Melissa Mathison

1950–2015 · American film and television screenwriter

Melissa Marie Mathison was an American film and television screenwriter and an activist for the Tibetan independence movement. She wrote the screenplays for the films The Black Stallion (1979) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the latter of which earned her the Saturn Award for Best Writing and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Melissa Mathison, in order

1. 1979 The Black Stallion: wrote · directed by Carroll Ballard
2. 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: wrote, produced · directed by Steven Spielberg · critics 99%, audiences 72% · streaming on Philo, Starz
3. 1982 The Escape Artist: wrote · directed by Caleb Deschanel
4. 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie: wrote · directed by George Miller and Joe Dante · critics 59%, audiences 55% · streaming on Prime Video, Roku Channel, Kanopy
5. 1991 Son of the Morning Star (TV movie): wrote
6. 1995 The Indian in the Cupboard: wrote · directed by Frank Oz
7. 1997 Kundun: wrote, produced · directed by Martin Scorsese · critics 74%, audiences 78%
8. 2006 Refuge: acted · directed by John Halpern
9. 2016 The BFG: wrote · directed by Steven Spielberg · critics 73%, audiences 57% · streaming on Disney+