Scott Fivelson is an American writer, playwright, and director, best known as the writer/producer of

American Reel ''American Reel'' is a 1999 drama film directed by Mark Archer and starring David Carradine, Michael Maloney, and Mariel Hemingway. Written by Junior Burke and Scott Fivelson, the film is set in Chicago, Illinois, though primary filming location ...

, starring

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

, and as writer/director of ''Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story'', which won Fivelson the "Breakthrough Director Spotlight" at the 2016

Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival The ''Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival'' (commonly abbreviated as "HRIFF") is a film festival with a focus on independent films held annually at L.A. Live / Staples Center and additional cinemas across Hollywood, California. HRIFF gues ...

Early career

Fivelson was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. He has written short stories and satirical pieces for ''

Chicago Magazine ''Chicago'' is a monthly magazine published by Tribune Publishing. It concentrates on lifestyle and human interest stories, and on reviewing restaurants, travel, fashion, and theatre from or nearby Chicago. Its circulation in 2004 was 165,000, ...

'', the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', ''

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

'' magazine, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', the ''

L.A. Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'', ''Tales from the Heart of Hollywood'', and other publications. He is the author of the one-act plays, ''Dial L for Latch-Key'' and ''Leading the Witness'', published by Hen House Press. He is also the author of the 2013 novel ''Tuxes'', which was published by BeachSide Press, and which was also released in a French e-edition from Polymancer Studios, Inc.

Writing

Fivelson is the writer/director of ''Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story'', a Hollywood biopic starring

Lenny Von Dohlen Lenny Von Dohlen Jr. (December 22, 1958 – July 5, 2022) was an American television, film, and stage actor. With a 40-year career that primarily featured work in independent films and guest appearances on numerous prominent series, he was prob ...

as legendary director, "Oskar Knight". The film won Scott Fivelson the "Breakthrough Director Spotlight" award at the 2016

. Further acclaim came from reviewer Terence Towles Canote who stated, "I think ''Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story'' could be destined to be a classic itself." His short story in paperback and ebook form, ''Johnny Passe'', also appears in the anthology, ''Fiction Noir'', both published by Hen House Press.

Screenwriting

As a screenwriter, Fivelson's film credits include ''

'', starring

Michael Maloney Michael Maloney (born 19 June 1957) is an English actor. Life and career Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series ''Telford's Change''. He made his ...

, and

Mariel Hemingway Mariel Hadley Hemingway (born November 22, 1961) is an American actress. She began acting at age 14 with a Golden Globe-nominated breakout role in ''Lipstick'' (1976), and she received Academy and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in ...

; and ''3 Holes and a Smoking Gun'', starring James Wilder,

Joaquim de Almeida Joaquim António Portugal Baptista de Almeida (born 15 March 1957) is a Portuguese actor. Almeida began his acting career in theatre during the 1980s, he started his film career appearing on the 1982 action film '' The Soldier'', and later ach ...

Rudolf Martin Rudolf Martin (born 31 July 1967) is a German actor working mainly in the United States. He first appeared in off-Broadway productions and then moved on to extensive TV and film work. He has made guest appearances on numerous hit television seri ...

, and

Richard Edson Richard Edson (born January 1, 1954) is an American actor and musician. Personal life Edson was born in New Rochelle, New York to a Jewish family. He has one brother, Steven, who resides in the Boston area, and two sisters, Andrea, who resides ...

. The latter film, also known as ''Three Holes, Two Brads, and a Smoking Gun'', won Fivelson the "Best Screenwriter" award at the 2014 Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles, the "Red Dirt Award (Grand Jury)" prize at the 2014 Red Dirt International Film Festival, and "Best U.S. Narrative Feature Film" at the 2014 Laughlin International Film Festival. ''Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story'' features a wide-ranging ensemble including

Margaret O'Brien Angela Maxine O'Brien (born January 15, 1937) is an American film, radio, television, and stage actress, and is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Beginning a prolific career as a child actress in feature f ...

Julianna Guill Julianna Guill (born 1987) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Bree in the 2009 film ''Friday the 13th'', Madison Penrose in ''My Super Psycho Sweet 16'', Scarlet Hauksson in the web series '' My Alibi'', Becca Riley in Bravo's ...

Kristina Anapau Kristina Elizabeth Anapau Roper (born October 30, 1979), better known as Kristina Anapau, is an American actress and writer. She is known for her roles as Maurella on the HBO series ''True Blood'' and as Galina in the 2010 film ''Black Swan''. ...

, and many other stars who share their memories and feelings about the legendary director. His one-act plays, ''Dial L for Latch-Key'' and ''Leading the Witness'', have been performed at the

Upstairs at The Gatehouse Upstairs at The Gatehouse is a small pub theatre in Highgate in the London Borough of Camden. The venue is a refurbished 1895 auditorium, upstairs from the Gatehouse pub, which has served over the years as a music hall, cinema, Masonic lodge, a ...

theatre in Highgate Village, London, England, starring James Torme, and at The Phoenix Theatre in San Francisco, presented by Off Broadway West. ''Dial L for Latch-Key: The Radio Play'' has been released as an audiobook by

Blackstone Audio Blackstone Audio is one of the largest independent audiobook publishers in the United States, offering over 30,000 audiobooks. The company is based in Ashland, Oregon with five in-house recording studios. Blackstone distributes directly to consu ...

. This radio play version, which he directed, has been broadcast on

Resonance FM Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station specialising in the arts run by the London Musicians' Collective (LMC). The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and ...

radio in London. Fivelson's short story, ''"A Farewell to Legs"'' —

Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

-esque prose about a jogger in a marathon across Africa — has also been published as an audiobook by

. The audiobook is read by actress

, the granddaughter of

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

Other writing

Fivelson has done work as a songwriter. His songs include “Secret Entrance to Your Heart” by Breeze BossaNova, “What the Piano Knows” by Dave Corwin and Catherine Ashcroft, and the jazz album ''Awesome in New York'', featuring Mishka Spiro and

Zane Musa Zane Musa (January 1, 1979 – February 2, 2015) is an Alto/Soprano/Tenor saxophonist and vocalist, most widely known for his command of the saxophone. Zane Musa was raised in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles but his work is known worldwide. ...

. On December 23, 2022, “Secret Entrance to Your Heart” hit Number 1 on the Indie Top 50 chart at 96.9 The Oasis radio. Fivelson is also a published poet.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fivelson, Scott American humorists Musicians from Chicago Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Chicago