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Vol. 24, No. 19 April 2,1999

Bill Condon, CC'76, Wins Academy Award for 'Gods and Monsters'

Bill Condon, a 1976 Columbia College graduate, was named winner of the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for Gods and Monsters at the 71st Annual Academy Awards on March 21st.

Condon both wrote and directed the movie, a fictionalized account of the last year in the life of James Whale, the director of such films as Frankenstein and Showboat. Actors Ian McKellan and Lynn Redgrave, who were both Oscar-nominated for their performances in the film, looked on with co-star Brendan Fraser as Condon accepted the award, providing one of the more heart-warming moments of the world-wide telecast.

As reported in the March 5 issue of the Record, Condon was surprised to receive even the nomination for the Academy Award. Although Gods and Monsters received rave reviews from critics, (in The New York Times, Janet Maslin called the movie "an unalloyed success") it was initially difficult for Condon to find a distributor for the film. Movie executives were apparently wary of the film's subject matter - its portrayal of a gay Hollywood subculture. Condon's Oscar success has helped him move forward on his next project: he will direct a movie tentatively titled Queen of the Jews, from a screenplay by John Hoffman. It is based on the life story of Bess Myerson, the country's first Jewish woman to be named Miss America. It takes place during the time when Americans were discovering the nature of Nazi atrocities in Europe.

Writer-director Condon was a philosophy major while an undergraduate at Columbia College, studied Greek and Latin, and audited Andrew Sarris's film classes. Scott B. Smith, MFA'90, shared with Condon the distinction of an Oscar nomination in the same screenwriting category.