Biography

Niccol was born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand, and grew up in Auckland, where he attended Auckland Grammar School beginning in 1973. He left New Zealand at age 21 and began directing TV ads in London, which he did for more than ten years before his directorial debut, Gattaca (1997). During production of S1m0ne, he met model and actress Rachel Roberts, with whom he has two children, Jack Niccol, (who also played "Young Nicolai" in the film Lord of War (2005)) and Ava Niccol.

Directing

Niccol has directed the films Gattaca (1997), S1m0ne (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014) (reuniting after 17 years with actor Ethan Hawke in a lead role; Hawke also appeared in Lord of War as a supporting character named Jack Valentine). He has also directed a short film entitled The Minutes (2012), which is a documentary-esque, narrative tie-in to In Time that describes in more detail the world and characters from the film.

For his directorial debut and first film (which he also wrote), Gattaca (1997), he won a Best Film award from the Stiges - Catalonian International Film Festival and both a Special Jury Prize and the Fun Trophy from the Gérardmer Film Festival.

For his film Lord of War (2005), he received a Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking from the National Board of Review.

Writing and producing

Niccol's first breakthrough screenplay was his script for the film The Truman Show (1998), directed by Peter Weir and starring Jim Carrey. He also served as a producer on the film. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay (Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) and a Golden Globes nomination for Best Screenplay in 1999 and won a BAFTA award for Best Screenplay, a Saturn Award for Best Writing or Best Writer, an Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Original Screenplay and Best Motion Picture, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (shared with Peter Weir), and an Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay.

In 1999, Niccol received the ALFS Award for "Screenwriter of the Year" from the London Critics Circle Film Awards for his screenwriting work on the screenplays of The Truman Show (1998) and Gattaca (1997).

Niccol has written for all the films that he has directed, including Gattaca (1997), S1m0ne (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014). Out of the films he has written and directed, he has produced S1m0ne (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011) and "Good Kill".

He also wrote and came up with the story for the film The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg. He also served as an executive producer on the film.

Filmography

Year	Film	Credited as
		Director	Producer	Writer
1997	Gattaca	Yes		Yes
1998	The Truman Show		Yes	Yes
2002	S1m0ne	Yes	Yes	Yes
2004	The Terminal		Yes	Story
2005	Lord of War	Yes	Yes	Yes
2011	In Time	Yes	Yes	Yes
2013	The Host	Yes		Yes
2014	Good Kill	Yes	Yes	Yes
2017	Anon	Yes	Yes	Yes

Awards

Wins

• 1997 Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival:
  • Best Film for Gattaca
• 1998 Gérardmer Film Festival:
  • Fun Trophy for Gattaca
  • Special Jury Prize for Gattaca
• 1999 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films:
  • Saturn Award for Best Writer The Truman Show
• 1999 BAFTA Awards:
  • BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Screenplay The Truman Show
• 1999 London Critics Circle Film Awards:
  • Screenwriter of the Year for The Truman Show and Gattaca
• 1999 Online Film Critics Society Awards:
  • OFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay The Truman Show
• 2005 National Board of Review Awards:
  • Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking Lord of War

Nominations

• 1998 Paris Film Festival:
  • Grand Prix Award for Gattaca
• 1999 Academy Awards:
  • Oscar Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen The Truman Show
• 1999 BAFTA Awards:
  • BAFTA Film Award for Best Film The Truman Show (*Shared with Scott Rudin, Edward S. Feldman & Adam Schroeder)
• 1999 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards:
  • CFCA Award for Best Screenplay The Truman Show
• 1999 Golden Globes:
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay The Truman Show
• 1999 Writers Guild of America:
  • WGA Screen Award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen The Truman Show

[ Source: Wikipedia ]