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Frank Darabont

DIRECTOR · BORN 1959

Frank Darabont

Born
28 January 1959, Montbéliard, Doubs, France
Known for
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

42 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Frank Darabont (born 28 January 1959) is a director and screenwriter best known for The Shawshank Redemption.

42 Interesting Facts About Frank Darabont

Interesting Facts (15)

  1. #001

    The Normandy D-Day sequence in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998) was an addition Frank Darabont himself proposed during his script revisions.

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  2. #002

    Frank Darabont is a close friend of Stephen King.

    Frank Darabont — a scene
    Frank Darabont: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · PopCultureGeek.com, CC BY 2.0

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  3. #003

    Since the early 1990s, Frank Darabont has been one of Hollywood's top script doctors and rewriters. His uncredited writing work includes The Rocketeer (1991), Copycat (1995), The Fan (1996), Eraser (1996), Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Majestic (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Salton Sea (2002), Collateral (2004), Law Abiding Citizen (2009) and, most recently, Godzilla (2014).

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  4. #004

    After working closely with Steven Spielberg for more than a year on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), the script was rejected by producer George Lucas himself, who took it upon himself to rewrite it to his own taste. Spielberg loved the script but deferred to Lucas, his longtime friend.

    Frank Darabont — Director #1, behind the scenes
    Frank Darabont: Director #1, behind the scenesImage: Wikimedia Commons · pop culture geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0

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  5. #005

    The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ranks 23rd on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Most Inspiring Films of All Time.

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  6. #006

    In his youth, after seeing George Lucas's THX 1138 (1971), Frank Darabont was inspired to pursue a career in film.

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  7. #007

    In 2004, Frank Darabont was hired to write the script for Mission: Impossible III (2006) after screenwriters Robert Towne and Dean Georgaris failed to deliver drafts good enough. Darabont's script was to be polished by Joe Carnahan, who was initially attached to direct after David Fincher's departure. In the end, Cruise hired J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to write the script for the project.

    Frank Darabont — Director #1, behind the scenes
    Frank Darabont: Director #1, behind the scenesImage: Wikimedia Commons · The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0

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  8. #008

    Frank Darabont wrote a draft of the script for Collateral (2004).

    Frank Darabont — a scene
    Frank Darabont: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · pop culture geek, CC BY 2.0

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  9. #009

    Frank Darabont's first novel, 'Walpuski's Typewriter', was published in 2005.

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  10. #010

    Frank Darabont was shortlisted to direct The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016) and eventually agreed to co-write and direct the film, but later dropped out.

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  11. #011

    Frank Darabont is a close friend of film poster artist Drew Struzan.

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  12. #012

    Frank Darabont began in cinema as a production assistant on films such as Hell Night (1981), The Seduction (1982) and Trancers (1984).

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  13. #013

    Frank Darabont sold his first screenplay, Black Cat Run, in 1986, but it was not produced as a television film of the same name until more than a decade later. Chuck Russell, a producer on Hell Night and The Seduction, approached Darabont with an offer to become writing partners; Russell had become interested in his writing after reading a spec script Darabont wrote for the M*A*S*H (1972) television series. The pair began working on a script for their planned remake of The Blob (1958)...

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  14. #014

    Frank Darabont is currently working on a film adaptation of Stephen King's short story "The Mist." As of October 2004, no studio announcement had been made, but if everything goes according to plan, the final product should be released in the second half of 2006. (Source: Daniel Robert Epstein's interview with Frank Darabont, http://suicidegirls.com/words/Frank+Darabont/).

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  15. #015

    At one point, Frank Darabont was planned to direct a remake of Forbidden Planet, based on Shakespeare's The Tempest but set in space.

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Behind the Scenes (21)

  1. #016

    The Normandy D-Day sequence in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998) was an addition Darabont personally suggested during his script revisions.

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  2. #017

    He is a good friend of Stephen King.

