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Dennis Lehane ( ; born August 4, 1965) is an American author and screenwriter. He has published more than a dozen novels; the first several were a series of mysteries featuring recurring characters, including A Drink Before the War. Four of his novels have been adapted into films of the same names: Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (2010), and Gone Baby Gone (2007) and Live by Night (2016), both directed by Ben Affleck. His short story "Animal Rescue" was also adapted into the film The Drop, noted for being the final film role for actor James Gandolfini.
His brother, Gerry Lehane, who is two and a half years older than Dennis, trained at the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence and became an actor in New York in 1990. Gerry is a member of the Invisible City Theatre Company.Bella English, "In a Related Story: The Brothers Lehane have a strong bond, and a new shared stage," The Boston Globe. November 29, 2005. Pg. C1.
Lehane is married to Chisa Lehane. He has two children from a previous marriage.
He is a graduate of Boston College High School (a Jesuit prep school), Eckerd College (where he found his passion for writing), and the graduate program in creative writing at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. He occasionally made guest appearances as himself in the ABC comedy/drama TV series Castle.
Lehane's first play, Coronado, debuted in New York in December 2005, produced by Invisible City Theater Company. The play had its regional premiere at American Stage in St. Petersburg in April 2006 and its Midwest premiere in the fall of 2007 with Steep Theatre Company in Chicago. Coronado is based on his acclaimed short story Until Gwen,"After tedious first act, dark drama kicks into overdrive" by Marty Clear. St. Petersburg Times (Florida). April 27, 2006. Pg. 2B. which was originally published in The Atlantic Monthly and was selected for both The Best American Short Stories and The Best Mystery Short Stories of 2005.
Lehane described working on his historical novel, The Given Day,Steve Persall, "Staying True to His Words," St. Petersburg Times (Florida). Floridian; Pg. 1E. October 18, 2007. as "a five- or six-year project." the novel opens in 1918 and encompasses the 1919 Boston Police Strike and its aftermath. According to Lehane, "The strike changed everything. It had a big effect on the unionization movement, and Prohibition came on the heels of that, then Calvin Coolidge promising to break the unions. That's all linked to what's going on now.". While Lehane's epic novel centers on the 1919 Boston police strike, it contains a national sweep and may be the first of a trilogy or perhaps a four-book series.Jon Wilson, "Novelist sees college as creative hub," St. Petersburg Times (Florida). September 25, 2005. Pg. 9. Lehane called the novel his "great white whale" and said that when he finally finished it, he would "either write a sequel—or take a break from the cops and return to Patrick and Angie." The novel was published in October 2008.Colette Bancroft, "From Passing Thought to 'Fiery Epic'", St. Petersburg Times (Florida), Festival of Reading; Pg. 5. October 23, 2008.
On October 22, 2007, Paramount Pictures announced that it had optioned Shutter Island with Martin Scorsese attached as director. The Laeta Kalogridis-scripted adaptation has Leonardo DiCaprio playing U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, "who is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island."Reagan, Gillian, "Scorsese, DiCaprio Team Up for Shutter Island" , The New York Observer citing Variety, October 23, 2007. Retrieved 2010-12-19. Mark Ruffalo plays U.S. Marshal Chuck Aule.Reagan, Gillian, "Ruffalo to Star in Scorsese's Shutter Island" , The New York Observer, November 27, 2007 9:41 a.m ET. Retrieved 2010-12-19. Production started in March 2008; Shutter Island was released on February 19, 2010.
In 2010 Lehane published Moonlight Mile, his sixth book in the Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro series, and his first of that genre in 11 years. He published World Gone By in March 2015.
Lehane was appointed to the board of trustees of the Boston Public Library by Mayor Thomas Menino in December 2011.
Lehane's Small Mercies received praise from Richard Russo, who said: "Think of all your favorite hard-boiled authors (Hammett? Chandler? Ross Macdonald? Robert Parker?) and their tough guy heroes (Spade? Marlowe? Lew Archer? Spenser?). Not one of them could take Lehane's Mary Pat in a fair fight, and they wouldn't last a day in his Southie."
In May 2005, Lehane was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Eckerd College and was appointed to Eckerd's board of trustees later that year. As of June 2006, he was living temporarily in St. Petersburg, Florida, and teaching as writer-in-residence at Eckerd (usually during the spring semester), where he also co-directs the Writers in Paradise conference each January.
Lehane joined the writing staff of the HBO drama series The Wire for the third season in 2004. Lehane wrote the teleplay for the episode "Dead Soldiers" from a story by series creator and executive producer David Simon. Lehane made a cameo appearance in the third-season episode, "Middle Ground," as Sullivan, an officer in charge of special equipment. Lehane has commented that he was impressed by the show's creators (David Simon and Ed Burns) having such an ear for authentic street slang. Lehane returned as a writer for the fourth season in 2006 and wrote the teleplay for the episode "Refugees," from a story he co-wrote with producer Ed Burns. Lehane and the writing staff won the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2008 ceremony and the 2007 Edgar Award for Best Television Feature/Mini-Series Teleplay for their work on the fourth season. Lehane served as a writer for the fifth and final season in 2008 and was credited with the episode "Clarifications". He and the writing staff were nominated for the WGA Award for Best Dramatic Series again at the February 2009 ceremony for their work on the fifth season but Mad Men won the award.
He served as an executive producer for Shutter Island. On November 27, 2012, The Boston Herald reported that Lehane would join the writing staff of HBO's Boardwalk Empire as a writer and a creative consultant. He will consult with showrunner Terence Winter on the outline of the fourth season of the show, and he confirmed that he would write at least one episode.
Lehane wrote his first film screenplay, The Drop, as an adaptation of his short story "Animal Rescue". The film stars Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and James Gandolfini (in his final film performance). Released September 12, 2014, the movie received positive reviews, particularly for its "smartly written script." In 2013 Lehane was contracted to write a screenplay, Silk Road, about the online black market. That same year he was attached to adapt the script for the remake of the critically acclaimed French film A Prophet, a prison drama.
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| 2003 | Mystic River | USC Scripter Awards | |||
| 2004 | Best Motion Picture Screenplay | ||||
| 2007 | The Wire | Best TV Feature or Mini-Series Teleplay | |||
| WGA Awards | |||||
| 2008 | |||||
| 2010 | Animal Rescue | Edgar Awards | Best Short Story | ||
| 2013 | Live by Night | Best Novel | |||
| Boardwalk Empire | OFTA Awards | Best Writing in a Drama Series | |||
| Note: Awards are listed in order of the effective years, annual ceremonies are usually held the following. | |||||
He has won other professional awards and honorary degrees: In Spring 2009, Lehane received the Joseph E. Connor Award and was made an honorary brother of the Phi Alpha Tau professional fraternity at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Other brothers and Connor Award recipients include Robert Frost, Elia Kazan, Jack Lemmon, Red Skelton, Edward R. Murrow, Yul Brynner, and Walter Cronkite. Also in Spring 2009, Lehane presented the commencement speech at Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts, and was awarded an honorary degree. On October 6, 2015, Lehane won a spot in Best American Mystery Stories.
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