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David Mamet

Highest Rated: 97% The Winslow Boy (1999)

Lowest Rated: 39% Hannibal (2001)

Birthday: Nov 30, 1947

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Arguably one of the most prolific and influential playwrights of the latter-20th century, David Mamet amassed a body of work that became famous for his spare, gritty and often profane language which also possessed such a unique cadence that his dialogue was dubbed "Mamet speak." Noted for his strong male characters and their macho posturing, Mamet's knack for creating low-key yet highly charged verbal confrontations in a male-dominated world consistently made his work fodder for discussion and deconstruction. Indelibly tied to the Chicago theater scene, Mamet gained attention with "American Buffalo" (1975) and "A Life in the Theatre" (1977) before making the transition to the big screen with the scripts for "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1981) and "Verdict" (1982). Following major awards for the stage plays "Edmund" (1982) and "Glengarry Glenn Ross" (1984) - the latter of which was turned into a memorable 1992 film - Mamet made his directorial debut with the lauded thriller "House of Games" (1987). Also that year, he wrote one of his better screenplays, "The Untouchables" (1987), for director Brian De Palma, while launching one of his many broadsides against show business with the play "Speed-the-Plow" (1988). Mamet tackled calls of misogyny with "Oleanna" (1992), a theatrical piece that addressed sexual politics between two equally matched characters struggling for psychological domination over the other. Continuing to make his mark on film, he wrote "Wag the Dog" (1998) before directing "The Spanish Prisoner" (1998) and "State and Main" (2000), all three of which earned him considerable critical praise. Though he took a surprising turn into mainstream Hollywood fare by penning the original draft of the thriller "Hannibal" (2001), Mamet found more artistic freedom in small projects like "Spartan" (2004), before again catching critics off-guard by creating his first television show, "The Unit" (CBS, 2006-09). Despite the constant analysis of his life and work, Mamet managed to remain somewhat of an enigma, particularly in Hollywood, where he had considerable influence while maintaining a healthy distance from it.

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Highest rated movies

97% 78% The Winslow Boy
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97% 79% House of Games
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95% 88% Glengarry Glen Ross
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93% 71% Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay
Watchlist
89% 80% The Spanish Prisoner
Watchlist
88% 88% The Verdict Watchlist
88% 73% Homicide
Watchlist
86% 76% Wag the Dog
Watchlist
85% 70% State and Main
Watchlist
85% 80% Things Change
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Penitent – A Rational Man Screenwriter - 2023
51% 32% Phil Spector Director,
Screenwriter,
Executive Producer
- 2013
93% 71% Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay Unknown (Character) $151.4K 2012
67% 65% Redbelt Director,
Screenwriter
$2.3M 2008
47% 46% Edmond Writer $131.6K 2005
65% 62% Spartan Director,
Writer
$4.4M 2004
67% 59% Heist Director,
Writer
$23.5M 2001
39% 62% Hannibal Writer $165.1M 2001
83% 61% Lakeboat Writer $5.2K 2000
85% 70% State and Main Director,
Writer
$6.9M 2000
40% 24% Lansky Writer,
Executive Producer
- 1999
97% 78% The Winslow Boy Director,
Writer
$4.0M 1999
70% 80% Ronin Writer $41.6M 1998
89% 80% The Spanish Prisoner Director,
Writer
$9.6K 1998
62% 70% The Edge Writer $27.8M 1997
86% 76% Wag the Dog Screenwriter $43.0M 1997
73% 46% American Buffalo Writer $632.1K 1996
No Score Yet 92% Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants Director - 1996
53% 61% Oleanna Director,
Screenwriter
$120.2K 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Life in the Theatre Writer - 1993
52% 58% Hoffa Writer $23.3M 1992
95% 88% Glengarry Glen Ross Writer $10.7M 1992
88% 73% Homicide Director,
Screenwriter
$1.9M 1991
48% 41% We're No Angels Screenwriter $10.0M 1989
85% 80% Things Change Director $2.3M 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet Lip Service Producer - 1988
83% 89% The Untouchables Screenwriter $74.5M 1987
97% 79% House of Games Director,
Writer,
Writer
$416.5K 1987
88% 88% The Verdict Screenwriter - 1982
79% 58% The Postman Always Rings Twice Screenwriter - 1981

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Real Time With Bill Maher Guest 2022-2023
85% 76% The Simpsons Himself (Guest Voice) 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Colbert Report Guest 2010
85% 77% The Unit Director,
Executive Producer,
Writer
2006-2009