Born John C. Cocks Jr. Former Time magazine writer and film critic for Rolling Stone. Introduced a young filmmaker to an up and coming actor over dinner. The filmmaker was Martin Scorsese and the actor was Robert De Niro. Cocks is a close friend of novelist/journalist P.F. Kluge (author of Eddie and the Cruisers). The two attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio (Paul Newman's alma mater). Cocks did uncredited rewriting of James Cameron's TITANIC script (1997), transforming the director's "scriptment" into a screenplay and contributing about one-third of the dialogue. Other uncredited script work includes Scorsese's THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988). Other notable screenwriting credits include MADE IN MILAN (1990), THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (1993), STRANGE DAYS (1995), GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002), DE-LOVELY (2004), and SILENCE (announced for 2008). Cocks returns to Kenyon College from time to time to speak with students pursuing a film concentration within the drama major. In the spring of 2005, Cocks and his wife, actress Verna Bloom, resided on campus for a week to offer film-studies and acting seminars. They participated in classes, conducted workshops, and advised student filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors on breaking into the business.  Nominated for Achievement in Writing - Best screenplay based on material previously produced or published 1993: THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (w. Martin Scorsese)  Nominated for Achievement in Writing (Original Screenplay) 2002: GANGS OF NEW YORK (Story, Screenplay w. Steve Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan) 2 nominations