Editing Fran Walsh

{{distinguish|Frank Walsh (disambiguation)|Francis Walsh (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|New Zealand screenwriter and producer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = [[Dame]]
| name               = Fran Walsh
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|DNZM|size=100%}}
| image              = Fran Walsh DNZM (cropped).jpg
| alt                =
| caption            = Walsh in 2019
| birth_name         = Frances Rosemary Walsh
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1959|1|10|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Wellington]], New Zealand
| occupation         = Screenwriter, film producer, lyricist
| years active       = 1983–present
| partner            = [[Peter Jackson]] (1987–present)
| children           = 2
}}
'''Dame Frances Rosemary Walsh''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|size=100%|DNZM}} (born 10 January 1959)<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2020/01/10/UPI-Almanac-for-Friday-Jan-10-2020/8011578535365/ |title= UPI Almanac for Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 |work= [[United Press International]] | date= 10 January 2020|access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date= 15 January 2020|archive-url= https://archive.today/20200115192229/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2020/01/09/UPI-Almanac-for-Thursday-Jan-9-2020/6871578415895/|url-status=live|quote=... New Zealand screenwriter Fran Walsh in 1959 (age 61)}}</ref> is a [[New Zealand]] screenwriter and film producer.

The partner of filmmaker [[Peter Jackson]], Walsh has contributed to all of their films since 1989: as co-writer since ''[[Meet the Feebles]]'', and as producer since ''[[The Lord of the Rings]] Trilogy''. She has won three [[Academy Awards]] for the final film of the trilogy, ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''.

== Early life ==
Walsh was born into a family of [[Irish New Zealanders|Irish]] descent<ref name=":0" /> in [[Wellington]], New Zealand. She attended [[Wellington Girls' College]] intent on becoming a fashion designer, but eventually became interested in music instead. Occasionally taking time off to perform in a [[punk music|punk]] band named The Wallsockets, she attended [[Victoria University of Wellington]] majoring in [[English literature]] and graduating in 1981.<ref name=":0" />

== Career ==
Walsh got her screen break writing material for New Zealand producer Grahame McLean on 1983 television film ''A Woman of Good Character (It's Lizzie to those Close)''. Later she wrote scripts for his TV show ''[[Worzel Gummidge Down Under]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/movies/middle-earth-wizards-not-so-silent-partner.html|title=Middle-Earth Wizard's Not-So-Silent Partner|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=30 November 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=3 January 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Walsh met Peter Jackson in the mid-1980s during the final stages of production on his low-budget movie ''[[Bad Taste]]'', in which aliens serve humans as fast food.<ref name=":0" /> Walsh has collaborated with Jackson on the scripts of all his subsequent films, after joining the writing quartet on his next film, the [[dark comedy]] ''[[Meet the Feebles]]'' (1989).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Formats and Editions of Meet the Feebles [WorldCat.org]|language=en|oclc = 123093764}}</ref> The couple then reteamed with writer [[Stephen Sinclair]] on the [[horror film|horror]]-comedy film that they had begun writing before Feebles, the zombie movie ''[[Braindead (1992 movie)|Braindead]]'' (retitled ''Dead Alive'' in the United States, 1992).<ref>{{Citation|last1=Jackson|first1=Peter|title=Dead alive.|date=2004|last2=Walsh|last3=Balme|last4=Peñalver|last5=Moody|last6=Dasent|first2=Fran|first3=Tim|first4=Diana|first5=Elizabeth|first6=Peter|oclc=890284207}}</ref>

Walsh and Jackson have not married (2015).<ref name=":0" /> They explored new ground with the drama ''[[Heavenly Creatures]]'' (1994). The film was Walsh's idea<ref name=":0" /> and was based on the friendship of the [[Parker-Hulme murder case|Parker-Hulme]] teenagers, who infamously later killed one of their mothers. The film earned the duo an Oscar nomination for the screenplay. Walsh gave birth to Billy in 1995 and Katie in 1996. Walsh and Jackson returned to a more familiar genre with [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] horror-comedy ''[[The Frighteners]]'' (1996), their first film funded by an American studio.{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}} They were in talks with Universal to remake ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' until 1998's ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]'' and ''[[Mighty Joe Young (1998 film)|Mighty Joe Young]]'' were first announced, and Universal decided against the film. Universal feared it would be thrown aside by the two higher budget movies.<ref>{{cite book|url={{Google books|UPXbsJLVgCcC|page=168|plainurl=yes}}|title=King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson|last=Morton|first=Ray|page=168}}</ref> Wanting to try his hand at [[fantasy film|fantasy]], Jackson turned to [[Miramax]] to make a film based on the works of writer [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]. In 1998, [[New Line Cinema]] provided the necessary financial backing to make a three-part adaptation of Tolkien's classic ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Patrick Goldstein |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-aug-24-ca-15963-story.html |title=New Line Gambles on Becoming Lord of the 'Rings' |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=24 August 1998 |access-date=24 March 2016}}</ref>

Walsh, with Jackson and [[Philippa Boyens]], is credited for writing the screenplays for [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]] (2001–2003) (Stephen Sinclair has a writing credit on the second film: ''The Two Towers''). They shared many awards, including an [[76th Academy Awards|Oscar]] for their [[Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay|adapted screenplay]] for ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''. She also was one of the film's producers and co-composer of two songs for ''Return of the King'', namely "[[Into the West (song)|Into the West]]"<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book |first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 137}}</ref> and "A Shadow Lies Between Us", the former song earning her one more Oscar that night.

