---
name: "David Mamet"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/david-mamet"
fi1m_id: "david-mamet"
imdb_id: "nm0000519"
tmdb_id: 1255
wikidata_id: "Q269927"
roles: ["Writer","Director"]
born: "30 November 1947"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-23T04:11:36.515630+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# David Mamet

## Identity

David Mamet

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/david-mamet
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** david-mamet
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000519
- **TMDB ID:** 1255
- **Wikidata ID:** Q269927
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mamet, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q269927, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000519/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1255

Writer and director. Born 30 November 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer, Director
- **Born:** 30 November 1947, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- **Active:** 1981–present
- **Also known as:** Richard Weisz, David Alan Mamet, リチャード・ウェイズ
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 9: 1 acting, 1 directing, 7 writing
- **Frequently works with:** [Robert De Niro](https://film.one/person/robert-de-niro.md), [Art Linson](https://film.one/person/art-linson.md), [Scott Brazil](https://film.one/person/scott-brazil.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as writer, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 84 (3), 1990s 81 (3), 2000s 69 (2), 2020s 60 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 77 to 69 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Crime 5, Drama 5, Thriller 3, Action 1, Comedy 1, History 1
- **Screen time:** 12 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $628m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mamet, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q269927, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000519/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1255

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*The Shield*](https://film.one/tv/the-shield.md) (84), [*Hannibal*](https://film.one/film/hannibal.md) (54)
- **Apple TV:** [*The Untouchables*](https://film.one/film/the-untouchables.md) (81), [*Ronin*](https://film.one/film/ronin.md) (80)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Glengarry Glen Ross*](https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross.md) (86)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on David Mamet

> David Mamet writes people who use conversation to get the upper hand, then betray themselves by talking too much. We rate the dialogue highly, though his plotting too often needs actors to make it convincing.

In *Glengarry Glen Ross* (1992), an office or bar conversation keeps turning into a struggle for control. Mamet's salesmen insult, evade and ask for sympathy, often revealing more than they intended. Director James Foley gives these exchanges room, while editor Howard E. Smith keeps us aware of the listener and what he might use against the speaker. The dialogue feels urgent because these men are frightened for their livelihoods.

The early plays, including *American Buffalo* (1975), had already made small-time criminals and failed schemes his business. His move into screenwriting brought *The Verdict* (1982), directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Paul Newman. The courtroom plot is familiar, but Mamet asks us to consider a lawyer using somebody else's claim to regain his self-respect. We were moved by Newman's exhaustion, which makes Frank Galvin's ability to shoulder that responsibility feel uncertain.

Directing *House of Games* (1987), then *The Spanish Prisoner* (1997), allowed him to pursue confidence tricks in films of his own. His screenplay for Brian De Palma's *The Untouchables* (1987) shows how well his forceful dialogue can serve a more straightforward gangster thriller. Sean Connery gives Jim Malone's advice warmth and impatience without making every line sound prepared for quotation. The trouble is that Mamet gives the veteran policeman's faith in toughness stronger backing than the objections to his methods.

*Wag the Dog* (1997), co-written with Hilary Henkin and directed by Barry Levinson, finds comedy in people treating an appalling deception as another job to finish. Editor Stu Linder moves briskly between problems and solutions, matching the speed with which Mamet and Henkin's speakers settle on each new deception. Dustin Hoffman's producer treats it all as a production problem, and the professional seriousness earns the laughs. The ease with which obstacles disappear also limits how much the satire can tell us.

*Ronin* (1998), written with J. D. Zeik, is a satisfying thriller whose screenplay is less dependable. Complications arrive before earlier ones have acquired enough importance, and the characters remain too thinly drawn to earn all the attention the intrigue demands. Even *Glengarry Glen Ross* presses too hard to arrange its plot, though its actors make the desperation convincing. Start there, provided an evening of men trying to outtalk one another sounds more inviting than exhausting.

## Biography

David Mamet is an American playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker. Born in Chicago on 30 November 1947, he first gained attention in the 1970s with off-Broadway plays including *The Duck Variations*, *Sexual Perversity in Chicago* and *American Buffalo*.

His 1984 play *Glengarry Glen Ross* won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was adapted by Mamet into a 1992 feature film. His other screenwriting credits include *The Verdict* (1982), *The Untouchables* (1987), *Wag the Dog* (1997) and *Hannibal* (2001). Mamet has also written and directed films such as *House of Games* (1987), *Homicide* (1991), *The Spanish Prisoner* (1997) and *Heist* (2001). He created the television series *The Unit* (2006–2009).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com.*

## On Fi1m (9)

### Performed in (1)

- *Beau Is Afraid* (2023), Fi1m 60, as Rabbi — [page](https://film.one/film/beau-is-afraid.md)

### Directed (1)

- *The Shield* (2002), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-shield.md)

### Wrote (7) — the average rests on these

- *Hannibal* (2001), Fi1m 54, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/hannibal.md)
- *Ronin* (1998), Fi1m 80, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/ronin.md)
- *Wag the Dog* (1997), Fi1m 77, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/wag-the-dog.md)
- *Glengarry Glen Ross* (1992), Fi1m 86, Screenplay, Theatre Play — [page](https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross.md)
- *The Untouchables* (1987), Fi1m 81, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-untouchables.md)
- *The Verdict* (1982), Fi1m 84, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-verdict.md)
- *Hill Street Blues* (1981), Fi1m 86, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/hill-street-blues.md)

## Complete filmography (61)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Marty Supreme* (2025), as Director Glenn Nordmann — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/marty-supreme.md)
- *Henry Johnson* (2025), Writer, Director
- *The Penitent: A Rational Man* (2023), Theatre Play, Script, Novel, Idea, Writer, Screenplay
- *Beau Is Afraid* (2023), as Rabbi — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/beau-is-afraid.md)
- *Just a Scene* (2022), Original Story
- *About Last Night* (2014), Theatre Play
- *Phil Spector* (2013), Screenplay, Director, Executive Producer
- *Glengarry Glen Ross* (2011), Writer
- *Two Painters* (2010), Writer, Director
- *Inside the Actor's Workshop* (2010), Writer, Director
- *The Marquee* (2010), Writer, Director
- *Our Valley* (2010), Director, Writer
- *Lost Masterpieces of Pornography* (2010), Director, Writer
- *Redbelt* (2008), Writer, Director
- *Edmond* (2006), Writer, Theatre Play
- *The Unit* (2006), series, Producer, Writer, Director, Creator
- *Spartan* (2004), Director, Screenplay
- *The Shield* (2002), series, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-shield.md)
- *Heist* (2001), Director, Writer
- *Catastrophe* (2001), Director
- *Hannibal* (2001), Screenplay — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/hannibal.md)
- *State and Main* (2000), Director, Screenplay
- *Lakeboat* (2000), Theatre Play, Writer
- *The Winslow Boy* (1999), Writer, Director
- *Lansky* (1999), Writer
- *Ronin* (1998), Screenplay — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/ronin.md)
- *Wag the Dog* (1997), Screenplay — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/wag-the-dog.md)
- *The Spanish Prisoner* (1997), Writer, Director
- *The Edge* (1997), Screenplay
- *Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants* (1996), Director
- *Hustlers, Hoaxsters, Pranksters, Jokesters and Ricky Jay* (1996), Actor
- *American Buffalo* (1996), Screenplay, Theatre Play
- *Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist* (1995), series, as David (voice), Additional Writing
- *Oleanna* (1994), Director, Screenplay, Lyricist, Theatre Play
- *Vanya on 42nd Street* (1994), Screenplay
- *Texan* (1994), Writer
- *A Life in the Theatre* (1993), Teleplay, Executive Producer, Theatre Play
- *Hoffa* (1992), Screenplay, Associate Producer
- *Glengarry Glen Ross* (1992), Screenplay, Theatre Play — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross.md)
- *The Water Engine* (1992), as Brown Haired Man · Theatre Play, Writer
- *Uncle Vanya* (1991), Writer
- *Homicide* (1991), Writer, Director
- *The Yiddish Cinema* (1991), as Narrator
- *The Simpsons* (1989), series, as David Mamet (voice) — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-simpsons.md)
- *We're No Angels* (1989), Writer
- *The Shawl* (1989), Writer
- *Things Change* (1988), Director, Writer
- *Lip Service* (1988), Executive Producer
- *The Play on One* (1988), series, Writer
- *House of Games* (1987), Director, Screenplay, Story
- *The Untouchables* (1987), Writer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/the-untouchables.md)
- *Black Widow* (1987), as Herb
- *About Last Night...* (1986), Theatre Play
- *The Verdict* (1982), Screenplay — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-verdict.md)
- *The Postman Always Rings Twice* (1981), Screenplay
- *Hill Street Blues* (1981), series, Writer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/hill-street-blues.md)
- *Russian Poland*, Director, Writer
- *Assassination*, Screenplay
- *The Prince*, Writer, Executive Producer
- *House of Games*, Original Film Writer
- *Speed the Plow*, Director, Theatre Play, Screenplay

## Gallery

- ![David Mamet at the premiere of Red Belt at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.](https://film.one/media/person/80225/gallery-e288f425470d.jpg) David Mamet at the premiere of Red Belt at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. — David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/David_Mamet_at_the_2008_Tribeca_Film_Festival.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![David Mamet](https://film.one/media/person/80225/gallery-97756b3840bf.jpg) David Mamet — David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/David_Mamet_2_by_David_Shankbone.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![David Mamet at the premiere of Red Belt at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.](https://film.one/media/person/80225/gallery-3ac04d7dccff.jpg) David Mamet at the premiere of Red Belt at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. — David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/David_Mamet_by_David_Shankbone.JPG/1280px-David_Mamet_by_David_Shankbone.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Playwright and screenwriter David Mamet in the WNYC studios on February 12 2007. He spoke to Leonard about his new book, "Bambi vs. Godzilla."Playwright and scr](https://film.one/media/person/80225/gallery-f31d3a050460.jpg) Playwright and screenwriter David Mamet in the WNYC studios on February 12 2007. He spoke to Leonard about his new book, "Bambi vs. Godzilla."Playwright and scr — The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC from WNYC Studios, NY, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/David_Mamet_in_the_WNYC_studios_on_February_12.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1998: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Wag the Dog*
- 1983: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *The Verdict*

### Other awards — 2 won, 1 nominated

- Carl Sandburg Literary Award 2006: Carl Sandburg Literary Award (won)
- Pulitzer Prize for Drama 1995: Pulitzer Prize for Drama (nominated), for *The Cryptogram*
- Pulitzer Prize for Drama 1984: Pulitzer Prize for Drama (won), for *Glengarry Glen Ross*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/david-mamet