Actors Who Are Also Screenwriters

Team FC

John Huston

Huston got his start as a screenwriter in 1930 under William Wyler, graduating to direction in 1941 with The Maltese Falcon, and subsequently to acting in 1963 with The Cardinal.

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Aparna Sen

Sen has worked across multiple Indian cinemas, having made her screen debut in 1961 with Teen Kanya, though she had been in a film in the 50s. After two decades of acting, she made her writing and direction debut with 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981), which won her multiple National Awards.

Matt Damon

Damon started acting in the late 80s, working consistently over a decade in character roles before making his big splash as an actor with Good Will Hunting (1997), which was also his debut screenwriting effort with Ben Affleck.

Ben Affleck

Affleck worked as a no-namer for close to a decade before finding his footing midway through the 90s, eventually writing Good Will Hunting (1997) with Matt Damon, in which he also played a key supporting character. His acting breakout came the next year, when he starred in Armageddon.

George Clooney

Clooney started out as an actor in the late 70s, migrating from small roles in films to television and then to superstardom on the silver screen. After having established himself as an actor, he turned to direction, and in the second of those efforts, Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), he made his debut as a screenwriter.

Greta Gerwig

Gerwig started acting in the mid-2000s, making a mark for herself with the film Nights and Weekends (2008), which was her debut as a director and also her sophomore screenwriting effort and, the first being Hannah Takes the Stairs in 2007.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Waller-Bridge made an impression as a writer with the television shows Crashing and Fleabag, subsequently contributing to productions like No Time to Die. She played small roles across a number of productions till she starred in Broadchurch, which kickstarted her acting career.

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