Tom Lazarus (born 1942) 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. ...

, director and producer. He is best known for writing the 1999 horror film ''

Stigmata Stigmata ( grc, στίγματα, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet. Stigm ...

'', and is the author of the

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...

manuals, ''Secrets of Film Writing'' (2001, Griffin) and ''The Last Word: Definitive Answers to All Your Screenwriting Questions'' (2012, Michael Wiese Productions). He has won more than two dozen international film festival honors including Best Educational Film of the Year at the San Francisco Film Festival and a nomination for a CLIO for directing a Fair House Public Service TV spot.

Life

Lazarus was born in New York City on October 5, 1942. He began working in advertising for major film studios. He also designed album covers, was nominated for a Grammy, then moved into creating educational and business films. This led to a television and film career, where he has written and produced many shows since the 1970s, including ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'', ''

War of The Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appearance in hardcover was i ...

'' and ''

Freddy's Nightmares ''Freddy's Nightmares'' is an American horror anthology television series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series, each episode is introduced by Freddy Kruege ...

''. In 1999, he wrote ''Stigmata'', starring

Patricia Arquette Patricia Tiffany Arquette (born April 8, 1968) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut as Kristen Parker in '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' (1987). Her other notable films include ''True Romance'' (1993), ''Ed Wo ...

as an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

who is afflicted with the

stigmata Stigmata ( grc, στίγματα, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet. Stigm ...

after acquiring a

rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...

owned by a deceased priest. Directed by

Rupert Wainwright Rupert Wainwright is an English film and television director, with credits including ''Blank Check'' (1994), ''The Sadness of Sex'' (1995) and ''Stigmata'' (1999). He is also a music video producer and multiple award-winner. British-born, Wain ...

on a $29 million budget, it premièred at the box office in the #1 position, earning $18.3 million in its first weekend, and becoming the first film in five weekends to outgross ''

The Sixth Sense ''The Sixth Sense'' is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient (Haley Joel Osment) claims he can see and talk to the dead. Released by ...

'' at the box office. It earned $50,046,268 in the U.S. and $39,400,000 internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $89,446,268. Lazarus teaches at UCLA Extension, Writers Program.

Filmography

*''The American Dream'' (1976) *'' The President's Mistress'' (TV Movie) (1978) *'' Survival of Dana'' (TV Movie) (1979) *'' Just You and Me, Kid'' (1979) *''The Ordeal of Bill Carney'' (TV Movie) (1981) *''Side by Side: The True Story of the Osmond Family'' (TV Movie) (1982) *''Hear No Evil'' (TV Movie) (1982) *''

Mazes and Monsters ''Mazes and Monsters'' (also known as ''Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters'') is a 1982 American made-for-television film directed by Steven Hilliard Stern about a group of college students and their interest in a fictitious role-playing game (RPG ...

'' (TV Movie) (1982) *''The Awakening of Candra'' (TV Movie) (1983) *''Centerfold'' (1996) *''

'' (1999)

References

External links

Official Site
* 1942 births Living people American information and reference writers American instructional writers American male non-fiction writers American male screenwriters Screenwriters from New York (state) American television writers Television producers from New York City American male television writers Writers from New York City Writers of books about writing fiction Screenwriting instructors {{US-screenwriter-stub