Grant Heslov


Grant Heslov is an American actor and filmmaker known for his producing and writing collaborations with George Clooney, which have earned him four Oscar nominations. As a co-producer of Argo, he received the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2013. As an actor, he has appeared in films including True Lies, Black Sheep, Enemy of the State, and The Scorpion King, as well as performing supporting roles in several films made with Clooney.

Personal life

Heslov was raised in the Palos Verdes area of Los Angeles County. His father, Arthur Heslov, was a dentist, and his mother, Jerrie, a businesswoman. He has two older brothers, Steven and Michael. Heslov is Jewish.
He attended Palos Verdes High School, then the University of Southern California. He is a member of Phi Kappa Psi.
Heslov is married to Lysa Hayland-Heslov, a producer.

Career

Heslov's acting credits include the films True Lies, Dante's Peak, Enemy of the State, The Scorpion King, Good Night and Good Luck, Congo, Black Sheep, and Catch Me If You Can. He has also appeared in such TV series as Murder, She Wrote, Happy Days, Seinfeld, Family Ties, Spencer, Mama's Family, L.A. Law, Matlock, Sleeper Cell and The X-Files.
In 2001, he joined Section Eight Productions as director of development, and then he became head of the television division when they started its business in 2003.
In August 2006, Heslov and George Clooney started Smokehouse Pictures and began writing screenplays for production. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and as producer for Best Film for Good Night, and Good Luck. Clooney and Heslov also won the Golden Osella for Best Screenplay for the film. Heslov also appears in the film as Don Hewitt, the director of the TV series See It Now, around which the movie is centered. He directed a screen adaptation of The [Men Who Stare at Goats (film)|The Men Who Stare at Goats], starring Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey and co-produced The American starring Clooney in 2012. He also worked on 2011's The Ides of March. In June 2012, he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In 2013, Heslov, alongside Clooney and Ben Affleck, won the Academy Award for Best Picture for Argo. The three also won the Golden Globe Award for [Best Motion Picture – Drama] and the BAFTA Award for Best Film.
Heslov directed the first and fifth episodes of the 2019 miniseries Catch-22, on which he was also executive producer.
In 2024, it was announced Heslov and George Clooney will co-write and Clooney will star in Good Night, and Good Luck, a Broadway adaptation of the film Good Night, and Good Luck.

Filmography

Executive producer
Acting roles
YearTitleRoleNotes
1985The Journey of Natty GannParker's Gang
1985The [Boys Next Door (1985 film)|The Boys Next Door]Joe Gonzales
1986Legal EaglesUsher
1988SunsetCar Attendant
1988License to DriveKarl
1989Dangerous CurvesWally Wilder
1989Catch Me if You CanNevil
1990Vital SignsRick
1993SeinfeldCar ThiefEpisode: The Smelly Car
1994True LiesFaisal
1995CongoRichard
1996Black SheepRobbie Mieghem
1996The BirdcageNational Enquirer Photographer
1997Dante's PeakGreg
1998Enemy of the StateLenny
1998Waiting for WoodyJosh Silver
2000Rocket PowerLance Episode: "Big Air Dare"
2002BugGordon - Guy in Bug Suit
2002The Scorpion KingArpid
2002Justice LeagueDoctor Episode: "Injustice for All"
2005Good Night, and Good LuckDon Hewitt
2008LeatherheadsSaul Keller
2012Lost AngelesFilm Producer
2014The Monuments MenBattlefield Doctor