Matthew Chapman (author)

Matthew Chapman
Born Matthew H.D. Chapman
1950 (age 65–66)
Cambridge, England
Nationality English
Occupation Writer, film director, journalist
Relatives Charles Darwin, F. M. Cornford, Frances Cornford

Matthew H.D. Chapman is an English journalist, author, screenwriter, director and activist. His latest film, The Ledge, which he wrote and directed, stars Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Terrence Howard, and Patrick Wilson. It was shot in Louisiana in spring 2010 and was accepted into the main (U.S. Dramatic) competition at Sundance 2011. Bought by IFC, it had its theatrical release in the U.S. in early summer and has now played in over 50 territories worldwide. The film deals with an intellectual, personal, and ultimately fatal feud between an atheist and an evangelical Christian. Chapman is currently working on several scripts, including, "The American Guest" set in Brazil in the early part of the 20th Century and another on the early days of Paul Watson, alleged eco-terrorist, founder of the Sea Shepherd organization, and currently on the run. Chapman is also developing a musical set in 15th Century Italy and writing two projects for TV. In the past he has written for directors as diverse as Alfonso Cuaron, Walter Salles, Bruno Barreto, Tony Kaye, and Alan Pakula, and for actors such as Helen Mirren, Rachel Weisz, Kevin Spacey, Johnny Depp, Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, and Terence Howard. He has won several prizes and most recently was invited into the Brazilian Academy of Letters, the South American equivalent of the Académie française.

Matthew Chapman is the great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin. His mother Clare was the daughter of the philosophy professor and author Francis Cornford and poet Frances Cornford (née Darwin), daughter of Sir Francis Darwin. His father, Cecil Chapman, was the son of the noted physicist and astronomer, Sydney Chapman, responsible for early research on the nature of the ozone layer. Chapman has written widely on the creation-evolution controversy in the US, particularly the case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, in which 11 parents successfully sued the school district to prevent them from reading a required statement aloud in ninth-grade science classes whenever evolution was taught, and is involved in promoting science and ethical technology across the world.

He has written and directed six films, written numerous screenplays, had articles published in Harper's magazine and National Geographic among others, currently blogs on Huffington Post, and is the author of two books, "Trials of the Monkey – An Accidental Memoir" and "40 Days and 40 Nights – Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania." He is married to documentary film producer Denise Dummont, a Brazilian with whom he has a daughter, Anna Bella Charles Darwin Teixeira Chapman, and a stepson, Diogo Marzo, who lives in Australia and hosts a radio show on politics called, "Think About It."

Matthew Chapman founded ScienceDebate.org. His co-founders were fellow screenwriter Shawn Lawrence Otto, CEO of the organization, science writer Chris Mooney, marine biologist and science blogger Sheril Kirshenbaum, noted physicist Lawrence Krauss, and philosopher Austin Dacey. The organization was formed to pressure the presidential candidates to hold a debate on science and technology issues. Over 50,000 people have signed onto the website, http://www.sciencedebate.org in support of the idea, including many Nobel laureates, hundreds of universities, university presidents, dozens of science publications, business leaders and innovators, almost every major science organization in America, Elon Musk (Tesla), Bill Nye, members of Obama's science cabinet, and many people in the arts, including Johnny Depp, Mark Ruffalo, David Schwimmer, and actor and environmentalist, Peter Coyote. Although the candidates did not agree to the two televised debates proposed by Science Debate 2008, both Obama and McCain did participate in an online written version, providing detailed responses to the "14 Top Science Questions Facing America," a list suggested by the organization's members. In 2012, Obama and Romney did the same again. Each time when ScienceDebate.org published their answers they made about 850 million media impressions. This means the organization is responsible for one of the largest, if not the largest science policy initiatives in history. Several of the supporters of Science Debate joined the Obama administration, including Presidential Science Advisor John Holdren. For the 2016 election, Science Debate is partnering with National Geographic Channel to put on a live televised debate. The organization continues to advocate at all times for more discussion of science in public life. Matthew Chapman remains its President.

Matthew Chapman lives in New York.

Books

Filmography

References

    Articles by Matthew Chapman:

    Articles about Matthew Chapman:

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