View source for Mark Boal

{{Short description|American screenwriter (born 1973)}}
{{distinguish|Mark Boals}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Mark Boal
|image = Mark Boal 02 cropped.jpg
|caption =Boal in 2012
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|01|23}}
|birth_place = New York City, U.S.
|alma_mater = [[Oberlin College]] <small>(1995)</small>
|occupation = Journalist, screenwriter, film producer
|relatives = {{nowrap|[[Christopher Stetson Boal]] <small>(half-brother)</small>}}
}}
'''Mark Boal''' (born January 23, 1973) is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. Boal initially worked as a journalist, writing for outlets like ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'', ''[[The Village Voice]]'', ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'', and ''[[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]]''. Boal's 2004 article "Death and Dishonor" was adapted for the film ''[[In the Valley of Elah]]'', which Boal also co-wrote.

In 2008, he wrote and produced ''[[The Hurt Locker]]'', for which he won both the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] and the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. In 2012 he wrote and produced ''[[Zero Dark Thirty]]'', teaming again with director [[Kathryn Bigelow]], about the tracking and killing of [[Osama bin Laden]]. The film earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture and a [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay]]. The pair collaborated a third time for 2017's ''[[Detroit (film)|Detroit]]''.

Boal has won two Academy Awards (with another two nominations), a [[BAFTA Award]], two [[Writers Guild of America Awards]], and a [[Producers Guild of America Award]], and also has four [[Golden Globe Award]] nominations.

==Early life==
Mark Boal was born on January 23, 1973, in New York City, the son of Lillian Firestone and William Stetson Boal, Jr., a producer of educational films.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n6ToAAAAMAAJ&q=Lillian+Firestone+Boal|title=Marquis Who's Who Index to Who's Who Books|date=11 May 1976|publisher=Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated|isbn=9780837914039 |accessdate=11 May 2023|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgQhhkp_ErU|title=GILGAMESH - with Lillian Firestone, the mother of Oscar-winner Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker).|date=March 9, 2010 |accessdate=11 May 2023|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> His half–brother is [[Christopher Stetson Boal]], a playwright and screenwriter. His mother was born to a Jewish family and his father [[Conversion to Judaism|converted]] to Judaism.<ref>[https://www.jewishtampa.com/jews-in-the-news/jews-in-the-news-oscar-time Tampa Jewish Federation "Jews in the News: Oscar Time!"]  retrieved March 19, 2017</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170805140822/http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Interfaith_Celebrities_85th_Annual_Academy_Awards.shtml.upl 85th Annual Academy Awards]  </ref> Boal attended [[Bronx High School of Science]] and was on the high school's Speech and Debate Team. He earned his undergraduate degree in [[Philosophy]] from [[Oberlin College]] in 1995.<ref>Shauna Siggelkow, [http://www.oberlinreview.org/article/cuff-mark-boal-oscar-winner/ OFF THE CUFF: Mark Boal, Oscar Winner] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808142910/http://oberlinreview.org/article/cuff-mark-boal-oscar-winner/ |date=2012-08-08 }}, ''The Oberlin Review,'' September 27, 2010</ref>

==Career==
Boal has worked as a freelance journalist and screenwriter. He has contributed articles to such magazines as ''[[The Village Voice]]'', ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'',<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Salon.com]]|date= July 19, 1999|title=One step ahead of the law |first=Mark |last=Boal |author-link=Mark Boal|url=http://www.salon.com/1999/07/19/kingpin/}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' and ''[[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]]''.

