He is an American writer, director, and actor, born on February 2, 1958 in New York City. He began his career as a scriptwriter and wrote some episodes of the variety show, Saturday Night Live in 1980. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for, Bullets Over Broadway (1994) directed by Woody Allen. He made his directorial debut with Emma (1996) which he also wrote its screenplay. He also acted in some films and TV series, including Michael Clayton (2007).