Callie Khouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Callie Khouri
Born	Carolyn Ann Khouri (1957-11-27) November 27, 1957 (age 67) San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Film/television writer, director, producer, feminist speaker
Spouse	David W. Warfield (m. 1990; divorced) T Bone Burnett ​ (m. 2006)​

Carolyn Ann "Callie" Khouri (born November 27, 1957) is an American writer, producer, and director for movies and TV shows. She is most famous for writing the movie Thelma & Louise. This film won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Callie. Thelma & Louise is now seen as a classic movie. It was even added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2016.

Callie Khouri also wrote other films like Mad Money (2008). She also wrote Respect (2021), a movie about the singer Aretha Franklin. She created the TV series Nashville, which started in 2012. The show was very popular and ran for six seasons.

Callie Khouri's Early Life and Family

Carolyn Ann Khouri, known as Callie, was born in San Antonio, Texas. She grew up in Kentucky. Her father was from Lebanon, and his family name, Khouri, means "priest" in Arabic.

Callie became interested in theater when she was in high school plays. After high school, she first studied landscape architecture at Purdue University. But she soon changed her mind and switched to drama. Callie later moved to Los Angeles. There, she worked as a waitress and studied acting. She soon realized that acting was not for her. She once said, "I can't stand people looking at me."

In 1985, Callie started working in film production. She helped make commercials and music videos. In 1990, she married David Weaver Warfield, who was also a writer. They later divorced. In 2009, she married the musician T Bone Burnett.

Callie Khouri's Career in Film and TV

Callie Khouri is a talented writer, director, and producer. She also gives talks and writes non-fiction. While working on music videos, she started writing Thelma & Louise. This was the first movie script she ever got made.

Thelma & Louise was a huge success. Callie won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. She also won a Golden Globe Award and other honors. She even won the London Film Critics Circle Award for Film of the Year.

Callie loved writing Thelma & Louise. She said it was the most fun she ever had. She felt very free when creating the story. She enjoyed spending time with the characters in her mind. Winning awards was great, but it wasn't as fun as writing the script itself.

After winning the Academy Award, Callie felt inspired. She wanted to speak up about the lack of female directors in Hollywood. She felt many of her career choices came from her belief in women's rights. She believes that movies and TV shows don't always show real women. She wants to create more complex and interesting female characters.

The Story Behind Thelma & Louise

Callie didn't always want to write movie scripts. She was trying to figure out what creative job she should do. She felt she had a talent for writing dialogue but nowhere to use it.

One day, she had an idea about "two women going on a crime spree." This idea excited her a lot. It felt like a light bulb went off in her head.

She first imagined Louise as a woman in Texas. Louise worked as a secretary. She thought Louise felt like she couldn't achieve much power.

The character of Thelma was first written as a mom. But Callie changed her to someone who didn't have kids. This made sense because Thelma was like a child herself. Callie wanted the movie to be fun to watch. She wanted viewers to enjoy seeing these women gain control of their lives. Even though they faced a tough ending, they became more themselves. It was a freeing experience to watch them grow.

Other Projects by Callie Khouri

Callie's second film as a writer was Something to Talk About (1995). It was a romantic comedy-drama.

In 2002, Callie directed her first movie. It was called Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. This film made over $73 million around the world.

In 2008, Callie directed Mad Money. This crime movie starred Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes.

In 2012, she created the TV show Nashville for ABC. It was a drama about country music. Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere starred in it. Callie's husband, T Bone Burnett, was the music producer for the first season. Nashville got great reviews. In 2016, the show moved to CMT.

Callie Khouri as a Teacher

Callie Khouri also teaches about theater and film. She has taught classes at the Athena Film Festival in New York City. She also taught a writing and directing course at Columbia University. In this class, she often talked about Thelma & Louise.

Callie Khouri's Advocacy Work

Views on Gun Control

Callie Khouri has strong opinions about gun control. She believes that countries with less access to guns have fewer mass shootings. She thinks it's wrong to say that violent video games cause shootings. Instead, she believes that easy access to guns is the main problem.

She argues that America needs stricter gun laws. She says, "people don't kill people – guns kill people, and people with guns kill people." She feels that society has lost its way regarding gun violence. She also notes that Hollywood often makes money from violent movies.

Supporting Women's History

Callie Khouri supports the National Women's History Museum (NWHM). This group celebrates powerful women in film and other fields. The museum gets help from many famous women, like Shonda Rhimes and Meryl Streep.

In 2014, Callie Khouri was honored by the NWHM. She was recognized for winning her Academy Award, Golden Globe, and other awards. Actress Geena Davis praised Callie. She said Callie creates female characters who are strong and in charge of their own lives.

Filmography

Film

TV movies

TV series

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Callie Khouri para niños