Writing

Ron Nyswaner

Born October 5, 1956 · Clarksville, Pennsylvania, USA (age 69)

Ronald L. Nyswaner (born October 5, 1956) is an American screenwriter and film director. He has been nominated for numerous awards including a Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He is known for his screenplays Smithereens (1982), Philadelphia (1993), The Painted Veil (2006), Freeheld (2015), and My Policeman (2022). He is also known as a writer and producer of the Showtime se…

Known For

Philadelphia

Philadelphia · 1993

Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.

The Painted Veil

The Painted Veil · 2006

The Painted Veil

MovieRomanceDrama

A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.

My Policeman

My Policeman · 2022

MovieDramaRomance

In the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when homosexuality was illegal.

Freeheld

Freeheld · 2015

MovieRomanceDrama

New Jersey car mechanic Stacie Andree and her police detective girlfriend Laurel Hester both battle to secure Hester's pension benefits after she was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Soldier's Girl

Soldier's Girl · 2003

MovieTV MovieDrama

This true story, which takes place in Fort Campbell, KY, tells the heart-wrenching story of the life and tragic death of soldier Barry Winchell. His love for Calpernia Addams, a transgender nightclub performer, was misunderstood by his fellow soldiers and eventually led to his murder.

Mrs. Soffel

Mrs. Soffel · 1984

MovieDramaRomance

Kate Soffel is married to a prison warden in Pittsburgh, and is the mother of their four children. Ed Biddle is a convicted murderer awaiting execution on death row with his brother Jack. When Kate meets Eddie through her Bible readings to the prisoners, she is drawn to him, and they pursue a clandestine relationship. She agrees to help the brothers escape, and begins a treacherous journey with them to freedom in Canada.

Star Maps

Star Maps · 1997

MovieComedyDrama

Carlos wants to be an actor. But his father, Pepe, wants him to work in the family business, that is, male prostitution. Carlos decides that he will be one of his father's boys until he can get his foot in the door in Hollywood.

Swing Shift

Swing Shift · 1984

MovieDramaRomance

In 1941 America, Kay and her husband are happy enough until he enlists after Pearl Harbor. Against his wishes, she takes a job at the local aircraft plant where she meets Hazel, the singer from across the way. The two soon become firm friends and with the other girls become increasingly expert workers. As the war drags on, Kay finally dates her trumpet-playing foreman and life gets more complicated.

Filmography

Sort

Philadelphia

Philadelphia · 1993

Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.

Writer

The Painted Veil

The Painted Veil · 2006

The Painted Veil

MovieRomanceDrama

A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.

Screenplay

My Policeman

My Policeman · 2022

MovieDramaRomance

In the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when homosexuality was illegal.

Screenplay

Freeheld

Freeheld · 2015

MovieRomanceDrama

New Jersey car mechanic Stacie Andree and her police detective girlfriend Laurel Hester both battle to secure Hester's pension benefits after she was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Screenplay

Soldier's Girl

Soldier's Girl · 2003

MovieTV MovieDrama

This true story, which takes place in Fort Campbell, KY, tells the heart-wrenching story of the life and tragic death of soldier Barry Winchell. His love for Calpernia Addams, a transgender nightclub performer, was misunderstood by his fellow soldiers and eventually led to his murder.

Writer

Mrs. Soffel

Mrs. Soffel · 1984

MovieDramaRomance

Kate Soffel is married to a prison warden in Pittsburgh, and is the mother of their four children. Ed Biddle is a convicted murderer awaiting execution on death row with his brother Jack. When Kate meets Eddie through her Bible readings to the prisoners, she is drawn to him, and they pursue a clandestine relationship. She agrees to help the brothers escape, and begins a treacherous journey with them to freedom in Canada.

Writer

Star Maps

Star Maps · 1997

MovieComedyDrama

Carlos wants to be an actor. But his father, Pepe, wants him to work in the family business, that is, male prostitution. Carlos decides that he will be one of his father's boys until he can get his foot in the door in Hollywood.

