Paul Haggis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Haggis
Haggis in 2013
Born	Paul Edward Haggis (1953-03-10) March 10, 1953 (age 72) London, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Screenwriter producer director
Years active	1975–present
Spouse(s)	Diane Christine Gettas ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1994)​ Deborah Rennard ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2016)​
Children	4

Paul Edward Haggis (born March 10, 1953) is a Canadian writer, producer, and director for movies and TV shows. He is famous for writing and producing two movies that won the Best Picture Oscar in a row: Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Crash (2005). He also directed Crash.

Haggis helped write the war movie Flags of Our Fathers (2006). He also co-wrote the James Bond films Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008). He created the TV series Due South (1994–1999) and helped create Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001). Paul Haggis has won many awards, including two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and seven Gemini Awards. He also helped with the song "We Are the World 25 for Haiti".

Early life

Paul Edward Haggis was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His mother was Mary Yvonne Metcalf, and his father was Ted Haggis. Ted Haggis was a World War II soldier and an Olympic runner in 1948. Paul grew up going to Catholic school.

His parents owned The Gallery Theatre in London. This is where Paul first learned about theater work. He went to St. Thomas More Elementary School. Later, he attended Ridley College for secondary school. He then transferred to a different school in Muskoka Lakes. There, one of his teachers was a producer for a radio news show. This teacher let Paul watch him edit important news recordings.

Paul Haggis was inspired by famous directors like Alfred Hitchcock. He decided to study art at H. B. Beal Secondary School. He even opened a theater in Toronto to show movies that were not allowed by the film board. In 1974, after seeing a movie called Blowup, he went to England. He wanted to become a fashion photographer. Later, he returned to Canada to study how to film movies at Fanshawe College. In 1975, Haggis moved to Los Angeles, California, to start his career in writing for entertainment.

Career

Haggis began his career writing for TV shows. Some of these shows were Richie Rich, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, and The Love Boat. He also wrote for popular shows like One Day at a Time and The Facts of Life. On The Facts of Life, he also became a producer for the first time.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Haggis wrote for many other TV series. These included thirtysomething, L.A. Law, and Due South. He helped create the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger, Family Law, and Due South. He also worked as an executive producer for shows like Michael Hayes.

Haggis at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

Paul Haggis became well-known in the movie world for his work on Million Dollar Baby in 2004. He had read two stories by a boxing trainer named Jerry Boyd. Haggis bought the rights to these stories. He then turned them into the movie script for Million Dollar Baby. Clint Eastwood starred in and directed the movie. Million Dollar Baby won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

After Million Dollar Baby, Haggis worked on the 2004 movie Crash. He came up with the idea for the story himself. He also wrote and directed the movie. This gave him more control over the project. Crash was his first time directing a big movie. The movie was very popular when it first came out.

Crash was nominated for many Academy Awards. These included Best Picture and Best Director. Haggis won two Academy Awards for Crash. He won for Best Picture (as a producer) and Best Writing for the script. With Million Dollar Baby and Crash, Paul Haggis made history. He was the first person to write two Best Picture Oscar-winning movies in a row.

In 2005, he became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This means he can vote for the Academy Awards. In 2008, Haggis started his own movie company called Hwy61 Films. He partnered with producer Michael Nozik.

Personal life

Paul Haggis lives in Santa Monica, California. He has three daughters from his first marriage. He also has one son from his second marriage. His younger sister, Jo Francis, is a film editor. They have worked together on several projects.

In 2009, Haggis started a non-profit group called Artists for Peace and Justice. This group helps young people in need in Haiti.

Break from Scientology

Paul Haggis was a member of the Church of Scientology for 35 years. He decided to leave the group in October 2009. He left because the San Diego branch of the Church of Scientology supported Proposition 8. This was a law that banned same-sex marriage in California.

Haggis asked the Church's spokesman to speak out against this support. When the spokesman did not, Haggis said, "Silence is consent." He also had other concerns about the group's policies. In 2015, Haggis was interviewed for the movie Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. This movie looked at the Church of Scientology.

Filmography

Film

Executive producer

• Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) (Also story writer)
• Gold (2016)

Television

Acting credit

TV movies

Video game

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Paul Haggis para niños

• List of Canadian directors
• List of film and television directors
• List of film producers
• List of Big Five Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of people who have won multiple Academy Awards in a single year
• List of people from Santa Monica, California
• List of people from London, Ontario
• Scientology and celebrities
• Scientology controversies