Known for Writing
David Alan Mamet (/ˈmæmɪt/; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays Glengarry Glen Ross(1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). He first gained critical acclaim for a trio of 1970s off-Broadway plays: The Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo. His plays, Race and The Penitent, respectively, opened on Broadway in 2009 and premiered off-Broadway in 2017. Feature films that Mamet both wrote and directed include House of Games (1987), Homicide (1991), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), and his biggest commercial success, Heist (2001). His screenwriting credits include The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), The Verdict (1982), The Untouchables (1987), Hoffa (1992), Wag the Dog (1997), and Hannibal (2001). Mamet himself wrote the screenplay for the 1992 adaptation of Glengarry Glen Ross and wrote and directed the 1994 adaptation of his play Oleanna (1992). He created and produced the CBS series The Unit (2006–2009). Mamet's books include: On Directing Film (1991), a commentary and dialogue about film-making; The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; Bambi vs. Godzilla, a commentary on the movie business; The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture (2011), a commentary on cultural and political issues; Three War Stories (2013), a trio of novellas about the physical and psychological effects of war; and Everywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood (2023), an autobiographical account of his experiences in Hollywood. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Mamet, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Born
November 30, 1947 (age 78)
Birthplace
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Filmography
90 films, 11 shows


Henry Johnson
2025 · 1h 25m
country: United States
A quiet man is abruptly arrested without explanation, thrust into a surreal legal nightmare where truth and identity blur. As he fights to assert his innocence, he confronts a chilling system that seems more interested in control than justice.


Phil Spector
2013 · 1h 32m
country: United States
A drama centered on the relationship between Phil Spector and defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden while the music business legend was on trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson.


Two Painters
2010 · 3m
country: United States
A bad interview.
The Marquee
The Marquee
2010 · 1m
country: United States
A marquee runs out of letters, leaving a humorous blank.


Our Valley
2010 · 1m
country: United States
A wind machine causes problems on set.


Inside the Actor's Workshop
2010 · 3m
country: United States
An on-set interview is quietly absurd.
Lost Masterpieces of Pornography
Lost Masterpieces of Pornography
2010 · 6m
country: United States
This lost masterpiece of pornography was recently discovered in a woodworking shop of a Beverly Hills dentist. June Crenshaw (Kristen Bell) was known as the 'sex kitten' of the Supreme Court.


Redbelt
2008 · 1h 39m
country: United States
Martial artist Mike Terry lives by a strict code of no competitions, for he feels that such contests weaken fighters. After saving a famous action star from a brutal attack, Mike takes a job in the film industry. He soon finds his personal beliefs and integrity on the line as circumstances force him to participate in a prize fight.


Spartan
2004 · 1h 42m
country: Germany
U.S. government agent Scott is assigned to rescue the daughter of a high-ranking government official. As willing as he is to bend the rules to get things done, though, Scott is shocked to find that others are willing to go even further to protect a political career.


Heist
2001 · 1h 47m
country: United States
Joe Moore has a job he loves. He's a thief. His job goes sour when he gets caught on security camera tape. His fence, Bergman, reneges on the money he's owed, and his wife may be betraying him with the fence's young lieutenant. Moore and his partner, Bobby Blane, and their utility man, Pinky Pincus, find themselves broke, betrayed, and blackmailed. Moore is forced to commit his crew to do one last big job.


Catastrophe
2001 · 6m
country: Ireland
An autocratic Director (Harold Pinter) and his Assistant (Rebecca Pidgeon) put the final touches to the last scene of some kind of dramatic presentation, which consists entirely of a man (John Gielgud) standing still onstage.


State and Main
2000 · 1h 46m
country: France
The residents of a small Vermont town don't know what hit them when a beleaguered Hollywood film crew brings a chaotic shoot to their quaint village.


The Winslow Boy
1999 · 1h 44m
country: United Kingdom
In pre-WWI England, a youngster is expelled from a naval academy over a petty theft, but his parents raise a political furor by demanding a trial.


The Spanish Prisoner
1997 · 1h 50m
country: United States
An inventor of a secret process suddenly finds himself alone as both his friends and the corporation he works for turn against him.


Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants
1996 · 58m
country: United States
Sleight of hand magician Ricky Jay blends light comedy and close-up magic to entertain a live audience. He discusses everything from the birth of the classic cup and balls trick to 14th century poetry.


Oleanna
1994 · 1h 27m
country: United Kingdom
Carol, a college student, comes to John's office, her professor, to discuss the grade she has received for one of her papers.


Homicide
1991 · 1h 41m
country: United States
While investigating the ruthless murder of an elderly woman, a Jewish police detective unravels a bizarre conspiracy involving a Zionist organization.


Things Change
1988 · 1h 40m
country: United States
Jerry, a misfit Mafia henchman, is assigned the low-level job of keeping an eye on Gino, a shoe repairman fingered by the Mob to confess to a murder he didn't commit. But Gino's mistaken for a Mafia boss, and the two are suddenly catapulted to the highest levels of mobster status. Only friendship will see them through this dangerous adventure alive!


House of Games
1987 · 1h 42m
country: United States
A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.