Photo: Brandon Hickman - © WireImage.com

Born in Clarksville, PA. The screenwriter of several films with female protagonists -- SMITHEREENS (1982), SWING SHIFT (1984) and MRS. SOFFEL (also 1984) -- achieved wider recognition and an Oscar® nod for his screenplay for Jonathan Demme's PHILADELPHIA (1993), the first Hollywood film to deal with AIDS. Nyswaner also directed a feature (which he also wrote), THE PRINCE OF PHILADELPHIA (1988), an offbeat comedy starring Keanu Reeves. While PHILADELPHIA was a suprising financial success, the film raised some hackles among the politically-minded who accused it of a "liberal" blurring of issues (e.g. equating bigotry in general with the specifics of homophobia and fear of PWAs) calculated to please mass audiences. Nyswaner was held partially accountable for the chaste, almost brotherly, relationship between Tom Hanks and his lover Antonio Banderas. Nevertheless PHILADELPHIA was also championed by those who found its canny combination of entertainment smarts and sensitivity to AIDS issues an important contribution to public awareness. Other credits include GROSS ANATOMY (1989, screenplay), LOVE HURTS (1991), STAR MAPS (1997, co-producer), "Soldier's Girl" (2003, TV - written by & co-producer), "Filthy Gorgeous" (TV) and THE PAINTED VEIL (screenplay & exec. prod.) (both 2006), CASTING PEARLS (2007, exec. prod.), and EL CAMINO DEL DIABLO (screenplay & co-producer, scheduled for 2008).  Nominated for Achievement in Writing - Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen 1993: PHILADELPHIA 1 nomination