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Marielle Heller

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Marielle Heller
Heller in 2016
Born
Marielle Stiles Heller

(1979-10-01) October 1, 1979 (age 45)
Marin County, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • director
  • writer
Years active2000–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2
RelativesEmily Heller (sister)

Marielle Stiles Heller /ˈmɑːriɛl/ (born October 1, 1979) is an American director, screenwriter and actress.[1] She is best known for directing the films The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), as well as acting in The Queen’s Gambit (2020).

Early life

[edit]

Heller was born in Marin County, California,[2] to Steve Heller, a chiropractor, and Annie Stiles-Heller, an artist and art teacher.[3][4] She grew up in nearby Alameda, along with her younger brother and sister, Nate and Emily.[5] Her father hails from a Jewish family in New York.[6][7] Heller started off as an actor, calling acting her "first love."[8] She was part of the Alameda Children's Musical Theater, where she participated in as many as four plays a year, including the roles of Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh, Templeton the rat in Charlotte’s Web, and Polly in The Magician's Nephew.[3]

With time, she graduated to community theater, as well as productions at Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School.[3] She graduated in 1997.[9] She studied theatre at UCLA and then at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[10] Additionally, she was honored with a Lynn Auerbach Screenwriting Fellowship and The Maryland Film Festival Fellowship.[11]

Career

[edit]

After returning to the US, she worked as an actor at the Magic Theatre, the American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and the La Jolla Playhouse.[3] She was in the world premiere of David Edgar’s Continental Divide directed by Tony Taccone.[12] She also acted in shows Spin City and Single Dads."[13]

The Diary of a Teenage Girl was Heller's debut film, that she both wrote and directed. It is based on the 2002 graphic novel titled The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures by Phoebe Gloeckner,[14] which she received as a Christmas present from her sister in 2006.[3] The story's protagonist, Minnie, is a 15-year-old girl living in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1976 who begins an affair with her mother's 35-year-old boyfriend, Monroe. Heller was taken with Minnie's character, a young woman who is confident in her sexuality and, noting the lack of films that represent young women in such a way, she set to adapting the graphic novel to play. With Gloeckner's blessing, she worked the script into a screenplay.[15] The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2015, and later received a limited release in August 2015.[16] The film stars Bel Powley as Minnie. Previously, Heller was selected as a 2012 Sundance Screenwriting Fellow and 2012 Sundance Directing Fellow,[17] where she had submitted the script for the Sundance writer and director workshop. She then proceeded to direct a teaser for the film using grant money from the writer's workshop. The film received critical acclaim at Sundance, and was in competition in the U.S. Dramatic category. The film also won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2015.[18] In 2016, the film was named best first feature at the Independent Spirit Awards.[3]

Heller's writing credits include screenplays, theatrical plays, and pilots for ABC and 20th Century Fox, such as the ABC pilot The Big Apple and a film for Disney, titled Renegade X.[10]

Heller next directed Can You Ever Forgive Me? about literary forger and writer Lee Israel, based on the author's memoir.[19] She teamed up again with Archer Gray, who she first worked with on Diary.[20] With a limited budget, filming a movie set in the 1990s was a challenge.[19] She cast Melissa McCarthy in the title role based on the actress's performance in the 2014 film St. Vincent.[21] They shot on location in bookstores where Israel had sold her forgeries, including the Argosy Bookstore and Westsider Rare & Used Books.[3] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018.[21] It was released on October 19, 2018, by Fox Searchlight.[19][8]

Heller at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival

In January 2018, it was announced that Heller would direct A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a film that chronicles an interview Tom Junod conducted with child entertainer Fred Rogers for Esquire magazine, and how the encounter impacted the journalist's life.[19] The screenplay was written by Emmy-nominated producers Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.[22] Tom Hanks, who portrays Mr. Rogers, agreed to join the project once Heller signed on as director, as they had met previously through Hanks' son, Colin.[23][3] It was filmed in Pittsburgh.[3]

Heller played a breakout acting role in the Netflix show The Queen's Gambit as Alma Wheatley.[24][25] Heller is friends with the director Scott Frank and was going to play the part of Beth's biological mother, until the original actress fell out.[25]

Media image and directing style

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Heller has said she is drawn to stories about people "trying to talk about something that people are uncomfortable talking about" and "human beings trying to navigate through the world."[8] Drawn to storytelling, she progressed from an actor to a writer, finally beginning to direct when she dreaded turning her screenplay for Diary over to someone else.[13] She has said that becoming a mother made her change the kind of stories she tells, because she wants "to do good in the world".[8]

