Todd Field, born February 24, 1964, is an American actor and filmmaker.
He is known for directing three feature films: In the Bedroom (2001), Little Children (2006), and Tár (2022).
He has received 3 Academy Award nominations.
Field was born in Pomona, California, where his family ran a poultry farm. When Field turned 2, his family moved to Portland, Oregon, where his father went to work as a salesman, and his mother became school librarian.
At an early age, he became interested in performing sleight-of-hand and later music.
As a child in Portland, Field was a batboy for the Portland Mavericks, a single A independent minor league baseball team owned by Hollywood actor Bing Russell. Kurt Russell, Bing’s son and later an actor in his own right, also played for the Portland Mavericks during this time. Field and Maverick pitching coach Rob Nelson created the first batch of Big League Chew in the Field family kitchen.
In 1980, Nelson and former New York Yankees all-star Jim Bouton sold the idea to the Wrigley Company. Since that time over 800 million pouches have been sold worldwide.
A budding jazz musician, at the age of 16 Field became member of the Big Band at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon. Headed by Larry McVey, the band had become a proving-ground and regular stop for Stan Kenton and Mel Tormé when they were looking for new players. It was here Field played trombone along with his friend, trumpeter and future Grammy Award Winner Chris Botti. During this same time he also worked as a non-union projectionist at a second-run movie theater. Field graduated with his class from Centennial High School on Portland’s east side and briefly attended Southern Oregon State College (now Southern Oregon University) in Ashland on a music scholarship, but left after his freshman year favoring a move to New York to study acting with Robert X. Modica at his renowned Carnegie Hall Studio.
Field began performing with the Ark Theatre Company as both actor and musician. He received his Master of Fine Arts from the AFI Conservatory.
Field has worked in varying capacities as an actor, director, producer, composer, and screenwriter,[10] and began making motion pictures after Woody Allen cast him in Radio Days (1987). He went on to work with some of America’s greatest filmmakers, including Stanley Kubrick, Victor Nuñez, and Carl Franklin. Franklin and Nuñez, both AFI alumni, encouraged Field to enroll as a Directing Fellow at the AFI, which he did in 1992. Since then, he has received the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award from the AFI, the Satyajit Ray Award from the British Film Institute, and a Jury Prize from the Sundance Film Festival. His short films have been exhibited at various venues overseas and domestically at the Museum of Modern Art.
Field became one of Hollywood’s hottest new writer-directors with his debut, In the Bedroom, a film based on Andre Dubus’s short story “Killings.” (Kubrick and Dubus were among Field’s mentors; both died right before the production of In the Bedroom.)
In the Bedroom was nominated for 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Wilkinson, his first nomination), Best Actress (Sissy Spacek, her sixth), Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei, her second), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film was shot in Rockland, Maine, New England town where Field resides. The house where he, wife (Serena Rathbun), and 4 children live was even used as the setting for one sequence. Rathbun and Spacek did some of the set design and Field handled the camera himself on many shots.
In the Bedroom made its debut at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.
For his work on In the Bedroom, Field was named Director of the Year by the National Board of Review, and his script was awarded Best Original Screenplay.
The film was named Best Picture of the Year by the L.A. Film Critics Association, and the New York Film Critics Circle awarded Field Best First Film.
In the Bedroom received 5 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, and two individually for Field as screenwriter and producer. The American Film Institute honored Field with the Franklin Schaffner Alumni Medal.
Field followed In the Bedroom with Little Children, which was nominated for 3 Academy Awards, including two for the actors: Kate Winslet (her fifth nomination, and with it a record for the youngest actor to be nominated for 5 Oscars) and Jackie Earle Haley (his first nomination and first leading role in over 15 years). After having written, directed and produced just two feature films, Field had garnered five Academy Award nominations for his actors and three for himself. The film, based on Tom Perrotta’s novel of the same name, premiered at the 2006 New York Film Festival.
Many members of Field’s creative team on In the Bedroom returned to work with him, including Serena Rathbun.
