Ronald Bass

Although his ability to "crack" almost any story into the conventional Aristotelian
three acts and continually raise the stakes throughout has made Ronald Bass
arguably the most bankable screenwriter in Hollywood, the writer values his
structural abilities less than his knack for giving a film "heart" and never hesitates
to go for big emotion. The Los Angeles-born Bass began writing at the age of six
while bedridden with a childhood illness but initially decided on a more practical
career after his college English teacher looked at his novel "Voleur" and informed
him it wouldn't get published. He graduated from Harvard Law School and began a
successful career in entertainment law, eventually rising to the level of partner, but
the writing bug did not go away. He returned to "Voleur", working on it in the
mornings before attending to his practice, and saw it published as "The Perfect
Thief" in 1978. When well-known producer Jonathan Sanger optioned his third
novel "The Emerald Illusion", Bass was part of the package, co-scripting the film
adaptation "Code Name: Emerald" (1985), a thoroughly routine WWII thriller
starring Max von Sydow and Ed Harris.

By that time, Bass had already abandoned his legal career to write two screenplays
for Fox at $125,000 each. Though neither would make it to the screen, his scripts
for Arthur Penn's "Target" (1985), Bob Rafelson's "Black Widow" and Francis Ford
Coppola's "Gardens of Stone" (both 1987) did. In collaboration with Barry Morrow,
Bass enjoyed a career breakthrough as well as blockbuster success with Barry
Levinson's "Rain Man" (1988), for which he shared the Oscar for Best Original
Screenplay. He enjoyed another hit with the Julia Roberts thriller "Sleeping With the
Enemy" (1991) and surprising success with his adaptation with Amy Tan of her
novel "The Joy Luck Club" (1993), which gave Bass his first producing credit. His
commercial streak faltered with the comedy-drama "When a Man Loves a Woman"
(1994), starring Meg Ryan as an alcoholic mother, but resumed with the Michelle
Pfeiffer social problem picture "Dangerous Minds" (1995). Bass finished out that
year executive producing the eagerly awaited "Waiting to Exhale", which he
adapted with novelist and fellow executive producer Terry McMillan. Like "The Joy
Luck Club", the film told a culturally specific story of women and their problems
with their men. In fact, many in Hollywood credit him with single-handedly
inventing the "woman's picture" of the 90s.

After a sojourn in television, where he served as co-executive producer and creator

of both the ABC series version of "Dangerous Minds" (1996-1997, based on the
feature) and the CBS drama "Moloney" (1996-97), Bass returned to features with
the comedy "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997), a brittle and witty story about a
restaurant critic (Julia Roberts) who schemes to break up the impending nuptials of
her college beau. Preview audiences persuaded Bass to make two important
changes. Roberts had to properly atone for trying to steal Cameron Diaz's fiance,
and her gay friend George (Rupert Everett) had to return at movie's end because
the surveys had indicated it was their relationship that mattered. The film was a
box-office hit, restoring luster to Roberts' star and earning critical raves for its
somewhat subversive take on screwball comedies. He reteamed with McMillan for
"How Stella Got Her Groove Back" (1998), though its box office success fell far
short of "Waiting to Exhale". He demonstrated how comfortably he could excel in
almost any genre by ably tackling Jon Amiel's caper comedy "Entrapment" (1999)
and kept his hand in television as co-writer of three TV-movies airing in 1999:
"Swing Vote" (ABC), "Border Line" (NBC) and "Invisible Child" (Lifetime).

