Biography
Tony Puryear is an American screenwriter and artist. He wrote the original screenplay for the 1996 action film Eraser, becoming the first African-American screenwriter credited on a summer blockbuster that grossed over $100 million. The film’s screenplay is credited to Puryear and Walon Green, with the story credited to Puryear, Green and Michael S. Chernuchin.
Puryear studied art at Brown University. Earlier in his career he worked as an art director in advertising, directed hip-hop music videos and served as a gourmet chef. He has written scripts for producers including Jerry Bruckheimer and filmmakers such as Oliver Stone and Mel Gibson. He co-created the graphic novel series Concrete Park and contributed an episode to the television series Queen of the South (2018). His 2008 campaign poster for Hillary Clinton is held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.