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  3. #018

    Frank Darabont has been one of Hollywood's top script doctors and rewriters since the early 1990s. The projects he has worked on as an uncredited writer include: The Rocketeer (1991), Copycat (1995), The Fan (1996), Eraser (1996), Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Majestic (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Salton Sea (2002), Collateral (2004), Law Abiding Citizen (2009) and, most recently, Godzilla (2014).

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  4. #019

    After working closely with Steven Spielberg for more than a year on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), the script was personally rejected by producer George Lucas, who took it upon himself to rewrite it to his own taste. Spielberg loved the script, but deferred to his longtime friend Lucas on the matter.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

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  5. #020

    He has directed a film selected by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry as being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically' significant: The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

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  6. #021

    He was born in 1959 in a refugee camp in France; his family had been settled there shortly after the Soviet suppression of the 1956 Budapest uprising.

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  7. #022

    In his youth, after seeing George Lucas's THX 1138 (1971), he was inspired to pursue a film career.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  8. #023

    In 2004 he was hired to write the script for Mission: Impossible III (2006); screenwriters Robert Towne and Dean Georgaris had failed to deliver drafts that were good enough. Darabont's script was to be polished by Joe Carnahan, who was initially attached to direct after David Fincher's departure. In the end, Cruise hired J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to write the script for the project.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

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  9. #024

    He wrote a draft of the script for Collateral (2004).

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  10. #025

    He directed 2 actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Morgan Freeman (Best Actor, The Shawshank Redemption (1994)) and Michael Clarke Duncan (Best Supporting Actor, The Green Mile (1999)).

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  11. #026

    He graduated from Hollywood High School in 1977 and did not go to college.

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  12. #027

    His first job after finishing school was working as a concession stand attendant and usher at the famous Hollywood Egyptian Theatre, where he could watch films for free.

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  13. #028

    His first novel, 'Walpuski's Typewriter', was published in 2005.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  14. #029

    He was shortlisted to direct Hunter: Winter's War (2016) and eventually agreed to co-write and direct the film, but later backed out.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  15. #030

    He is a good friend of film poster artist Drew Struzan.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

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  16. #031

    He started out in cinema as a production assistant on films such as Hell Night (1981), The Seduction (1982) and Trancers (1984).

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  17. #032

    He sold his first script, Black Cat Run, in 1986, but it was not produced until more than a decade later, as a television film of the same name. Chuck Russell, a producer on Hell Night and The Seduction, approached Darabont with an offer to become his writing partner; Russell had become interested in his writing after reading a spec script Darabont wrote for the M*A*S*H (1972) television series. The pair began working on a script for their planned remake of The Blob (1958)...

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  18. #033

    He directed two films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Green Mile (1999).

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  19. #034

    He is in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the middle of pre-production on 'Stephen King's The Mist'.

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  20. #035

    He is currently working on adapting Stephen King's short story 'The Mist' for the screen. As of October 2004 no studio announcement had been made, but if everything goes according to plan, the final product should be released in the second half of 2006. (Source: Daniel Robert Epstein's interview with Frank Darabont http://suicidegirls.com/words/Frank+Darabont/ )

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  21. #036

    At one point he was set to remake Forbidden Planet, based on Shakespeare's The Tempest but set in space.

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Career & Awards (4)

  1. #037

    Frank Darabont directed a film selected by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry as 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically' significant: The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

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  2. #038

    Frank Darabont directed two actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Morgan Freeman (Best Actor, The Shawshank Redemption (1994)) and Michael Clarke Duncan (Best Supporting Actor, The Green Mile (1999)).

    CAREER & AWARDS · SOURCED

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  3. #039

    After finishing school, his first job was working as a concession stand attendant and usher at the famous Hollywood Egyptian Theatre, where he could watch films for free.

    CAREER & AWARDS · SOURCED

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  4. #040

    Frank Darabont directed two films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Green Mile (1999).

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Life & Family (2)

  1. #041

    Frank Darabont was born in 1959 in a refugee camp in France, where his family had been settled shortly after the Soviet suppression of the 1956 Budapest uprising.

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  2. #042

    Frank Darabont graduated from Hollywood High School in 1977 and did not go to college.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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