In 2020, she was listed, among others, as one of the several female directors snubbed for Academy Awards and Golden Globes nominations for Best Directing, as only men were nominated. Fellow director Greta Gerwig, who also was not nominated, included Heller in her list of women who could have been competing for the Golden Globe. Actress Natalie Portman, as a sign of protest, wore a dress embroidered with the names of these women, including Heller, on the 2020 Oscars red carpet.[26]

Filming days for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood adhered to a shooting schedule of ten-hour days that did not break for lunch so that Heller and other cast and crew members could potentially still have nights with their children. She believes sustainable working hours on film sets will allow more female directors to continue working after they have families.[27]

Personal life

[edit]

Heller is married to comedian Jorma Taccone,[15] having met at UCLA while studying acting.[3] Together they have a son, born in December 2014,[28] and a daughter born in August 2020.[citation needed] They live in Brooklyn, New York.[3]

Heller's brother, Nate, is a musician who composed the scores for all four of her feature films.[3] Her sister, Emily Heller, is a stand-up comic, as well as a producer and writer for the HBO comedy series Barry.[3] Her brother-in-law, Asa Taccone, is the lead singer of the band Electric Guest, and her father-in-law, Tony Taccone, is a theater director. When asked about her greatest source of inspiration, she answered: "Every member of my family, each of whom is completely their own person, and works on being thoughtful and creative every day. And I find inspiration in all of my friends, and my husband, all of whom are working toward living life as an artist every day."[12]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Director Writer
2015 The Diary of a Teenage Girl Yes Yes
2018 Can You Ever Forgive Me? Yes No
2019 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Yes No
2024 Nightbitch Yes Yes

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
2004 The Liberation of Everyday Life Flora Short film
2010 MacGruber Clocky
2014 A Walk Among the Tombstones Marie Gotteskind
2016 Paper Anchor Caroline
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Documentary Crew Member

Television

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Year Title Notes
2015 Transparent Episode "New World Coming"
2016 Casual 2 episodes
2020 What the Constitution Means to Me Filmed play

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
2001 White Power Party People Short
2002 Spin City Carrie Episode "Eyes Wide Open"
2005 Awesometown Waitress Short
2008 All-For-Nots Heather 2 episodes
2009 Single Dads Jill Episode "Meeting Girls in the Park"
2020 The Queen's Gambit Alma Wheatley
2021 MacGruber MacGruber's mother

Theatre

[edit]

This list is adapted from her biography on The Nervous Breakdown:[12]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2015
 Austin Film Critics Association Best First Film The Diary of a Teenage Girl Nominated [29]
Berlin International Film Festival Crystal Bear for the Best Film of the Generation 14plus Nominated [30]
Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Best New Filmmaker Won [31]
Chicago Film Critics Association Most Promising Filmmaker Nominated [32]
Edinburgh International Film Festival Best International Feature Film Won [33][34]
Audience Award 2nd Runner-up
Gijón International Film Festival Best Film Nominated [35]
Gotham Awards Best Feature Nominated [36]
Breakthrough Director Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Audience Award Nominated
IndieWire Critics Poll Best First Feature Runner-up [37]
Palm Springs International Film Festival Directors to Watch Won [38]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Best Screenplay – Adapted Nominated [39]
Sundance Film Festival U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Nominated [40]
Women Film Critics Circle Best Movie by a Woman Nominated [41]
Zurich Film Festival Best International Feature Film Special Mention [42]
2016
 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Woman Director Won [43][44]
Best Woman Screenwriter Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film Nominated [45]
FEST (film festival) Best Film Won [46]
Best Director Won
Independent Spirit Awards Best First Screenplay Nominated [47]
Best First Feature Won
2018
 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Woman Director Can You Ever Forgive Me? Won [48]
Dorian Awards Director of the Year Nominated [49]
2019
 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Woman Director A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Nominated [50]
2020
 GMA Dove Awards Inspirational Film of the Year Nominated [51]
Independent Spirit Awards BONNIE Award Herself Nominated [52]
2021
 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Limited/Movie Supporting Actress The Queen's Gambit Nominated [53]
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directing – Variety Specials What the Constitution Means to Me Nominated [54]
Dorian TV Awards Best Supporting TV Performance The Queen's Gambit Nominated [55]
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Movie Nominated [56]
Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures What the Constitution Means to Me Nominated [57]
2024
 Montclair Film Festival Director Award Nightbitch Honored [58][59]
Chicago International Film Festival Visionary Award Honored [60]
Sitges Film Festival Best Motion Picture Nominated [61][62]

Actors' awarded performances

Under Hellers's direction, these actors have received the Academy Award nominations for their performances in their respective roles.

