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Mark Boal
Mark Boal 02 cropped.jpg
Boal in 2012
Born (1973-01-23) January 23, 1973 (age 52)
New York City, U.S.
Alma mater Oberlin College (1995)
Occupation Journalist, screenwriter, film producer
Relatives Christopher Stetson Boal (half-brother)

Mark Boal (born January 23, 1973) is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. He is known for writing and producing movies about important real-life events.

Mark Boal first worked as a journalist, writing for popular magazines like Rolling Stone. One of his articles, "Death and Dishonor," was later turned into the movie In the Valley of Elah. He also helped write the script for this film.

In 2008, he wrote and produced The Hurt Locker. This movie won him two big awards: the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (for writing) and the Academy Award for Best Picture (for producing). He worked again with director Kathryn Bigelow on Zero Dark Thirty in 2012. This film was about finding Osama bin Laden. It earned him more Academy Award nominations. They also worked together on the 2017 film Detroit.

Mark Boal has won many awards for his work. These include two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and two Writers Guild of America Awards. He has also been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards.

Early Life & Education

Mark Boal was born in New York City on January 23, 1973. His mother was Lillian Firestone, and his father, William Stetson Boal Jr., made educational films. Mark's half-brother, Christopher Stetson Boal, is also a writer.

Mark went to Bronx High School of Science. He was part of the school's Speech and Debate Team. After high school, he studied Philosophy at Oberlin College, graduating in 1995.

Mark Boal's Career in Film

Mark Boal started his career as a freelance journalist and screenwriter. He often writes about real-world events.

Reporting from the Iraq War

As a journalist, Mark Boal spent time with U.S. troops in 2004 during the Iraq War. He was "embedded" with soldiers and bomb squads. This means he lived and worked alongside them to report on their experiences.

His time in Iraq gave him ideas for a movie. He wrote a screenplay called The Hurt Locker. This film tells a fictional story based on his interviews and observations in Iraq. He also helped produce the movie, which was released in 2009. It was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who is also his business partner.

A soldier named Jeffrey S. Sarver claimed that The Hurt Locker was based on his life. He sued the filmmakers. However, the producers said the movie was fictional. The phrase "the hurt locker" has been used by military members for many years. In 2011, a federal judge dismissed Sarver's lawsuit.

Writing About Important Events

In 2011, Mark Boal wrote an article for Rolling Stone magazine. It was called The Kill Team: How U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Murdered Innocent Civilians. This article was about serious events that happened in Afghanistan.

Mark Boal then wrote the film Zero Dark Thirty, which came out in December 2012. The movie received a lot of praise. It showed the search for Osama bin Laden. Some people discussed how the film showed certain events, like the use of torture. Others pointed out that the film's details about Pakistan and the local languages were not fully accurate.

Zero Dark Thirty earned Mark Boal nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Academy Award for Best Picture. He also worked on the story for the video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

In 2021, it was announced that Mark Boal was talking with Netflix about writing a movie. This film would be based on the GameStop short squeeze, a big event in the stock market that happened in January 2021.

Mark Boal's Filmography

Movies

Year Film Role Notes
2007 In the Valley of Elah Story by Co-wrote story with Paul Haggis
2008 The Hurt Locker Writer
Producer
2012 Zero Dark Thirty
2013 After Earth Script consultant
2017 Detroit Writer
Producer
2019 Triple Frontier Screenwriter
Story by
Executive producer
Co-screenwriter with J. C. Chandor

Television Shows

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Class of Lies Executive producer
2022 Echo 3 Creator, writer, director Wrote 6 episodes, directed 3 episodes

Video Games

Year Game Role Notes
2014 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Story by

Awards and Recognition

Mark Boal has received many awards for his work in film:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mark Boal para niños

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