Maguire was broke and on the verge of moving his family from California to New Hampshire when he learned that his screenplay for "In the Line of Fire" (1993)--which became a Clint Eastwood blockbuster--had been purchased to be made into a film. Though his family had to endure seven years of financial near-disaster, Maguire's work may well have benefited from the series of life lessons (e.g., early professional failure; drug abuse; working as a waiter in Beverly Hills; volunteering as one of Mother Teresa's counselors to L.A. street gangs; and becoming involved with the teachings of a Bombay-based spiritual leader) he learned before finally achieving success in his chosen profession.
Maguire entered the industry in 1981 as a co-writer of the original story (subsequently completely rewritten) for John Huston's "Victory", a generally reviled WWII POW soccer movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, and soccer great Pele. Five years later he co-wrote the story for "Toby McTeague" (1986), an obscure Canadian-produced French-language children's feature about parenting and dog sled racing in Northern Quebec. "In the Line of Fire", a project with a nine-year genesis in development hell, became Maguire's first credit as a screenwriter. This tense and thought-provoking political thriller provided an excellent showcase for stars Eastwood and John Malkovich and earned Maguire an Oscar nomination.
Family
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Son: Danny Maguire. born 1985
Education
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Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts
Milestones
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1966 Raised (along with three siblings) by his widowed mother after his father died of a stroke (date approximate)
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1981 Co-wrote original story (with Yaba Yoblonsky and Djordje Milicevic) for John Huston s Victory
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1985 Resumed pursuing a writing career after marrying and fathering a son; family lived mostly on loans from relatives
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1986 Co-wrote original story (with Djordje Milicevic) for Toby McTeague , a Canadian French-language family adventure film
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1990 Approached by producer Jeff Apple to develop his Secret Service agent concept into a film treatment
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1993 First produced screenplay, In the Line of Fire ; also appeared in bit part as a Secret Service agent; received Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay
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2003 Adapted the Michael Crichton novel, Timeline for the big screen
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2006 Wrote the screenplay for Gridiron Gang inspired by a 1993 documentary that follows a probation officer who forms a football team of juvenile inmates
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After college, moved to Alaska and became a railroad worker
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Became a follower of the teachings of Meher Baba, a spiritual master who works with the impoverished caste in Bombay, India
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Moved to Los Angeles; lived in the garage of a house rented by the Milicevics in Westwood
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Moved to NYC to work on industrial films with a friend, Djordje (aka George) Milicevic
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Moved to West Hollywood; began living what he calls a hedonistic life
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Raised in Greenwich, Connecticut
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Spent a year writing screenplays; none were sold
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Worked as a volunteer counselor with Mother Teresa s group, Missionaries of Charity, in the Pico-Union section of sowntown L.A.; worked primarily with Hispanic gangs
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Worked nights as a waiter at the Cheesecake Factory, a Beverly Hills restaurant