Year Performer Film Result
Academy Award for Best Actress
2019 Melissa McCarthy Can You Ever Forgive Me? Nominated
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
2019 Richard E. Grant Can You Ever Forgive Me? Nominated
2020 Tom Hanks A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Nominated


References

[edit]
  1. ^ SAITO, STEPHEN (August 5, 2015). "Interview: Marielle Heller on Seeing Herself in "The Diary of a Teenage Girl"". The Moveable Fest. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Register". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Guthmann, Edward (October 15, 2018). "Alameda's Marielle Heller Is One Hot Hollywood Director". Oakland Magazine. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Marielle Heller Annie Stiles-Heller Photostream". Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  5. ^ "Alameda's Marielle Heller Is One Hot Hollywood Director". November 1, 2018. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  6. ^ "Cast and crew of 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' felt deep connection to city with Tree of Life tragedy". Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  7. ^ "Marielle Heller's Land of Make-Believe". The New Yorker. December 13, 2019. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d Dawn, Randee. "Seeing truth in the fraud". Los Angeles Times. New York. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Marielle Heller '97". Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School. March 19, 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Marielle Heller". Playscripts, Inc. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  11. ^ "MD Film Fest | About The Festival | Producers Club". www.md-filmfest.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c "21 Questions with Marielle Heller". June 6, 2010. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  13. ^ a b Majumdar, Antora (September 6, 2018). "TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marielle Heller — "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"". Women and Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  14. ^ SMITH, C. MOLLY (January 29, 2016). "'Diary of a Teenage Girl' challenged perceptions of young women and sex". EW. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Handler, Rachel (August 6, 2015). ""The Diary of a Teenage Girl" Director Marielle Heller Is Here to Remind You: Women Have Sexual Thoughts Too". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
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  19. ^ a b c d Milder, Ben (May 1986). "Groucho, can you ever forgive me?". Survey of Ophthalmology. 30 (6): 404. doi:10.1016/0039-6257(86)90097-4.
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  21. ^ a b Ford, Rebecca (September 5, 2018). "WE GET SCARED WHEN WOMEN CHARACTERS ARE IDIOSYNCRATIC': Director Marielle Heller on Melissa McCarthy going to 'really dark places' as a washed-up writer in Can You Ever Forgive Me?". Hollywood Reporter. 424 (29): 66. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  22. ^ Nolfi, Joey (March 19, 2018). "Marielle Heller insists Tom Hanks' 'beautiful' Mr. Rogers movie 'not a biopic,' reveals plot details". MSN. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
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  40. ^ "Sundance 2015 Award Winners". December 8, 2015. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
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  42. ^ Anderson, Ariston (October 6, 2015). "Zurich Film Fest: 'Rams,' 'Mediterranea' and 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl' Take Top Prizes". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  43. ^ "Alliance of Women Film Journalists announce 2015 EDA Award nominees". Awardsdaily. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  44. ^ "2015 EDA Award Winners – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS". Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
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  52. ^ Eggert, Jessica (February 22, 2019). "Nia DaCosta, Debra Granik and Marielle Heller Discuss the Limitless Potential of Women in Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  53. ^ Giliberti, Luca (January 18, 2021). "2021 Critics' Choice TV Awards: Full List of Nominations by Shows". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
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  57. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (February 2, 2021). "'Truffle Hunters,' 'Time' and 'Dick Johnson Is Dead' Among Producers Guild Doc Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  58. ^ Lewis, Hilary (September 19, 2024). "Montclair Film Festival: 'Conclave' to Open, 'The Piano Lesson' to Close, 'Unstoppable' as Fiction Centerpiece (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
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  61. ^ "Canina (Nightbitch)". Sitges Film Festival (in Catalan). Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  62. ^ ACN. "'Canina (Nightbitch)' amb Amy Adams o el documental sobre Christopher Reeve se sumen a la programació de Sitges". EIXDIARI (in Catalan). Retrieved September 26, 2024.
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