Boal's 2004 article "Death and Dishonor", about the 2003 murder of [[veteran]] [[Richard T. Davis]] after his return to the United States, was published in ''[[Playboy]]'' magazine.  It inspired writer/director [[Paul Haggis]], who adapted it for his fictional screenplay as the film ''[[In the Valley of Elah]]'', which he also directed.  Boal and Haggis have writing credit for the story.<ref name="Playboy">[http://www.playboy.com/magazine/features/death-and-dishonor/death-and-dishonor-p1.html  Mark Boal, "Death and Dishonor"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013052613/http://playboy.com/magazine/features/death-and-dishonor/death-and-dishonor-p1.html |date=2007-10-13 }}, ''Playboy''</ref>

As a journalist, Boal was embedded with troops and bomb squads in 2004 during the [[Iraq War]].  He wrote an article about one of the bomb experts, Sergeant Jeffrey S. Sarver, in an article entitled, "The Man in the Bomb Suit",<ref>{{cite web|author=Boal, Mark|work=[[Playboy]]|title=The Man in the Bomb Suit|url=http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/cacdce/2:2010cv09034/488129/1/1.pdf?ts=1318612376|publisher=Docs.justia.com|date=September 2005}}</ref> published in September 2005 in ''Playboy'' magazine.

Boal went on to write an original screenplay, titled ''The Hurt Locker,'' about a fictional set of characters and events based on his interviews and observations in Iraq. He was also a producer for the 2009 film adaptation set in [[Iraq]], about a U.S. Army [[Explosive Ordnance Disposal]] (EOD) bomb squad. The film was directed by [[Kathryn Bigelow]], his business partner and co-producer.

In March 2010 (five days before the Academy Awards ceremony), [[Master Sergeant]] Jeffrey S. Sarver announced he was suing the producers of ''The Hurt Locker'' because Boal allegedly based the main character and "virtually all of the situations" in the film on events involving him.  Sarver also claimed to have coined the phrase "the hurt locker".<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/WaterCooler/wireStory?id=9998421 " 'Hurt Locker' Producers Sued Days Before Oscars"], ABC News, Retrieved March 6, 2010.</ref>

The producers' spokesperson has reiterated that the screenplay is fictional.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6220HO20100304?type=entertainmentNews Bernie Woodall, "U.S. bomb expert says 'Hurt Locker' stole his story"], ''Reuters'', 4 March 2010, accessed 8 March 2010</ref> Citations for the phrase, "the hurt locker", date back to 1966 during the years of the [[Vietnam War]].  The phrase has been used among military members for decades.<ref>[http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2159  "Sorry, Sgt. Sarver"], ''Language Log'', University of Pennsylvania, 5 March 2010, Retrieved March 6, 2010</ref> In the December 8, 2011 issue of ''The Hollywood Reporter'', it was reported that Sarver's lawsuit was thrown out by the court, and a federal judge ordered him to pay more than $180,000 in attorney fees.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/hurt-locker-lawsuit-jeremy-renner-jeffrey-sarver-271605 "Iraq War Vet Ordered to Pay $187,000 in Failed Lawsuit Against 'Hurt Locker' Producers"]. ''The Hollywood Reporter''</ref>

In March 2011, Boal published an article in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' about the [[Maywand District murders]] titled: ''The Kill Team: How U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Murdered Innocent Civilians''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/the-kill-team-how-u-s-soldiers-in-afghanistan-murdered-innocent-civilians-169793/|title=The Kill Team: How U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Murdered Innocent Civilians|first=Mark|last=Boal|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=28 March 2011|accessdate=11 May 2023}}</ref>

Boal wrote the film ''[[Zero Dark Thirty]]'', which was released in December 2012. The film opened to much critical acclaim. Some commentators criticized its implication that torture revealed evidence that strongly contributed to the capture of bin Laden. Others, who deemed the production design inaccurate and oversimplified, criticized the film for its depiction of [[Pakistan]], and found the Arabic–speaking locals in the film (Pakistan's national language is [[Urdu]]) to be problematic.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/27/zero-dark-thirty-view-from-pakistan Zero Dark Thirty: View From Pakistan], The Guardian, January 27, 2013</ref>

