Neil LaBute

Neil LaBute Headshot

Writer • Director • Producer

Birth Date: March 19, 1963

Age: 61 years old

Birth Place: Detroit, Michigan

Neil LaBute is a prolific American playwright, screenwriter, and director who was best known for writing and directing the 1997 black comedy "In the Company of Men," which was adapted from LaBute's award-winning play of the same name. Born in Detroit and raised in Spokane, Washington, LaBute grew up in a working class family (his mother was a secretary, while his father drove a long haul truck for a living).

Yet, despite being culturally disconnected from creative hubs like New York or Los Angeles, LaBute knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a writer. He entered Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah at 18 and enrolled in the university's theater program. It was there that LaBute met a young actor named Aaron Eckhart; the two would later go on to become longtime creative collaborators.

After graduating from BYU LaBute did his graduate studies at the University of Kansas and New York University, all while developing his voice as a playwright. In 1993 LaBute returned to his alma mater by premiering his play "In the Company of Men" at BYU. Although the play touched on dark themes of misogyny and sexism in the workplace, "In the Company of Men" was critically praised and even went on to receive an award at the university.

Encouraged by the accolades bestowed upon his breakout theatrical work, LaBute, who was teaching drama at a college in Indiana at the time, decided to adapt "In the Company of Men" into a film. Shot with a small budget of $25,000 over the course of two weeks, the film version of "In the Company of Men", which starred LaBute's old college buddy Aaron Eckhart, premiered in 1997 to universal acclaim. With his newfound success in the film world, LaBute began prolifically writing and directing films over the next several years.

Some of LaBute's films from this period include "Possession" (2002), "The Wicker Man" (2006), and "Lakeview Terrace" (2008). Furthermore, throughout his filmmaking period, LaBute never stopped writing and staging plays, some of which he also adapted into short films and features.

By the 2010s LaBute also began writing for television. He created the Audience Network series "Full Circle" (Audience Network, 2013) and also created the comedy series "Billy & Billie" (Audience Network, 2015-16). In 2018 Netflix announced that it had picked up the science fiction series "The I-Land" (Netflix, 2019). The streaming service also announced that the series, which starred Kate Bosworth, had hired LaBute as its showrunner.

Credits

Fear the NightStream

Director
Movie
2023
31%

Fear the NightStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2023
31%

Stars in Shorts: Hey I Know Them!

Director
Show
2022

Stars in Shorts: Hey I Know Them!

Screenwriter
Show
2022

The Mulberry Bush

Director
Show
2022

The Mulberry Bush

Producer
Show
2022

The Mulberry Bush

Writer
Show
2022

Bench Seat

Writer
Show
2022

Out of the BlueStream

Director
Movie
2022
19%

Out of the BlueStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2022
19%

Out of the BlueStream

Writer
Movie
2022
19%

House of Darkness

Director
Movie
2022

House of Darkness

Screenwriter
Movie
2022

Berlin, I Love You

Screenwriter
Movie
2019

Good Luck (in Farsi)

Executive Producer
Show
2017

Good Luck (in Farsi)

Writer
Show
2017

Black Chicks

Director
Show
2017

Black Chicks

Executive Producer
Show
2017

Black Chicks

Writer
Show
2017

10 K

Director
Movie
2017

10 K

Producer
Movie
2017

10 K

Screenwriter
Movie
2017

Van HelsingStream

Executive Producer
Series
2016

Van HelsingStream

Writer
Series
2016

Some Freaks

Executive Producer
Movie
2016

After-School Special

Writer
Show
2015

Dirty Weekend

Director
Movie
2015

Dirty Weekend

Screenwriter
Movie
2015

ten x ten

Director
Show
2014

ten x ten

Writer
Show
2014

BFF

Director
Show
2013

BFF

Writer
Show
2013

Some Girl(s)

Screenwriter
Movie
2013

Some Velvet Morning

Director
Movie
2013

Some Velvet Morning

Screenwriter
Movie
2013

Stars in Shorts

Director
Movie
2012

Stars in Shorts

Screenwriter
Movie
2012

I Melt With You

Executive Producer
Movie
2011

After-School Special

Screenwriter
Movie
2011

Stars in Shorts

Co-Director
Show
2010

Sexting

Director
Movie
2010

Sexting

Writer
Movie
2010

Death at a FuneralStream

Director
Movie
2010
43%

Cleanflix

Actor
Movie
2009

Lakeview TerraceStream

Director
Movie
2008
44%

The Wicker ManStream

Director
Movie
2006
15%

The Wicker ManStream

Writer
Movie
2006
15%

Tavis Smiley

Guest
Talk
2004

The Shape of Things

Director
Movie
2003

The Shape of Things

Producer
Movie
2003

The Shape of Things

Writer
Movie
2003

Possession

Director
Movie
2002

Possession

Writer (Screenplay)
Movie
2002

Nurse Betty

Director
Movie
2000

Your Friends & NeighborsStream

Director
Movie
1998
77%

Your Friends & NeighborsStream

Writer
Movie
1998
77%

In the Company of MenStream

Director
Movie
1997
89%

In the Company of MenStream

Writer
Movie
1997
89%

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