Stephen Keith "Steven" Kloves[movies.nytimes.com/person/97662/Steve-Kloves] (born
March 18,
1960) is an
American screenwriter mainly renowned for his adaptations of
novels, especially for the
Harry Potter film series and for
Wonder Boys, whose screenplay was nominated for a
Golden Globe and an
Academy Award. He has also directed two movies.
Life and career
Kloves, born in
Austin, Texas, grew up in
Sunnyvale, California where he attended
Fremont High School. He entered
UCLA but dropped out after reducing his schedule to only a few courses in his second year.
As an unpaid intern for a
Hollywood agent, he gained attention for a screenplay he wrote called
Swings. This led to a meeting where he successfully pitched
Racing with the Moon (1984).
His first experience with professional screenwriting left him wanting more interaction with the actors so that the characters would stay true to his vision.
Kloves wrote
The Fabulous Baker Boys and also intended it to be his directorial debut. After years of trying to sell the project in Hollywood, the film finally got off the ground and was released in 1989.
did reasonably well, but his next shot as writer/director for
Flesh and Bone (1993) fared poorly at the box office. Kloves then stopped writing for three years.
[ Interview with Steve Kloves.]
