Photo: Mark_Boal_02.jpg: Becca Dorstek from NYC & Jersey Shore, USA derivative work: RanZag (talk) / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What strikes me about Mark Boal is that he came to screenwriting through the door of journalism, and you can feel it in the work. His Rolling Stone and Playboy reporting wasn't just a warm-up act; his article 'Death and Dishonor' became In the Valley of Elah, and that reporter's instinct for unvarnished detail clearly fed into the writing that won him the 2010 Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. To me, that crossover is the real story here. He's proof that the discipline of going out, asking hard questions, and getting the facts right can translate into screen drama that lands with weight and credibility.
Overview
Mark Boal (born January 23, 1973) is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. Boal initially worked as a journalist, writing for outlets like Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Salon, and Playboy. Boal's 2004 article "Death and Dishonor" was adapted for the film In the Valley of Elah, which Boal also co-wrote.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Mark Boal
- Name (Japanese)
- マーク・ボール
- Reading
- まーく・ぼーる
- Born
- January 23, 1973 (age 53)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Ox
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- screenwriter / film producer / journalist / film screenwriter / television director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Bronx High School of Science
- University
- Oberlin College
Awards & achievements
- Writers Guild of America Award
- 2010 Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay
- 2010 Academy Award for Best Picture
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Screenwriter — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.