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.
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
- Occupation
- screenwriter / film producer / journalist / film screenwriter / television director
2. Background
- 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
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Mark Boal born?
Born January 23, 1973 (age 53).
Where is Mark Boal from?
Mark Boal is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Mark Boal do?
Mark Boal works as screenwriter, film producer, journalist, film screenwriter, television director.
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 or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.