E. Max Frye

E. Max Frye
Born
Eric Max Frye

1956 (age 69–70)
Oregon, U.S.
Alma mater
OccupationsScreenwriter, film director

Eric Max Frye (born 1956) is an American screenwriter, film director, and television producer.[1] He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work on the film Foxcatcher (2015).

Early life and education

Frye was born in Oregon and raised in Eugene. His parents were Helen (Jackson) Frye, a federal judge, and William Frye.[2] He attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland for one year before moving to Europe. He lived in Paris and worked as a model in Austria.[2]

After returning to the United States, Frye considered becoming a painter and moved to New York's East Village in 1981 before attending New York University Film School a few years later. Talking a mandatory writing class, he discovered an affinity for screenwriting. "I pursued it hard," he recalled, "and got lucky."[2][3]

Career

While still in film school, Frye wrote the early drafts of what would become the screenplay for Something Wild (1986).[2][3] That same year, Frye appeared in the music video for Bizarre Love Triangle directed by Robert Longo in which Frye argues about reincarnation with actress Jodi Long.[4]

Other early writing credits included the 1993 comedy film Amos & Andrew, which he also directed,[2] and the third episode in the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.[5][3]

Frye was a co-screenwriter for Foxcatcher (2014), a film about John du Pont and his 1996 murder of World and Olympic champion wrestler, Dave Schultz. Director Bennett Miller came to Frye with the project, who was intrigued by the reverse direction of the story arc: instead of an athlete working his or her way to the top, this story began with an Olympic champion who finds himself back at the bottom.[3]

Frye taught screenwriting for many years, emphasizing conflict as an essential ingredient. "You want to have mean people, bullies, cheaters, criminals as part of your story. They are much more interesting characters than people who follow the rules." Billy Wilder is an influence; his portrait hangs in Frye's kitchen.[3]

Filmography

Film

Writer

Script consultant

Uncredited writing contributions

Television

Year Title Writer Executive
Producer		 Notes
2001 Band of Brothers Yes No Episode "Carentan"
2003 Second Nature Yes No TV movie
2018 The Alienist Yes Yes Wrote 3 episode

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Title Result Ref.
Academy Award 2015 Best Original Screenplay Foxcatcher Nominated [8]
Christopher Award 2002 Television & Cable Band of Brothers Won
Edgar Award 1987 Best Motion Picture Screenplay Something Wild Won
Independent Spirit Award 2015 Special Distinction Award Foxcatcher Won
Primetime Emmy Award 2002 Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Movie Band of Brothers Nominated [9]
2018 Outstanding Limited Series The Alienist Nominated
Writers Guild of America Award 2015 Best Original Screenplay Foxcatcher Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "The New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-11-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Turnquist, Kristi. "Judge files an appeal on behalf of 'Amos and Andrew' screenings Archived 2020-04-09 at the Wayback Machine", The Oregonian, March 11, 1993.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Webb, Oliver (2022-07-14). "An Interview with E. Max Frye". CloselyObservedFrame. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  4. ↑ New Order: Bizarre Love Triangle [MV] (1986) | MUBI, retrieved 2024-01-20
  5. ↑ Gilbert, Matthew (September 7, 2001). "'Brothers in Arms' HBO Miniseries Captures the Horrors of WWII But Not the Faces". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012.
  6. ↑ "How 'Jack' hopped away with a PG rating". Los Angeles Times. 2003-01-28. Retrieved 2026-07-08. Participants included such well-known comedy hands as Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandell, the Farrelly Brothers, Gary Ross and Max Frye.
  7. ↑ Clement, Nick (2017-12-06). "Interview: Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, screenwriter » We Are Cult". We Are Cult. Retrieved 2026-07-08. Max Frye did a nifty polish and probably some others I am unaware of,
  8. ↑ "The 87th Academy Awards | 2015". www.oscars.org. 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
  9. ↑ "E. Max Frye | Emmy Awards and Nominations". Television Academy. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
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