Biography
John McNamara is a writer, producer, showrunner, and television creator. He wrote and co-produced the feature film "Trumbo," which earned Bryan Cranston an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Dalton Trumbo, one of The Hollywood Ten blacklisted screenwriters. The film received a WGA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and McNamara was honored with the WGAW's Paul Selvin Award, recognizing writers whose work reflects the spirit of constitutional and civil rights essential to the freedom of writers everywhere.
McNamara also created the NBC series "Aquarius," starring David Duchovny, and co-created the Syfy series "The Magicians," based on Lev Grossman's bestselling novels.
He is a founding partner, along with Alexandra Cunningham and Sera Gamble, of Fabrication, a television production company behind the Apple TV+ series "Physical."
Raised in Michigan, McNamara studied at the University of Michigan and New York University. During his time at NYU, he authored two children's books published by Delacorte Press and wrote the original teleplay for CBS Afternoon Playhouse. In 1982, his play "Present Tense" won the inaugural Young Playwrights' competition and was produced off-Broadway at the Circle Rep Theatre. Together with its companion piece "Personal Effects," the play was later staged at the Manhattan Punchline Theatre and has been performed internationally since.
He relocated to Los Angeles in 1984 to pursue screenwriting, eventually working with Disney, Warner Bros., and Paramount. In 1992, he joined the Fox series "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." as a staff writer, and in 1993, he became a writer and producer on ABC's "Lois and Clark" for three years.
In 1996, McNamara co-created and executive produced the critically acclaimed thriller "Profit," followed by work on "Vengeance Unlimited," "The Fugitive," "Fastlane," "Eyes," and "In Plain Sight."
He resides in Los Angeles, where he enjoys reading slowly, running fast, and scuba diving deeply.
