Tony Spiridakis

Tony Spiridakis
Born1959 (age 64–65)
Queens, New York City, US
EducationYale University (BFA)
Occupation(s)Writer, producer, director, actor, playwright
Children2

Tony Spiridakis (born 1959 in Queens, New York City) is an American - Greek film director, writer, actor, producer and playwright best known for such films as Queens Logic, Tinseltown, The Last Word, If Lucy Fell and Ash Tuesday. He is the writer of Ezra, which he produced with director Tony Goldwyn, William Horberg, and Jon Kilik. The film, which stars Bobby Cannavale, Robert DeNiro, Rose Byrne, Whoopi Goldberg and Vera Farmiga, follows a struggling comedian and his autistic son on a cross-country road trip.[1][2][3][4] It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is being released theatrically by Bleecker Street nationwide in May 2024.[5]

Spiridakis has developed scripts for Dustin Hoffman, Richard Dreyfuss, and Diane Keaton as well as for iconic producers such as Laura Ziskin, Stacey Snider, Mary Parent, and Warren Littlefield. Other films include Tinseltown, based on his acclaimed play Self Storage, both starring Ron Perlman and Joe Pantoliano; Noise, which he directed and produced, starring Ally Sheedy and John Slattery; the documentary road trip film Driving to Ground Zero; and If Lucy Fell, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Ben Stiller. Spiridakis’ play The Last Word had a successful run in Los Angeles before he adapted, produced, and directed the film starring Timothy Hutton. His post-9/11 drama, Beyond The Ashes, co-starred Spiridakis with Giancarlo Esposito, Janeane Garofalo, and Tony Goldwyn.

Spiridakis’ TV credits include co-creating and producing the Fox series The Heights with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth, the CBS crime drama Falcone with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Robert Moresco, and the Netflix legal drama Justice with Emmy-winning writer William Finkelstein.[6] Spiridakis studied at the Yale School of Drama and has appeared in dozens of TV and films, including House, L.A. Law, The Equalizer, Bay City Blues, and Death Wish 3. Additionally, he produced and acted in Academy and Tony Award-winning writer Doug Wright’s play Callbacks and worked with Stanley Kubrick on the film Full Metal Jacket.

Currently, Spiridakis is a writer and consulting producer on the MGM+ apocalyptic drama series Earth Abides, based on the 1949 sci-fi novel by George R. Stewart.. He is also adapting Sandy Greenberg’s acclaimed memoir, Hello Darkness, My Old Friend, for Wayfarer Studios. Projects in development include The Angry One, Sospiro Di Vita (Breath of Life), and Mike's Place, the true story of a blues bar in Tel Aviv during the Second Intifada that survives the devastation of a suicide bombing, for director Todd Komarnicki, with Antoine Fuqua and Andrew Levitas producing.[7]

A longtime educator who is passionate about working with emerging filmmakers, Spiridakis is the Founder and Executive Director of the North Fork Arts Center in Greenport, N.Y.[8]  In 2012 he co-founded the Manhattan Film Institute, an intensive film workshop and mentorship program that has produced nearly 300 short films and transformed the lives of many filmmakers.[9]

Spiridakis is a father of two and a strong advocate for autism awareness.[10][11]

Partial filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role
1985 Death Wish 3 Angel
1990 Pacific Heights actor
1991 Queens Logic Vinny (also writer)
1995 The Last Word Director, writer
1996 If Lucy Fell Story
1997 Tinseltown Director, writer
2002 Driving to Ground Zero Director, writer
2003 Ash Tuesday Punch (also writer)
2004 Noise Director
2023 Ezra Producer, writer
TBA Mike's Place Writer
TBA Breath of Life Director, writer

Television

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Year Title Role
1983 Bay City Blues Lee Jacoby
1986 Harem (miniseries) General Mustafa
1990 Hometown Boy Makes Good Chuck Frazier
1991 Monsters Hercules Valvalotus
1992 The Heights Co-creator
2000 Falcone Writer (episodes: "Lealta" and "... But Not Forgotten")
2007 House Actor (episode: "Resignation")
2017 Justice: Qalb Al Adala Writer
2018 Greenport Tom Wood (also co-creator)
2023 Earth Abides Writer, consulting producer

References

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  1. ^ "FILM; Yes, Tony Spiridakis, You Can Go Home Again (Published 1989)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2012. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  3. ^ "Los Angeles Times". Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  4. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (October 27, 2022). "First Look At Robert De Niro & Bobby Cannavale In Comedy 'Inappropriate Behavior'; Pic Pre-Sells To France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Lat Am, More". Deadline. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  5. ^ Grobar, Matt (November 6, 2023). "Tony Goldwyn's 'Ezra' Secures U.S. Distribution With Bleecker Street Following TIFF Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "CLASS-CONSCIOUS PLOTS FILL NEW YOUNG ADULT TV SHOWS". Chicago Tribune. October 2, 1992. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  7. ^ McNary, Dave (May 10, 2018). "Antoine Fuqua, Todd Komarnicki Developing Mike's Place Terrorist Attack Drama (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  8. ^ "Who We Are". North Fork Arts Center. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "Founders - Manhattan Film Institute". November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  10. ^ Schroeder, Katharine (July 24, 2017). "A father's journey with his autistic son inspires 'Greenport,' a television pilot". SoutholdLOCAL. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  11. ^ Spiridakis, Tony (October 17, 2017), Inappropriate Behavior: Fatherhood and Autism, retrieved November 4, 2022
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