Gregory Widen 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. ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. He is the creator of the '' Highlander'' film and television franchise, and the writer-director of the

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

The Prophecy ''The Prophecy'' is a 1995 American fantasy thriller film starring Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, and Viggo Mortensen. It was written and directed by Gregory Widen in his feature directorial debut, and is the f ...

''.

Biography

A native of Laguna Beach, California, Gregory Widen holds a master's degree from UCLA and once worked full-time as a city firefighter.

Filmmaking

''Highlander''

While still an undergrad film student at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, he sold his script for '' Highlander'' (1986). The film stars

Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957) is a French-American actor, producer, and novelist. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally famous for portraying Ta ...

Clancy Brown Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...

, and

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

. Its tagline, "There can be only one" has gained pop culture infamy. The original movie became a cult classic, spawning five sequels and '' Highlander: The Series'', tie-in novels and video games.

''Backdraft''

Widen worked as a

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

for three years while still an undergraduate at UCLA. He witnessed a person being killed by an explosive

backdraft A backdraft (North American English) or backdraught (British English) is the abrupt burning of superheated gasses in a fire, caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a window or door to an enclosed sp ...

, which became the basis for the screenplay he wrote for the movie ''

Backdraft A backdraft (North American English) or backdraught (British English) is the abrupt burning of superheated gasses in a fire, caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a window or door to an enclosed sp ...

'', directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

and starring

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the Westerns on television, western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series), The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (19 ...

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963), Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. known also as Billy Baldwin,is an America ...

Scott Glenn Theodore Scott Glenn (born January 26) is an American actor. His roles have included Pfc Glenn Kelly in ''Nashville'' (1975), Wes Hightower in ''Urban Cowboy'' (1980), astronaut Alan Shepard in '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), Emmett in '' Silverado'' ...

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

. Released in 1991, ''Backdraft'' received three Academy Award nominations. ''Backdraft'' was turned into a ride for Universal Studios Hollywood (opened 1992, closed 2010) and Universal Studios Japan where it is still active. A sequel (''

Backdraft 2 ''Backdraft 2'' (also known as ''Backdraft II'') is a 2019 American action thriller film directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego and written by Gregory Widen. A sequel to the 1991 film ''Backdraft'', also written by Widen, it stars Joe Anderson, w ...

'') began production in April 2018.

''The Prophecy''

In 1995, Widen wrote and directed the supernatural thriller ''

'' starring

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...

Virginia Madsen Virginia Gayle Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in ''Class'' (1983), which was filmed in her native Chicago. After she moved to Los Angeles, director David Lynch cast her as Pri ...

Eric Stoltz Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. He played the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film ''Mask'', which earned him the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Support ...

, and

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argentin ...

. The film spawned four

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

s: ''

The Prophecy II ''The Prophecy II'' is a 1998 American Fantasy film, fantasy-Action film, action-Horror film, horror film and the second installment in The Prophecy (film series), ''The Prophecy'' series. Christopher Walken reprises his role as the Archangel Gabri ...

'' (1998), '' The Ascent'' (2000), ''

Uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

'' (2005) and '' Forsaken'' (2005).

''Yasuke''

In 2017, original script was written by Gregory Widen for Lionsgate. Currently in Development.

Lionsgate has commenced ''Highlander'' creator Gregory Widen to script ''Black Samurai'', an action drama grounded in the historical tale of
Yasuke Yasuke ( or ) was a man of African origin who served as a retainer and weapon-bearer to the Japanese daimyō Oda Nobunaga. In 1579, Yasuke arrived in Japan in the service of the Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, Visitor of Missi ...
, reputed to be the first black-skinned samurai to serve a warlord in Japan. Mike De Luca and Stephen L'Heureux are producing, and the film is a co-production between Solipsist Films and De Luca Productions. "Yasuke (believed to have lived during the 1500s) was a samurai of black African origin who served under the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga in 1581 and 1582."

Television

Widen was the creator, writer and executive producer of the series '' Rescue 77'' and wrote for ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

''.

Filmography

Film Direct-to-video Television

''Blood Makes Noise'' novel

In 2013 he released his debut novel, ''Blood Makes Noise'' published by Thomas & Mercer. The book received critical praise, including a starred review from ''Publishers Weekly'' and ''Booklist''.

Awards

''Backdraft''

Source:
Academy Awards, USA 1992 BAFTA Awards 1992 BMI Film & TV Awards 1992 MTV Movie + TV Awards 1992

''The Prophecy''

Source:
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA 1996

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Widen, Gregory 21st-century American novelists American film directors American male novelists American male screenwriters Living people UCLA Film School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters