---
name: "John Zinman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-zinman"
fi1m_id: "john-zinman"
imdb_id: "nm0957003"
tmdb_id: 20506
wikidata_id: "Q6265333"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "1 January 1966"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 66
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-10-05T02:21:48.118210+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."
---

# John Zinman

## Identity

John Zinman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/john-zinman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** john-zinman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0957003
- **TMDB ID:** 20506
- **Wikidata ID:** Q6265333
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Zinman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6265333, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957003/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/20506

Writer. Born 1 January 1966 in USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 1 January 1966, USA
- **Active:** 2001–2013
- **Frequently works with:** [Patrick Massett](https://film.one/person/patrick-massett.md), [Ami Canaan Mann](https://film.one/person/ami-canaan-mann.md), [Dan Lerner](https://film.one/person/dan-lerner.md), [Michael Waxman](https://film.one/person/michael-waxman.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 66, as writer, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 67 (2), 2010s 63 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 66 to 65 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 2, Action 1, Adventure 1, Crime 1, Fantasy 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 2 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $275m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Zinman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6265333, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957003/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/20506

## Streaming the US now

- **Paramount+:** [*Friday Night Lights*](https://film.one/tv/friday-night-lights.md) (86)
- **Netflix:** [*The Blacklist*](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md) (63)
- **Apple TV:** [*Lara Croft: Tomb Raider*](https://film.one/film/lara-croft-tomb-raider.md) (48)

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

## Biography

John Zinman is an American film and television writer and producer. He frequently collaborates with writing partner Patrick Massett. He worked as a writer and producer on the NBC drama series *Friday Night Lights* (2006–2011), earning four Writers Guild of America Award nominations for the series and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as a producer.

Zinman co-wrote the screenplay for *Lara Croft: Tomb Raider* (2001) and the film *Gold* (2016), on which he also served as a producer. He grew up in Irvington, New York, attended Irvington High School and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. His other credits include writing and producing work on series such as *Caprica* (2010), *The Blacklist* (2013) and *Last Light* (2022).

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

## On Fi1m (3)

- *The Blacklist* (2013), Fi1m 63, Teleplay, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md)
- *Friday Night Lights* (2006), Fi1m 86, Writer, Co-Executive Producer, Consulting Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/friday-night-lights.md)
- *Lara Croft: Tomb Raider* (2001), Fi1m 48, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/lara-croft-tomb-raider.md)

## Complete filmography (15)

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

- *Last Light* (2022), series, Teleplay, Story
- *Gold* (2016), Producer, Writer
- *The Player* (2015), series, Writer
- *The Blacklist* (2013), series, Writer, Teleplay, Co-Executive Producer — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md)
- *Last Resort* (2012), series, Writer
- *The Finder* (2012), series, Writer
- *The Chicago Code* (2011), series, Writer
- *Caprica* (2010), series, Writer, Co-Executive Producer
- *Knight Rider* (2008), series, Writer, Consulting Producer
- *The Cure* (2007), Screenplay
- *Friday Night Lights* (2006), series, as Dr. Rimbaud · Writer, Consulting Producer, Co-Executive Producer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/friday-night-lights.md)
- *Veritas: The Quest* (2003), series, Writer, Creator
- *Lara Croft: Tomb Raider* (2001), Screenplay — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/lara-croft-tomb-raider.md)
- *The Wild One Hundreds*, Screenplay
- *Wind River: Rising*, Story, Screenplay

---
© 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/john-zinman