In a 2006 interview, Field said he quit acting and began making his own films after Rathbun told him, “Do what you want to do. Don’t get distracted.” Later that year, Field spoke extensively about the importance of Rathbun as his creative partner, describing a conversation he had with her where she gave him the most pivotal scene: “for me, the film is unthinkable without it.”
After Little Children, Field went 15 years without directing, which various film journalists lamented.
During that time, Field was attached to film projects, including a film adaptation of the 2009 Boston Teran novel The Creed of Violence, set during the Mexican Revolution, which at different times was set to star Leonardo DiCaprio,[23] Christian Bale[24] and Daniel Craig;[25] a coming-of-age Minor League Baseball story set in the 1970s Northwest;[26][27] an adaptation of the 1985 Cormac McCarthy novel Blood Meridian;[28][29] a political thriller called As It Happens, co-written by Joan Didion;[30] an adaptation of Jess Walter’s novel Beautiful Ruins;[31] and a film about U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl.
In 2016, Field worked on a planned television adaptation of the 2015 Jonathan Franzen novel Purity, which was to be a 20-hour limited series for Showtime.[33] The series was to be co-written by Field, Franzen and playwright David Hare. It would have starred Daniel Craig as Andreas Wolf and be executive produced by Field, Franzen, Craig, Hare and Scott Rudin.[34] In 2016 Franzen said on The Diane Rehm Show that he was learning the art of adaptation from Field, whom he considered a “master” of the form.[35] But in a February 2018 interview with The Times, Hare said that, given the budget for the adaptation ($170 million), he doubted it would ever be made. “It was one of the richest and most interesting six weeks of my life, sitting in a room with Todd Field, Jonathan Franzen and Daniel Craig bashing out the story. They’re extremely interesting people”, Hare added.
Field told the New York Times in 2022, “I set my sights in a very particular way on certain material that was probably very tough to get made.”
Field’s latest film is Tár, which he wrote and directed, and which stars Cate Blanchett as the fictional classical music conductor and composer Lydia Tár. Production began in August 2021. The film is set in Berlin
It premiered in September 2022 at the Venice Film Fest, where it competed for the Golden Lion and Queer Lion, with Cate Blanchett winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.
The film was named “Best Picture of the Year” by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Daily Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen Daily, Entertainment Weekly, and IndieWire’s annual poll of 136 critics worldwide.
Filmography
Actor
Film
Year Title Role Director Ref.
1986 He Shoots, He Scores Anders Johansson Jean-Claude Lord
1987 Radio Days Crooner Woody Allen
The Allnighter Bellhop Tamar Simon Hoffs
1988 Eye of the Eagle 2: Inside the Enemy Private Anthony Glenn Carl Franklin
Back to Back Todd Brand John Kincaide
The End of Innocence Richard Dyan Cannon
1989 Fat Man and Little Boy Robert Rathbun Wilson Roland Joffe
Gross Anatomy David Schreiner Thom Eberhardt
1990 Full Fathom Five Johnson Carl Franklin
1991 Queens Logic Cecil Steve Rash
1993 Ruby in Paradise Mike McCaslin Victor Nuñez
357 Marina del Rey Rake Rowe Penelope Spheeris
1994 Sleep with Me Duane Rory Kelly
1996 Twister Tim ‘Beltzer’ Lewis Jan de Bont
Walking and Talking Frank Nicole Holofcener
1999 Broken Vessels Jimmy Warzniack Scott Ziehl
Eyes Wide Shut Nick Nightingale Stanley Kubrick
The Haunting Todd Hackett Jan de Bont
2000 Stranger than Fiction Austin Walker /
Donovan Miller Eric Bross [43]
2001 New Port South Walsh Kyle Cooper
Net Worth Thad Davis Kenny Griswold
Television
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1986 Lance et compte Anders Johansson 5 episodes
1987 Gimme a Break! Eric 2 episodes
1987 Hard Knocks Chad Episode: “Captain Justice”
1987 Brothers Walter Episode: “Penny and the Hard Hat”
1987 Student Exchange Neil Barton /
Adriano Fabrizzi Television movie
1987 Take Five Kevin Davis 6 episodes
