Hurt McDermott

James K. McDermott (19 March 1963 - 1 January 2013), professionally known as Hurt McDermott, was an American director, screenwriter, playwright, and author.
Personal Life
McDermott was the fourth of five children. His siblings include Yale Computer Science professor Drew McDermott and soccer coach Marcia McDermott. He was married to Northwestern professor and researcher Mary McDermott until his death.
Education
McDermott graduated from Yale, where he studied Middle English, in 1985.
Career
McDermott has written or directed a number of award-winning films. His movie NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX won the Jury Prize for Outstanding Screenplay at The Slamdance 2004 Film Festival and the Best Director Prize at The 2005 Shriekfest Film Festival. NIGHTINGALE also played at international film festivals in London, Athens and Israel.
McDermott won a Joseph Jefferson Citation for Outstanding New Work in 1999 for WarHawks and Lindberghs, a play that he wrote. His play Divertimento in Flat F was a SemiFinalist in the National New Play 2000 Festival. He was nominated for the Kaufman and Hart Prize for New American Comedy in 2002 for a work entitled The Golden Watch Chain. And McDermott's Fermat's Elevator was a finalist for the 2002 Heideman Award at the Humana Festival of the Actors Theatre of Louisville.
McDermott's other works include a film entitled BLACK MAIL and plays including repeat w/Madeline and Sleepwalker. An English adaptation of Aristophanes' BIRDS created by McDermott was put on by the TUTA Theater Company in Chicago.
In 2007 and 2008, McDermott was working on a two-movie deal with Akru Productions in Chicago, for which BLACK MAIL was the first installment. McDermott planned to add a film called The Crazy Locomotive through the deal, but the film was never finished.
McDermott wrote a book entitled Artifice, Ruse, and Erdnase about the search for the true identity of magician S. W. Erdnase.

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