John Buffalo Mailer (born April 16, 1978) is an American author, playwright, actor, producer, and journalist. The youngest child of acclaimed novelist Norman Mailer and author Norris Church Mailer, he has written for prominent publications, including Playboy, New York Magazine, and The American Conservative. In addition to his journalism, Mailer has authored several plays, co-founded the New York theater company Back House Productions, and acted in various films, notably Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010). His works often address complex social themes, blending cultural critique with dramatic storytelling.
John Buffalo Mailer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 16, 1978 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Author, playwright, actor, producer, journalist |
| Parent(s) | Norman Mailer Norris Church Mailer |
| Relatives | Susan Mailer (half-sister) Kate Mailer (half-sister) Michael Mailer (half-brother) Stephen Mailer (half-brother) |
Life and career
editMailer was born in Brooklyn, the youngest child of novelist Norman Mailer and author Norris Church Mailer.[1] Mailer is a graduate of Wesleyan University. He has written several screenplays and is a freelance journalist. In 2006 he co-wrote The Big Empty (Nation Books, February '06) with his father.[2]
Mailer founded Back House Productions in New York City with three other Wesleyan grads in October 2000.[3] The following year, Back House became the resident theater company of The Drama Bookshop's Arthur Seelan Theater, and developed, among many plays, the 2008 Tony winner for Best Musical, In The Heights. On being involved in theatre, Mailer says: "I think theater will always be a powerful force because we need that human touch, particularly as we spend more and more time with machines, cell phones, computers we start to lose our humanity."[4]
In 2001, Mailer's first play, Hello Herman, had its New York Premiere at the Grove Street Playhouse and nine years later, its West Coast Premiere at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Los Angeles with Mailer in the lead role. The result was Dramatists Play Services publishing the play in the Spring of 2010. Mailer's second play, Crazy Eyes, premiered in Athens, Greece in 2005.
Mailer portrays the character Robby Mancins, an Options trader and the best friend of Shia LaBeouf's character Jake Moore, in Oliver Stone's Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. He is a member of The Dramatists' Guild, Actor's Equity Association, SAG and The Actors Studio, has lectured at the University of Notre Dame, Wesleyan, the University of Athens, Syracuse University, The New York Society for Ethical Culture, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, Long Island University, and has appeared on Hannity and Combs, Air America, Democracy Now, WNYC, CSPAN's Book TV, and thebigthink.com. He has freelanced for Playboy, New York Magazine, Provincetown Arts, Lid, Stop Smiling, Corriera De La Sera, The Mailer Review, ESPN Books and The American Conservative.
Mailer's work can be seen on screen in the film Hello Herman directed by Michelle Danner, which opened nationwide and on-demand on June 7, 2013.[5]
In 2002, Mailer was included as one of People Magazine's "On the Verge"[6] and named one their "50 Sexiest People".[7]
Mailer served as an Executive Producer for the 2023 documentary How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer,[8] which received positive reviews from Variety,[9] The New York Times,[10] and The Atlantic,[11] among others.
In addition to a limited series based on Norman Mailer's 1948 best-selling novel The Naked and the Dead,[12] Mailer is developing a scripted dramatic series of his father's life with director James Gray and producers Rudy Langlais, Jennifer Gelfer, and Martin Tuchman.[13]
Plays
edit- Hello Herman (2001)
- Crazy Eyes
- Dracula on Stage
Filmography, as an actor
edit- 1999: Black and White
- 2002: Up to the Roof
- 2006: Kettle of Fish
- 2008: W.
- 2010: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
- 2016: Blind
- 2019: The Second Sun
- 2020: DieRy
As producer
edit- 2008: The End of America
- 2002: Up to the Roof
- 2023: How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer
As writer
edit- 2002: Up to the Roof
- 2011: Hello, Herman Film Adaptation
- 2020: DieRy
As editor
edit- 2022: A Mysterious Country: The Grace and Fragility of American Democracy with J. Michael Lennon
References
edit- ^ "Father to Son: What I've Learned About Rage". NYMag.com. 30 July 2004.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "VIP Reality Project : Blog". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ "NthWORD Shorts". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ "Watch Hello Herman The Movie". Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- ^ "On the Verge". People. Vol. 58, no. 23. December 2, 2002. p. 136. Archived from the original on 2022-08-08.
- ^ Lumenick, Lou (2007-11-13). "Mailer, the Next Generation". Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer :: Zeitgeist Films". zeitgeistfilms.com. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (2024-07-16). "'How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer' Review: A Haunting Doc Captures the Majesty of the Mailer Experience, and Its Dark Side Too". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Remembering Norman Mailer and His Thorny Legacy". 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Beckerman, Gal (July 7, 2024). "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Norman Mailer?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (April 2, 2020). "John Buffalo Mailer and Hivemind to Adapt Norman Mailer's WWII Novel 'The Naked And The Dead' Into Limited Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
- ^ White, Peter (April 4, 2022). "James Gray To Write & Direct Drama Series About Norman Mailer". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
External links
edit- John Buffalo Mailer at IMDb
- John Mailer on Film, Theatre & Writing: Big Think Interview nthWORD Magazine Shorts