Boal was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] and the film was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. He lost to Quentin Tarantino<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abc.com/shows/oscars/collection/nominees|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130110203809/http://oscar.go.com/nominees|url-status=dead|title=The Oscars 2023 &#124; 95th Academy Awards|archive-date=10 January 2013|website=ABC|access-date=11 May 2023}}</ref> who was nominated for ''[[Django Unchained]]''. Boal was nominated for Writing in a Drama by the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers for his work on ''[[Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=NAVGTR Awards (2014)|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0003381/2015|website=IMDB}}</ref>

In 2021, it was announced that Boal was in negotiations with [[Netflix]] to write a film based on the [[GameStop short squeeze]] of January 2021.<ref name="Gamestop">{{cite web |last1=Fleming |first1=Mike Jr. |title=Netflix Finalizing GameStop Stock Movie Package; Mark Boal In Talks To Write, Noah Centineo Attached, Scott Galloway To Consult |url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/netflix-gamestop-stock-movie-screenwriter-mark-boal-noah-centineo-scott-galloway-makeready-1234684568/ |website=Deadline |date=February 2021 |publisher=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2 February 2021}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
! Year !! Film !! Credit !! Notes
|-
|2007
|''[[In the Valley of Elah]]'' 
|Story by
|Co-wrote story with [[Paul Haggis]] 
|-
|2008
|''[[The Hurt Locker]]''  
|rowspan="2"|Written by<br />Producer
|
|-
|2012
|''[[Zero Dark Thirty]]''
|
|-
|2013
|''[[After Earth]]''
|Script consultant
|
|-
|2017
|''[[Detroit (film)|Detroit]]'' 
|Written by<br />Producer
|
|-
|2019
|''[[Triple Frontier (film)|Triple Frontier]]''
|Screenplay by<br />Story by<br />Executive producer
|Co-screenwriter with [[J. C. Chandor]] 
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
! Year !! Title !! Credit !! Notes
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Class of Lies (American TV series)|Class of Lies]]''
|Executive producer
|
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Echo 3]]''
| Creator, writer, director, executive producer
| Wrote 6 episodes, directed 3 episodes
|}

===Video games===
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
! Year !! Game !! Credit !! Notes
|-
|2014
|''[[Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare]]''
|Story by
|
|}

==Awards==
*''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) – [[Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)]]
*''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) – [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]
*''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) – [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
*''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) – [[Writers Guild of America]] Award for Best Original Screenplay
*''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) – [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
*''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) – Nantucket International Film Festival – "The Showtime Tony Cox Award" for Screenwriting
*''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) – Nominated – [[Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
*''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) – Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Top 10 Film–[[American Film Institute]] Awards
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Alliance of Women Film Journalists]] Award for Best Screenplay, Original
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Alliance of Women Film Journalists]] Award for Best Picture
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Austin Film Critics Association]] for Best Film
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Picture]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay|Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – 2nd place–Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Film
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[National Board of Review Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – 3rd place–[[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[New York Film Critics Online]] Award for Best Picture
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[New York Film Critics Online]]Award for Best Screenplay
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – 2nd place–Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Runner–up Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Runner–up Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Film
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Runner–up Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[St. Louis Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Runner–up [[Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Runner–up [[Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award]] for Best Screenplay
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – [[Writers Guild of America Award]] for Best Original Screenplay
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[AACTA International Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[AACTA International Award for Best Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[BAFTA Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Picture]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Broadcast Film Critics Association Award]] for Best Original Screenplay
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Houston Film Critics Society]] Award for Best Screenplay
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Houston Film Critics Society]] Award for Best Picture
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[London Film Critics' Circle]] for Screenwriter of the Year
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Picture]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[Satellite Award for Best Film]]
*''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012) – Nominated – [[St. Louis Film Critics Association Award for Best Film]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|1676793}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Mark Boal
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Picture Producers}}
{{Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{BAFTA Best Film recipients}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay 2000-2019}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Satellite Award Best Original Screenplay}}
{{St. Louis Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boal, Mark}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:The Bronx High School of Science alumni]]
[[Category:Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Oberlin College alumni]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award]]
[[Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York City]]
[[Category:American investigative journalists]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]