1988 Roseanne Charles Episode: “D-I-V-O-R-C-E”
1990 Tales from the Crypt Eugene Episode: “Judy, You’re Not Yourself Today”
1991 Lookwell Jason Television movie
1993 Danger Theatre Ray Monroe Episode: “Searcher in the Mist/Sex, Lies & Decaf”
1993 Bakersfield P.D. Lewis Episode: “The Poker Game”
1995 Chicago Hope Josh Taubler Episode: “Heartbreak”
1998 Cupid Sam Episode: “Pick-Up Schticks”
1999–2001 Once and Again David Cassilli 28 episodes
2002–03 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Ol’ Drippy Voice; 2 episodes
Filmmaker
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
Feature films
2001 In the Bedroom Yes Yes Yes
2006 Little Children Yes Yes Yes
2022 Tár Yes Yes Yes
Short films
1992 Too Romantic Yes Yes No AFI First Year Cycle Project
1993 When I Was a Boy Yes No No Co-director with Alex Vlacos & Matthew Modine
The Dog Yes No No Co-director with Alex Vlacos
The Tree Yes Yes No AFI First Year Cycle Project
Delivering Yes Yes No AFI First Year Cycle Project
1995 Nonnie & Alex Yes No No AFI Second Year Thesis Project
2022 Mortar Yes Yes Yes Music video
Accolades
Year Award Category Project Result Ref.
2001 Academy Award Best Picture In the Bedroom Nominated [44]
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
2006 Little Children Nominated [45]
2001 AFI Awards Director of the Year In the Bedroom Nominated [46]
Screenwriter of the Year Nominated
2001 British Film Institute Special Mention Won
1993 Film Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Male Ruby in Paradise Nominated [47]
2001 Best First Feature In the Bedroom Won [48]
Best Screenplay Nominated
2006 Golden Globe Awards Best Screenplay – Motion Picture Little Children Nominated [49]
2022 Tár Pending [50]
2006 Gotham Awards Best Feature Little Children Nominated [51]
2001 National Board of Review Best Director In the Bedroom Won [52]
Best Screenplay Won
2001 New York Film Critics Circle Best First Film Won [53]
Best Director Nominated
1995 Sundance Film Festival Honorable Mention Nonnie & Alex Won
2001 Grand Jury Prize In the Bedroom Nominated
2022 Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion Tár Nominated
Queer Lion Nominated
2006 Writers Guild of America Award Best Adapted Screenplay Little Children Nominated
References
“‘In the Bedroom,’ ‘Little Children’ Director Todd Field Sets First Film in 15 Years, Starring Cate Blanchett”. IndieWire. April 12, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
“Todd Field Biography -Movies@Piczo”.
“Todd Field Biography – Yahoo! Movies”.
Calcaterra, Craig (January 27, 2014). “”The Battered Bastards of Baseball” impresses Sundance”. NBC Sports. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
“Big League Chew: An Oral History”.
“Sundance 2014: Todd Field looks back on the ‘Battered Bastards of Baseball'”. Entertainment Weekly.
Notarianni, John (April 14, 2019). “The Birth Of A Bubblegum Empire: Big League Chew’s Unlikely Portland Origin”. OPB. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
“Carnegie Artist Studios : About the Artists”.
Levy, Shawn. You couldn’t write a better script. The Oregonian, March 23, 2002.
“Todd Field Biography”. The New York Times. December 3, 2009.
Gale, Thomas (December 16, 2007). “Todd Field Biography”. Contemporary Authors.
Lim, Dennis (November 20, 2001). “Scenes From a Marriage”. Village Voice. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
Ansen, David (December 3, 2001). “Their House Torn Asunder”. Newsweek.
Ansen, David. (January 21, 2002). “Break On Through To The Oscar Side”. Newsweek.
Quinn, Anthony (January 25, 2002). “The Big Picture: In the Bedroom”. The Independent.
Phipps, Keith. “The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars”. New York Magazine. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
Scott, A.O. (December 24, 2006). “Best of 2006: Here’s to the Ambitious and the Altmans”. The New York Times.
Mazur, Matt (June 10, 2010). “Todd Field’s Little Children in Relation to the History of Cinema”. International Cinephile Society. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
Thompson, Anne (September 15, 2006). “Field a father figure to his ‘Little Children'”. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 15, 2006.
