Ronald "Ron" F. Maxwell (born January 5, 1949) is an American film director and screenwriter from

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

. He is most famous for writing and directing the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

historical fiction films '' Gettysburg'' (1993), '' Gods and Generals'' (2003), and ''

Copperhead Copperhead may refer to: Snakes * ''Agkistrodon contortrix'', or copperhead, a venomous pit viper species found in parts of North America * '' Austrelaps'', or Australian copperhead, a genus of venomous elapids found in southern Australia and Ta ...

'' (2013).

Biography

A native of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, Maxwell attended Clifton High School. He graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

(NYU) Institute of Film 1970. Maxwell is a member of the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

and the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

. In 2007, Maxwell optioned the film rights to novelist

Speer Morgan Speer Morgan (born January 25, 1946 in Fort Smith, Arkansas) is an American novelist, short story writer, and editor. Life His parents were Charles Donald and Betty (Speer) Morgan. Morgan attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee ...

's 1979 book ''Belle Starr'' about the legendary female outlaw of the Old West. In May 2011, Warner Bros. released director's cuts of ''Gods and Generals'' and ''Gettysburg''. In 2012, Maxwell produced and directed his third Civil War feature, ''Copperhead'', with a screenplay by

Bill Kauffman Bill Kauffman (born November 15, 1959) is an American political writer generally aligned with the localist movement. He was born in Batavia, New York, and currently resides in Elba, New York, with his wife and daughter. A devout Roman Catholic, ...

. Filming was completed in

New Brunswick, Canada New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

in June, 2012.

Filmography

* '' Sea Marks'' (1976) (TV) * '' Verna: USO Girl'' (1978) (TV) * ''

Little Darlings ''Little Darlings'' is a 1980 American teen comedy-drama film starring Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol and featuring Armand Assante and Matt Dillon. It was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. The screenplay was written by Kimi Peck and Dalene Youn ...

'' (1980) * ''

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is a Southern Gothic murder ballad, written in 1972 by songwriter Bobby Russell and first recorded by his then wife, singer, comedian, and actress Vicki Lawrence. Lawrence's version, from her 1973 alb ...

'' (1981) * ''

Kidco ''Kidco'' is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Ronald F. Maxwell and starring Scott Schwartz, Clifton James, Charles Hallahan, Maggie Blye, and Vincent Schiavelli. Although the premise sounds far-fetched, the film was based on the 1979 pur ...

'' (1984) * ''

The Parent Trap II ''The Parent Trap II'' is a 1986 American made-for-television comedy film and a sequel to Disney's 1961 film '' The Parent Trap'' (which was based on the 1949 book ''Lisa and Lottie'' by Erich Kästner) and the second installment in ''The Parent ...

'' (1986) (TV) * '' In the Land of the Poets'' (1987) * '' Gettysburg'' (1993) * '' Gods and Generals'' (2003) * ''

'' (2013)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Ronald F. Living people Tisch School of the Arts alumni Clifton High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Clifton, New Jersey Film directors from New Jersey 1949 births