Michael L. Tolkin (born October 17, 1950) is an American filmmaker and novelist. He has written numerous screenplays, including '' The Player'' (1992), which he adapted from his own 1988 novel of the same name,Tolkin, Michael
"The Player"
1st ed., New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, 1988. and for which he received the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for Best Motion Picture Screenplay (1993) and was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musica ...

. He later wrote a follow-up to the novel, titled ''The Return of the Player'', which was published in 2006. In 2018, Tolkin served as co-creator of the miniseries ''

Escape at Dannemora ''Escape at Dannemora'' is an American crime drama television limited series that premiered on Showtime on November 18, 2018. It is based on the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape. The seven-episode series was created and written by Bret ...

'' with Brett Johnson. The series was based on the real-life

2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape The 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape was a jailbreak that took place on June 6, 2015, when two inmates, Richard Matt and David Sweat, were discovered missing during a 5:17 a.m. bed check at the maximum security Clinton Correctiona ...

that led to a massive manhunt for two escaped convicts in upstate New York. In 2022, he served as creator of the miniseries ''

The Offer ''The Offer'' is an American biographical drama miniseries, created by Michael Tolkin, about the development and production of Francis Ford Coppola's landmark New York City gangster film ''The Godfather'' (1972) for Paramount Pictures. Miles Te ...

'', which centered on the development of the 1972 film ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...

.''

Biography

Tolkin was born to a

Romanian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...

and

Ukrainian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Ukraine dates back over a thousand years; Jewish communities have existed in the territory of Ukraine from the time of the Kievan Rus' (late 9th to mid-13th century). Some of the most important Jewish religious and ...

family in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the son of Edith (née Leibovitch), a studio executive and film industry lawyer, and the late comedy writer

Mel Tolkin Mel Tolkin ( Shmuel Tolchinsky; August 3, 1913 – November 26, 2007) was a television comedy writer best known as head writer of the live sketch comedy series ''Your Show of Shows'' (NBC, 1950–1954) during the Golden Age of Television. Ther ...

. He is a 1974 graduate of

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

. Tolkin lives in

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' ...

with his wife, author

Wendy Mogel Wendy Mogel (born March 23, 1951) is an American psychologist and author, whose first book, ''The Blessing of a Skinned Knee'', identified the problems faced by middle class children at a time of social anxiety. Her second book, ''The Blessing o ...

. They have two daughters, Susanna and Emma.New York Times: "So the Torah Is a Parenting Guide?" by Emily Bazelon
October 1, 2006

Filmography

Film

Uncredited writing roles * '' The Haunting'' (1999) * ''

Domestic Disturbance ''Domestic Disturbance'' is a 2001 American psychological thriller film directed by Harold Becker and starring John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo, Steve Buscemi, and Matt O'Leary. Plot In Southport, Maryland, Susan Morrison, recently divor ...

'' (2001) * '' Dawn of the Dead'' (2004) * ''

The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

'' (2004)

Television

TV series TV movies

Bibliography

* ''bed master'' (1988) * ''The Player'' (1988) * ''Among the Dead'' (1993) * ''Under Radar'' (2003) * ''The Return of the Player'' (2006)Allen Barra
"The Return of the Player," ''Salon'', October 26, 2006. * ''NK3'' (2017)

References

External links

* * 1950 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers American male novelists American male screenwriters Bard College alumni Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners Edgar Award winners Living people Middlebury College alumni Writers from New York City Writers Guild of America Award winners American people of Romanian-Jewish descent American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Novelists from New York (state) Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) {{US-film-bio-stub