“Charlie Rose – John Burns & Hilary Swank / Todd Field”. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2007.
Jagernauth, Kevin (March 19, 2010). “Todd Field to direct Hubris next”. The Playlist. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
Bell, Nicholas (October 26, 2015). “Top 10 American Indie Filmmakers Missing in Action”. Ioncinema. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
Zeitchik, Steven (July 29, 2011). “A Western With Leonardo DiCaprio?”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
Sneider, Jeff (August 3, 2012). “Christian Bale in talks for ‘Creed of Violence'”. Variety.
Sneider, Jeff (February 20, 2019). “Exclusive: Daniel Craig to Star in Todd Field’s ‘The Creed of Violence'”. Collider.
Labrecque, Jeff (January 22, 2014). “Sundance 2014: Todd Field looks back on the ‘Battered Bastards of Baseball'”. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (January 29, 2014). “Sundance Deal Wrap”. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
Medina, Jeremy (August 28, 2008). “Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian film changes directors”. Los Angeles Times.
“Todd Field still working hard on Blood Meridian”. January 14, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
Sarah Bennett (August 11, 2012). “Joan Didion and Todd Field Are Co-writing a Screenplay”. New York Magazine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
Kroll, Justin (November 19, 2013). “Imogen Poots to Star in Todd Field’s ‘Beautiful Ruins’ (EXCLUSIVE)”. Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
Duke, Alan (June 19, 2014). “Second Bowe Bergdahl film project revealed: ‘America’s Last Prisoner of War'”. CNN.
Busis, Hillary (June 1, 2016). “Showtime Bets Big on Daniel Craig-Starring Jonathan Franzen Adaptation Purity”. Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2016). “Showtime Lands Daniel Craig, Scott Rudin Limited Series ‘Purity'”. Daily Variety.
Rehm, Diane (August 2, 2016). “A Conversation With Author Jonathan Franzen”. The Diane Rehm Show. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
Maxwell, Dominic (2018). “David Hare: ‘I am sick to death of hearing about the need for strong women as protagonists'”. The Times.
Buchanan, Kyle (August 30, 2022). “With ‘Tár,’ Todd Field Returns to Directing. Where Has He Been?”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 12, 2021). “Cate Blanchett, Todd Field Team On ‘TAR’ For Focus Features”. Deadline. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
Tartaglione, Nancy (September 10, 2022). “Venice Film Festival Winners: Golden Lion Goes To ‘All The Beauty And The Bloodshed’; Luca Guadagnino Best Director, Martin McDonagh Best Screenplay; Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell Take Acting Prizes”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
“TÁR (2022) Reviews”. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
“Film Critics Pick 10 Best Movies of 2022”. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
“The 50 Best Movies of 2022, According to 165 Critics from Around the World”. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
“Todd Field”. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
“74th Academy Awards”. Oscars.org. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
“79th Academy Awards”. Oscars.org. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
“AFI AWARDS 2001”. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
“‘Banquet,’ ‘Ruby’ Lead ’93 Spirit Nominees”. Los Angeles Times. January 14, 1994. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
“Spirit Awards Tilt Toward True Independence”. Los Angeles Times. January 9, 2002. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
“64th Golden Globe Award Winners”. Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
“Winners & Nominees 2023”. www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
“2006 Winners and nominees”. Gotham Independent Film Awards. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
“National Board of Review Winners 2001”. NBR Awards. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
“Critics Group Names ‘Mulholland’ Best Film”. The New York Times. December 14, 2001. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
External links
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Categories: 1964 birthsAmerican male screenwritersFilm producers from CaliforniaAmerican male film actorsAFI Conservatory alumniLiving peoplePeople from Pomona, CaliforniaMale actors from Portland, OregonPeople from Rockland, MaineSouthern Oregon University alumniFilm directors from CaliforniaFilm directors from OregonMt. Hood Community College alumniScreenwriters from OregonFilm directors from MaineScreenwriters from CaliforniaScreenwriters from MaineFilm producers from Oregon
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