Paul Haggis
A screenwriter who broke Hollywood conventions by winning back-to-back Best Picture Oscars for two starkly different films.
Born 1953 (age 73)·Canadian screenwriter and director·Birthday: March 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born in London, Ontario, Paul Haggis began his career in television, crafting the quirky charm of 'Due South' and the tough-guy ethos of 'Walker, Texas Ranger.' His leap to film was marked by a rare feat: his scripts for 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Crash' won the Academy Award for Best Picture in consecutive years, a testament to his range from intimate character drama to explosive social mosaic. Haggis, who also directed 'Crash,' became a sought-after writer for major franchises, helping to reboot James Bond with a grittier edge in 'Casino Royale.' His work often grapples with moral ambiguity and societal fractures, establishing him as a writer unafraid of uncomfortable questions, even as his later career became overshadowed by personal controversies.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Paul was born in 1953, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 70
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Wrote the screenplay for 'Million Dollar Baby,' which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2005.
- Wrote, directed, and produced 'Crash,' which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006.
- Co-wrote the screenplay for the James Bond reboot 'Casino Royale' in 2006.
- Created the beloved Canadian television series 'Due South.'
Did You Know?
He was a practicing Scientologist for over 30 years before publicly leaving the church in 2009.
Before his film success, he wrote for popular 1980s sitcoms like 'Different Strokes' and 'The Facts of Life.'
He is one of only two writers to have written back-to-back Best Picture Oscar winners.
“I'm interested in the moment people's lives change, the moment they're forced to confront who they are.”
