Michael Frost Beckner, a renowned writer, and producer, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Novel Writing from the University of Southern California under the guidance of PEN/Faulkner winner T.C. Boyle.
As a writer's assistant to Academy Award winner Barry Levinson, Beckner launched his writing career in the 1990s with three multi-million-dollar script sales.
Throughout his career, Beckner has written and produced numerous screenplays, pilots, and rewrites for major studios and networks, solidifying his reputation for character-based espionage, military, and historical dramas and thrillers.
Beckner's notable works include the record-breaking screenplay "Texas, Lead and Gold" (1990),"Cutthroat Island" (1995),and "Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996).
He has also worked with prominent directors, actors, and producers, including John Hughes, Paul Verhoeven, Wolfgang Petersen, Eddie Murphy, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Geena Davis, Dennis Quaid, Mark Johnson, Doug Wick, John Le Carre, Tom Clancy, and Ken Follett.
Some of his notable produced films include "Cutthroat Island" (Carolco Pictures),"Prince Valiant" (20th Century Fox),and "Deep Blue Sea" (Warner Bros.).
In 1997, Beckner returned to the spec script market with "Spy Game" (Universal Pictures/Beacon Pictures),which opened at number one and became a top-ten global success.
He also collaborated with Sydney Pollack on the John Le Carre spy thriller "The Night Manager" and created the original series "The Agency" (2000-2003) for CBS, which predicted several international terrorist acts.
Beckner has also written and produced episodes for various TV shows, including "CSI: Las Vegas" and Discovery Channel docudramas.
In addition to his work in film and television, Beckner has written novels, including "A Very Special Guest," "Berlin Mesa," and the first three books of his Spy Game Trilogy: "Muir's Gambit," "Bishop's Endgame," and "Aiken in Check."
As a commentator on American espionage, Beckner has appeared on various news outlets, including CNN, Fox News, CBS News, and TF1 in France.
Presently, Beckner is working on several projects, including the cable dramas "Kaleidoscope" (Amasia Entertainment) and "Escapade" (eOne),as well as the feature film "Terminal Island" (Middleton Media/David Oyelowo).