Co-Producer

Swing Shift

Swing Shift · 1984

MovieDramaRomance

In 1941 America, Kay and her husband are happy enough until he enlists after Pearl Harbor. Against his wishes, she takes a job at the local aircraft plant where she meets Hazel, the singer from across the way. The two soon become firm friends and with the other girls become increasingly expert workers. As the war drags on, Kay finally dates her trumpet-playing foreman and life gets more complicated.

Additional Writing

Why Stop Now?

Why Stop Now? · 2012

MovieComedyDrama

When a college piano prodigy tries to check his mother into rehab, he is taken hostage by her drug dealer and swept along on a wild adventure.

Director

Love Hurts

Love Hurts · 1990

MovieComedyDrama

The story of Paul Weaver and his strained relationships with women and his family.

Writer

Gross Anatomy

Gross Anatomy · 1989

MovieComedyDrama

Joe Slovak is a brilliant first-year med student whose casual, nonconforming approach to life gets tested when he enrolls in Gross Anatomy, the toughest course in med school.

Screenplay

The Prince of Pennsylvania

The Prince of Pennsylvania · 1988

The Prince of Pennsylvania

MovieDramaComedy

Set in a remote Pennsylvania coal-mining town, this off-beat comedy follows the relationship between Carla, a hippie woman, and Rupert, a young punk rocker who feels like a pariah. Hoping to leave their current lives behind, the two conspire to kidnap Rupert's father and hold him for ransom.

Director

Smithereens

Smithereens · 1982

MovieDramaMusic

A narcissistic runaway engages in a number of parasitic relationships amongst members of New York's waning punk scene.

Story

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders · 2026

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

MovieDocumentary

“Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders" peels back the layers of controversy surrounding the making of the 1980 thriller, "Cruising." Directed by William Friedkin, the film triggered fierce protests from the LGBTQ+ community for its portrayal of a serial killer targeting gay men in New York's leather bars. Friedkin drew inspiration from the brutal murder of Variety reporter Addison Verrill, blurring the boundaries between cinematic fiction and real-life tragedy.

Executive Producer

She's The Best Thing in It

She's The Best Thing in It · 2015

She's The Best Thing in It

MovieDocumentary

Mary Louise Wilson is the most accomplished character actor you've never heard of. While teaching skeptical young students, she examines whether her life has been successful.

Producer

Casting Pearls

Casting Pearls · 2007

A short film that illustrates the difficulties transsexual women face in Hollywood via a hectic series of auditions endured by a transsexual actress.

Executive Producer

Loan Wolves

Loan Wolves · 2022

MovieDocumentary

Blake Zeff is an investigative journalist who gets to the root of the student debt crisis. Following the stories of those most affected, Zeff ultimately zeroes in on the unexpected heart of the problem and exposes the rotten core of the country’s policymaking. Confronting powerful enablers and challenging lies, Loan Wolves is a humorous and eye-opening documentary that demystifies this national crisis that prevents countless Americans from reaching their full potential.

Executive Producer

Homeland

Homeland · 2011

SeriesDramaWar & Politics

CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar, which makes her volatile and unpredictable. With the help of her long-time mentor Saul Berenson, Carrie fearlessly risks everything, including her personal well-being and even sanity, at every turn.

Writer

Ray Donovan

Ray Donovan · 2013

Set in the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, Ray Donovan does the dirty work for LA's top power players, and makes their problems disappear. His father's unexpected release from prison sets off a chain of events that shakes the Donovan family to its core.

Writer

Fellow Travelers

Fellow Travelers · 2023

Fellow Travelers

A chronicle of a decades-long volatile romance between two men — from their first meeting during the height of the 1950s Lavender Scare to the AIDS crises of the 1980s.

Executive Producer

Murder on Middle Beach

Murder on Middle Beach · 2020

Murder on Middle Beach

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

A four-part documentary series revolving around the case of single mother Barbara Hamburg, who was brutally murdered in 2010 near her home in the upper-middle class enclave of Madison, Connecticut. The series presents first-time filmmaker Madison Hamburg’s complicated journey as a young man determined to solve an unspeakable crime and absolve the people he loves, while looking for answers within his fractured family and community.

Executive Producer