Biographie
Michael Grais has written and produced films that have achieved both domestic and international success, with total gross revenues surpassing $650 million. His writing spans genres from romantic comedies to action thrillers, collaborating with seven Academy Award-winning producers and directors.
Through his partnership with Steven Spielberg, Grais co-wrote the blockbuster POLTERGEIST. Its tremendous success led to a sequel, POLTERGEIST II, which Grais both wrote and produced. In 2015, MGM released a successful remake of his original POLTERGEIST screenplay.
Grais also produced the Columbia Pictures box office hit SLEEPWALKERS, based on Stephen King's work, and co-wrote COOL WORLD, featuring Brad Pitt, Kim Basinger, and Gabriel Byrne, alongside director Ralph Bakshi for Paramount Pictures.
He wrote and executive produced the limited series VISITORS FROM THE UNKNOWN for CBS and executive produced the film GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, starring Dennis Quaid, Alec Baldwin, and Winona Ryder, for Orion Pictures. Additionally, he co-wrote, produced, and financed MARKED FOR DEATH, starring Steven Seagal, for 20th Century Fox.
In television, Grais executive produced WHO KILLED ATLANTA'S CHILDREN, the highest-rated movie of its year on Showtime. He also served as showrunner for the syndicated series THE IMMORTAL, a supernatural one-hour action drama filmed in British Columbia and Prague.
From the late 1990s through 2018, Grais' theatrical work included writing and directing THE IMPERSONAL LIFE in West Los Angeles. He directed notable plays such as MANGO TEA by Paul Weitz in Los Angeles, THE DEATH OF REASON by Stephanie Glick in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by John Patrick Shanley in Berkeley, California.
