Background
Mr. Zaillian was born in Fresno, California, United States, on January 30, 1953. He is a son of Jim Zaillian, a radio news reporter who is of Armenian descent.
director producer screenwriter
Mr. Zaillian was born in Fresno, California, United States, on January 30, 1953. He is a son of Jim Zaillian, a radio news reporter who is of Armenian descent.
Steven Zaillian attended Sonoma State University, graduated from San Francisco State University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema.
A veteran go-to script doctor in the industry, Mr. Zaillian has contributed to screenplays uncredited on a number of projects over the years. They include Patriot Games (1992), Crimson Tide (1995), Twister (1996), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Body of Lies (2008) etc. He is also a writer and producer, known for Schindler's List (1993), Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), Moneyball (2011). Mr. Zaillian is the founder of Film Rites, a film production company.
Quotations:
"The similarity between the big directors I've worked with is that they allow the writer to find a way of doing what they want done without saying 'do it this way.' They describe what they want, then letting the writer figure out a way to do it."
"I have no problem with anyone being precise about small things."
"The main thing that I learned from editing is that most people, when they're making a film, they start too early into the story. They will try to set up the characters, they will try to establish things before the plot actually starts."
Steven Zaillian is married, his wife's name is Elizabeth. The couple has two children, Charles and Nicholas.