After five other writers had tackled the story, it was Bass' draft of "Stepmom"
(1998) that introduced the all-important third-act conflict between the cancer-
ridden mother and the father's fiance, persuading Roberts and Susan Sarandon to
commit to the film. The film's box office gross of well in excess of $100 million
meant that three of Bass' most profitable pictures had starred Roberts. Though he
has it in his contract that his words (in an original screenplay) cannot be altered
without his permission, his work often changes in the hands of the director. "Snow
Falling on Cedars" (1999) was a perfect example as helmer Scott Hicks (in
collaboration with original author David Guterson) removed the voice-overs and
focused more on the novel's love story, resulting in what Bass called "more poetic
and impressionistic, less literal and direct." (Los Angeles Times, December 12,
1999). His exclusive deal with Sony means he often troubleshoots on movies for
which he will never receive credit, thus continuing a tradition that by the spring of
1999 had seen him contribute, in one form or another, to more than 100 film and
TV projects.

Awards:

Oscar Best Original Screenplay "Rain Man" 1988 shared award with Barry
Morrow
ShoWest Screenwriter of the Year Award 1998

Milestones:

Taught himself to read by age three

Bedridden during early childhood (from ages three to 11) with an undiagnosed
condition that included high fevers, nausea, respiratory problems and stomach
pains
Completed first novel "Voleur", by age 17; when English teacher told him it
probably wouldn't get publilshed, burned the manuscript
Practiced entertainment law for 17 years
1974 Returned to the novel he wrote as a teen; reworked it, writing in the early
morning before beginning his day at the law office
1978 First novel published, "The Perfect Thief"
1984 Quit his day job when Fox signed him to write two scripts at $125,000
each; neither was ever produced
1985 Feature debut as a screenwriter, "Code Name: Emerald" from his third
novel "The Emerald Illusion"; "Target", which he scripted, came out later in the
year
Formed production company, Predawn Production
1987 Wrote the scripts for "Gardens of Stone" and "Black Widow"
1988 Breakthrough screenplay, "Rain Man", co-written with Barry Morrow;
earned Oscar for Best Original Screenplay
1991 First picture starring Julia Roberts, "Sleeping with the Enemy"
1993 Feature debut as a producer, "The Joy Luck Club"; also co-wrote script
with Amy Tan
 1994 Feature debut as an executive producer, "When A Man Loves a Woman";
co-scripted with Al Franken and appeared in a bit part as a man at an Alcoholics
Anonymous meeting
1994 TV screenwriting debut, "The Enemy Within", an HBO remake of the 1964
feature "Seven Days in May"
1995 First association with novelist-screenwriter Terry McMillan, "Waiting to
Exhale"; executive produced and co-wrote script with McMillan
1995 Received sole screenwriting credit on "Dangerous Minds", though star
Michelle Pfeiffer disagreed with him on the film's tone and brought in Elaine May to
essentially rewrite it; May's insistence on taking credit only for her original
screenplays has led Bass to publicly credit her whenever the subject of this film
comes up
1995 TV producing debut, executive producing and scripting "The Conversation",
an NBC pilot based on the 1974 feature (aired only on Mountain Stations)
Formed Ron Bass Productions
Served as co-executive producer and creator of the ABC series adaptation of
"Dangerous Minds"
Served as creator and co-executive producer (with Stephen Cronish) of the CBS
drama series "Moloney"
1997 Signed three-year exclusive deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment
1997 Scripted the comedy "My Best Friend's Wedding", starring Roberts
1998 Reteamed with McMillan (again co-scripting) for "How Stella Got Her
Groove Back"
1999 Helped engineer a watershed deal with Sony that for the first time offered
a percentage of gross receipts to screenwriters
1999 Executive produced and scripted "Entrapment", a throwback to the
romantic dramas like "Charade", starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery
1999 Produced and wrote original screenplay adaptation of "Snow Falling on
Cedars"; reportedly director Scott Hicks and original novelist David Guterson
rewrote entire script with only Hicks receiving onscreen credit
1999 Co-scripted (with primary assistant Jane Rusconi) ABC-TV movie "Swing
Vote" (produced by "Dangerous Minds" producer Jerry Bruckheimer); also co-
scripted Ken Kwapis' "Border Line" (NBC) and Joan Micklin Silver's "Invisible Child"
2000 Scripted and produced "Passion of Mind", starring Demi Moore