...
'' was produced at
Chichester Festival Theatre in the summer of 2003. In 2005, Nagy directed a production of ''
The Scarlet Letter
''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym ...
'' at the same venue.
Nagy wrote the screenplay for ''
Carol'', an adaption of the 1952
Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley.
She wrote 22 novel ...
novel ''
The Price of Salt
''The Price of Salt'' (later republished under the title ''Carol'') is a 1952 romance novel by Patricia Highsmith, first published under the pseudonym "Claire Morgan." Highsmith—known as a suspense writer based on her psychological thriller ...
''.
Nagy, who was a friend of Highsmith, wrote the first draft of the script in 1997.
Nagy's second film as a director, ''
Call Jane
''Call Jane'' is a 2022 American drama film starring Elizabeth Banks as a suburban housewife in the 1960s who deals with a life-threatening pregnancy. The film also stars Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina, Kate Mara, Wunmi Mosaku, Cory Michael Smi ...
'', debuted at
2022 Sundance Film Festival
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20 to 30, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic protocol it was to have been a hybrid festival, but on January 5, 2022 it was announced that the in-person components would be scrapped in favor o ...
.
Personal life
Nagy is a lesbian. Speaking to HuffPost in 2015, she said: "I'm an out lesbian, I always have been and I think by leading my life openly as possible and trying to inspire other people to do that and help other people do that, I don't know if there could be a bigger commitment than that, to inspire people not to hide, let's say." Nagy has been critical about the film industry's portrayal of lesbians. In a ''Guardian'' interview, Nagy commented, “If we’re talking specifically about gay women, about who they’re allowed to be, who gets to make the movies, it’s generally men.”
Accolades
Nagy was nominated for
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
s for
writing
Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically Epigraphy, inscribed, Printing press, mechanically transferred, or Word processor, digitally represented Symbols (semiot ...
and
directing ''
Mrs. Harris
''Mrs. Harris'' is a 2005 American-British made-for-television drama film written and directed by Phyllis Nagy. The teleplay, based on the book ''Very Much a Lady'' by Shana Alexander, focuses on the tempestuous relationship between Herman Tarnower ...
'' (2006), her screen debut. The film starred
Ben Kingsley and
Annette Bening (both also Emmy-nominated), and garnered a total of
12 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, three
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations, and three
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
nominations. Nagy won a number of awards for her writing and directing of ''
Mrs. Harris
''Mrs. Harris'' is a 2005 American-British made-for-television drama film written and directed by Phyllis Nagy. The teleplay, based on the book ''Very Much a Lady'' by Shana Alexander, focuses on the tempestuous relationship between Herman Tarnower ...
'', including a
PEN Center USA West Award for her teleplay and a
Gracie Allen Award
The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary cont ...
for Outstanding Director. In 2015, Nagy received
many awards and nominations for her work on ''Carol'', including a
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay, and nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay,
Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay, and
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
In 2016, the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
named ''
Carol'' the best
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
film of all time, as voted by over 100 film experts, including critics, filmmakers, curators, academics, and programmers, in a poll encompassing over 80 years of cinema.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
* Aston, E. (2002) ''Feminist Views on the English Stage'' – Cambridge University Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagy, Phyllis
1962 births
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American screenwriters
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American dramatists and playwrights
21st-century American screenwriters
21st-century American women writers
American expatriates in England
American lesbian writers
American television writers
American women dramatists and playwrights
American women screenwriters
American women television directors
American television directors
American women television writers
English television directors
English television writers
English theatre directors
English women film directors
LGBT people from New York (state)
Living people
Screenwriters from New York (state)
British women television writers