Biography
Thomas Ardavany, originally from San Diego—the sunny California city known as the beach babe capital of the world—is the son of a Navy man. Constantly relocating throughout his childhood, he learned to adapt to new environments and make friends quickly, skills that later benefited his journey toward writing plays and eventually screenplays. Influenced by literary giants like Chekhov, Pinter, and Shakespeare, he also admired filmmakers such as William Goldman, Billy Wilder, and the Coen brothers. Inspired by a grandparent who worked for United Artists, Thomas moved to New York City to hone his craft, attending NYU night school and participating in various writing groups and workshops.
Committed to mastering the fundamentals, Thomas studied the rules of writing thoroughly to creatively challenge and break them, embracing nonconformity. He gained a strong appreciation for his responsibilities as a writer by producing his own plays. His independent spirit naturally led him into social justice filmmaking, tackling themes such as discrimination (Pizza Man), immigration (An Immigrant’s Affair, Crossing), bullying (Bullied to the Brink), poverty (Blood Initiate), and the heartbreak of war (Check Point). His work earned recognition through awards and selections at numerous film festivals.
Thomas began sharing his expertise with aspiring writers, actors, and directors, eventually founding a studio in Los Angeles where he developed ‘The Ardavany Approach to On-Camera Mastery’ over two decades. Currently, he focuses on managing his produced, comedic half-hour sitcom, Betty B’s Spa, selling screenplays, script doctoring, coaching character development, occasionally directing, and securing acting roles such as Ben Kilpatrick from the ‘Hole in the Wall Gang’ in Chronicles of the Wild West on the INSP network, as well as a lead role in the film Avenged. Thomas resides in Los Angeles.
Filmography:
The Idiots of Malibu (1994); Eden’s Mountain (1996); Sunsetter Shorts (1998); Pot Luck People (2000); Check Point (2005); Sex Party (2006); Pizza Man (2006); Crossing (2009); An Immigrant’s Affair (2009); The Invitation (2011); Blood Initiate (2014); Betty B’s Spa (2019); Bullied To The Brink (2020);
Produced/Directed Plays:
Transcendent (1990); Together (1991); Fe-lo-de-se (1997); Short Eyes (2002) (by Miguel Pinero)
Plays:
Transcendent (1990); Together (1991); Fe-lo-de-se (1997); Re-Write (2007);
Screenplays:
Idiots of Malibu (1994); Eden’s Mountain (1996); Sunsetters (1997); Sunsetters Shorts (1998); Fat Chick & Big Richards (1999); Pot Luck People (2000); The Way Of The Intercepting Fist (2003); Check Point (2005); Lost Angels (2005); Sex Party (2006); Pizza Man (2006); Sexy Science (2006); Tough Love (2007); Venice Project (2008); Crossing (2009); An Immigrant’s Affair (2009); Miriam Makeba (2012); It’s Not The End Of The World (2013); Blood Initiate (2014); Florida (2014); Destined Relation (2018); Betty B’s Spa (2019); Ridding Wild Ones (2019); The Violent Sun (2020); Bullied To The Brink (2020);
