Ross LaManna
Biography
Ross LaManna
Screenwriter/novelist Ross LaManna was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He attended Parsippany Hills High School, where he developed an interest in motion pictures and the dramatic arts. He attended USC School of Film and Television, graduating cum laude with a degree in Screenwriting.
His first novel, ACID TEST (Ballantine Books), is a geo-political thriller which Anthony Award-winning author Lee Child calls "thrill-a-minute writing ... like Tom Clancy on speed." USAF General (ret'd) Chuck Horner, Desert Storm's supreme air commander says: "I couldn't put it down. ACID TEST combines the best of high-tech thriller, intrigue, science fiction and suspense. LaManna writes with passion."
Advance reviews call ACID TEST "a superior, highly entertaining thriller ... an excellent debut, " Deadly Pleasures; and Publishers Weekly praises "sizzling an acid trail around the globe as it speeds towards a high-stakes conclusion."
Beginning his motion picture career in Embassy Pictures' international business affairs department, he left to pursue a full time writing career. He landed a term deal at United Artists, where he wrote Chrome Soldiers, a USA Network movie starring Gary Busey, and Yaphet Kotto, which first aired in 1993.
He worked on several projects for Carolco Pictures, including Universal Soldier, (1992) (uncredited) starring Dolph Lungren and Jean-Claude Van Damme, directed by Roland Emmerich; and Cliffhanger, (1993) starring Sylvester Stallone, directed by Renny Harlan.
LaManna's original screenplay, Arctic Blue, became an HBO World Premiere Movie (1995) starring Rutger Hauer and directed by Peter Masterson.
Titanic, a four-hour Hallmark miniseries starring Peter Gallagher, Catherine Zeta-Jones and George C. Scott, aired on CBS in 1996 and again in 1998. LaManna's teleplay was directed by Rob Lieberman and exec-produced by Francis Ford Coppola.
He also contributed to Star Trek: First Contact, (1996) starring Patrick Stewart and James Cromwell, directed by Jonathan Frakes.
His spec script for Rush Hour became one of the top ten films of 1998. The action comedy, a New Line Cinema release starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, directed by Brett Ratner, broke several box office records. It is the largest grossing summer film ever released and the second highest grossing independent film of all time.
Rush Hour 2, for which he receives the screen credit "Characters Created By," opens nationwide on August 3, 2001.
Most recently he's worked on the feature adaptation of HOGAN'S HEROES, is writing and producing the film Moving Targets, and has created a new comic book series, Markus Fang.
He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Lynn, an attorney, and their children, Kathleen and James.
Ross LaManna
