
Paul Haggis
Haggis began to work as a writer for television programs, including The Love Boat, One Day at a Time, Diff'rent Strokes, and The Facts of Life. With The Facts of Life, Haggis also gained his first credit as producer. During the 1980s and 1990s, Haggis wrote for television series including thirtysomething, The Tracey Ullman Show, FM, Due South, L.A. Law, and EZ Streets. He helped to create the television series Walker, Texas Ranger; Family Law; and Due South. Haggis served as executive producer of the series Michael Hayes and Family Law.
He gained recognition in the film industry for his work on the 2004 film Million Dollar Baby, which Allmovie described as a "serious milestone" for the writer/producer, and as "his first high-profile foray into feature film". Haggis had read two stories written by Jerry Boyd, a boxing trainer who wrote under the name of F.X. Toole.
Haggis later acquired the rights to the stories, and developed them into the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby. Clint Eastwood portrayed the lead character in the film. Eastwood also directed the film, and used the screenplay written by Haggis. Million Dollar Baby received four Academy Awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture.
After Million Dollar Baby, Haggis worked on the 2004 film Crash. Haggis came up with the story for the film on his own, and then wrote and directed the film, which allowed him greater control over his work. Crash was his first experience as director of a major feature film. Highly positive upon release, critical reception of Crash has since polarized, although Roger Ebert called it the best film of 2005.
Crash received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, in addition to four other Academy Award nominations. Haggis received two Academy Awards for the film: Best Picture (as its producer), and Best Writing for his work on the screenplay. With Million Dollar Baby and then Crash, Haggis became the first individual to have written Best Picture Oscar-winners in two consecutive years.
Haggis said that he wrote Crash to "bust liberals", arguing that his fellow liberals were not honest with themselves about the nature of race and racism because they believed that most racial problems had already been resolved in American society.
Known For | Writing |
---|---|
Most Rating | 0.249 |
Birthday | 1953-03-10 |
Place of Birth | London, Ontario, Canada |
Also Known As | Paul Edward Haggis, |

2010

Mulholland Drive - Ein Hollywood-Mythos
0/0
Documentary about the Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles.
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Mulholland Drive - Ein Hollywood-Mythos

2011

Miss Representation
7/85
The film MISS REPRESENTATION exposes how American youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuali...
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Miss Representation

2012

Casting By
7.1/39
This essential new documentary pays tribute to the legacy of the late, legendary casting director Marion Dougherty and shines a light on one of the mo...
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Casting By

2015

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
7.59/809
GOING CLEAR intimately profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things t...
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Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

2008

The Evolution of Clint Eastwood
7/3
Follow Eastwood's career from television star to matinee idol to Oscar-winning director in this wide-ranging documentary.
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The Evolution of Clint Eastwood

2008

The Business End: Violence in Cinema
8/2
An unflinching look at the ongoing debate on violence in movies and its effect on the audience.
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The Business End: Violence in Cinema

2015

MLE
3/1
MLE ('My Little Eye') is based on a true story - Julie Robert, (nope, not Julia Roberts, as she corrects on a daily basis) is a broke actor who just l...
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MLE

2006

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Paul Haggis
0/0
Oscar-winning writer, director and producer Paul Haggis (Crash) reflects on his remarkable journey from television to feature film in this lively conv...
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The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Paul Haggis

2008

The Road to Casino Royale
0/0
Documentary that traces the tangled rights to Ian Fleming's "Casino Royale," the first James Bond story, which took over a half century to reach the s...
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The Road to Casino Royale

2006

Becoming Bond
6/1
A documentary which shows the creation of Casino Royale (2006).
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Becoming Bond

2008

Ian Fleming's Incredible Creation
0/0
A documentary about Ian Fleming.
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