Walsh, Jackson, and Boyens continued their screenplay work together for the 2005 remake of ''[[King Kong (2005 movie)|King Kong]]'', which was given the [[green-light|green light]] by Universal after the Rings trilogy's success. The couple collaborated on the adaptation of the novel ''[[The Lovely Bones]]'' and on the three-film adaptation of ''[[The Hobbit]]''.<ref name=":0" />

Walsh prefers to remain more private than Jackson or Boyens; she did not contribute an interview to the bonus features on ''The Lord of the Rings'' movie DVDs; however, she did feature on the director/writers' [[Audio commentary (DVD)|commentary]] (where she and Jackson discussed that they felt one of them should remain a private figure for the good of their family). Her vocals were used as a significant part of the screech of the [[Nazgûl]] in the films.<ref>{{cite AV media | people = David Farmer | year = 2007 | title="The Soundscapes of Middle-earth" documentary | medium = DVD Video | time = 07:20 | publisher = New Line Cinema}}</ref>

== Honours and awards ==
She won three [[Academy Awards]] in 2004, for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]], all for ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''. She has received seven Oscar nominations.

In the [[2002 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|2002 New Year Honours]], Walsh was appointed a [[Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit]], for services to film.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2002 | title=New Year honours list 2002 |date=31 December 2001 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | access-date=3 June 2019}}</ref> In the [[2019 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|2019 Queen's Birthday Honours]], she was promoted to [[Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit]], also for services to film.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2019 |title=Queen's Birthday honours list 2019 |date=3 June 2019 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=3 June 2019}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
This is her selected filmography as screenwriter, unless noted:

* ''[[Worzel Gummidge Down Under]]'' (1986–89)
* ''[[Meet the Feebles]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Braindead (1992 movie)|Braindead]]'' (1992, screenplay, casting director, acting cameo)
* ''[[Heavenly Creatures]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Jack Brown Genius]]'' (1996)
* ''[[The Frighteners]]'' (1996, screenplay, associate producer, acting cameo)
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' (2001, screenplay, producer, lyricist for "In Dreams", additional second unit director)
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'' (2002, screenplay, producer, composer for "Gollum's Song")
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'' (2003, screenplay, producer, composer for "[[Into the West (song)|Into the West]]" and "A Shadow Lies Between Us")
* ''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]'' (2005, screenplay, producer)
* ''[[The Lovely Bones (film)|The Lovely Bones]]'' (2009, screenplay, producer)
* ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'' (2012, screenplay, producer)
* ''[[The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug]]'' (2013, screenplay, producer)
* ''[[The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies]]'' (2014, screenplay, producer)
* ''[[Mortal Engines (film)|Mortal Engines]]'' (2018, screenplay, producer)<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Ashley|title=Peter Jackson's 'Mortal Engines' Gets December 2018 Release|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/peter-jacksons-mortal-engines-gets-december-2018-release-950436|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=24 November 2016|access-date=9 January 2017}}</ref>
* ''[[Beatles '64]] (2024, special thanks)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

;General sources
* [http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1009167288 "Fran Walsh: The Enigma"]. [[TheOneRing.net]]. 23 December 2001.
* LeVasseur, Andrea. [http://www.allmovie.com/artist/fran-walsh-p214717 "Fran Walsh: Biography"]. [[Allmovie]]. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
* [http://www.nzonscreen.com/person/fran-walsh "Fran Walsh"]. NZ On Screen. 22 July 2011.

== External links ==
{{commonscat}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0909638}}
* {{discogs artist|Fran Walsh}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Fran Walsh
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Picture Producers}}
{{Academy Award Best Adapted Screenplay}}
{{Academy Award Best Original Song}}
{{BAFTA Best Film recipients}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media}}
{{Nebula Award for Best Script/Bradbury Award 2001–2020}}
{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted Screenplay}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Writing 1991–2010}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Fran}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century New Zealand women writers]]
[[Category:Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters]]
[[Category:Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit]]
[[Category:Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award]]
[[Category:Golden Globe Award–winning musicians]]
[[Category:Golden Globe Award–winning producers]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Hugo Award–winning writers]]
[[Category:Mass media people from Wellington City]]
[[Category:Nebula Award winners]]
[[Category:New Zealand film producers]]
[[Category:New Zealand lyricists]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:New Zealand screenwriters]]
[[Category:New Zealand women film producers]]
[[Category:New Zealand women screenwriters]]
[[Category:New Zealand women songwriters]]
[[Category:People educated at Wellington Girls' College]]
[[Category:Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award]]
[[Category:Victoria University of Wellington alumni]]