---
name: "Thomas Meehan"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/thomas-meehan"
fi1m_id: "thomas-meehan"
imdb_id: "nm0576070"
tmdb_id: 14640
wikidata_id: "Q7792371"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "14 August 1929"
died: "21 August 2017"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 65
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-06T18:21:04.807227+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."
---

# Thomas Meehan

## Identity

Thomas Meehan

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/thomas-meehan
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** thomas-meehan
- **IMDb ID:** nm0576070
- **TMDB ID:** 14640
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7792371
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Meehan_(writer), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7792371, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576070/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14640

Writer. Born 14 August 1929 in Ossining, New York, USA. Died 21 August 2017.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 14 August 1929, Ossining, New York, USA
- **Died:** 21 August 2017
- **Active:** 1982–2007
- **Also known as:** Tom Meehan
- **Average Fi1m score:** 65, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 58 (1), 2000s 72 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Meehan_(writer), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7792371, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576070/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14640

## Biography

Thomas Meehan was an American playwright and screenwriter. Born in Ossining, New York, he began his career as a contributor to the "Talk of the Town" section of The New Yorker before moving into television and theatre writing.

Meehan wrote the book for the Broadway musical *Annie* (1977), which earned him a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and formed the basis for the 1982 film adaptation on which he received a writing credit. He later co-wrote the books for the musicals *The Producers* (2001) and *Hairspray* (2002), winning further Tony Awards, and contributed screenplays including *Spaceballs* (1987) and *The Producers* (2005).

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

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Hairspray* (2007), Fi1m 72, Musical — [page](https://film.one/film/hairspray-2007.md)
- *Annie* (1982), Fi1m 58, Theatre Play, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/annie.md)

## Complete filmography (21)

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

- *Death Takes a Holiday* (2023), Book
- *Annie Live!* (2021), Theatre Play, Writer
- *Annie* (2018), Writer
- *Elf: The Musical* (2017), Musical
- *Hairspray Live!* (2016), Musical
- *Annie* (2014), Theatre Play
- *Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas* (2014), Teleplay
- *Spaceballs: The Animated Series* (2008), series, Co-Executive Producer, Writer, Creator
- *1984* (2008), Writer
- *Hairspray* (2007), Musical — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/hairspray-2007.md)
- *The Producers* (2005), as Max's Attorney · Screenplay
- *Annie* (1999), Theatre Play
- *Annie: A Royal Adventure* (1995), Novel
- *A Child's Garden of Verses* (1992), Screenplay
- *Spaceballs* (1987), as King Roland's Aide (uncredited) · Screenplay
- *One Magic Christmas* (1985), Story, Writer
- *To Be or Not to Be* (1983), Screenplay
- *Annie* (1982), Writer, Theatre Play — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/annie.md)
- *Ball Four* (1976), series, Writer
- *When Things Were Rotten* (1975), series, Writer
- *Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man* (1970), Writer

## Awards

### Other awards — 2 won, 1 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 2008: Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominated), for *Cry-Baby*
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 2003: Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (won), for *Hairspray*
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 2001: Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (won), for *The Producers*

*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/thomas-meehan