Will McCormack

Will McCormack
Will McCormack
Born	William Joseph McCormack Jr.; January 13, 1974 (age 51); Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names	William McCormack
Education	Trinity College
Occupations	Actor; Executive producer; Screenwriter; Film director;
Years active	1996–present
Partner	Emily Arlook (engaged)
Children	2
Relatives	Bridget Mary McCormack (sister); Mary McCormack (sister);

William Joseph McCormack Jr. (born January 13, 1974) is an American actor, executive producer, screenwriter, and film director. He is best known for his short film If Anything Happens I Love You (2020), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

McCormack is also known for writing the screenplay for Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012) and the story for Toy Story 4 (2019), the former of which earned him nominations for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted or Original. He appeared in the television series The Sopranos (1999–2001), Brothers & Sisters (2008–2009), and In Plain Sight (2008–2012), as well as the films American Outlaws (2001), Syriana (2005), and A Wrinkle in Time (2018). He won a Lucille Lortel Award for his role in the off-Broadway one-act play The Long Christmas Ride Home (2003).

Early life and education

McCormack was born on January 13, 1974, in Plainfield, New Jersey, to William Sr. and Norah Magdalene (née Ross) McCormack. He has two older sisters, Mary, an actress, and Bridget, a Michigan Supreme Court Justice and former University of Michigan law professor. He graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.^[2]^[3]

Career

McCormack's key television roles include Jason La Penna on The Sopranos (1999–2001). More recently, he played the role of Leo Spiller, brother of lead character Lucy Spiller (Courteney Cox), in the FX series Dirt.^[4] He also played a recurring role as the FBI agent in the television drama In Plain Sight, which stars his older sister, Mary.^[5]

In 1996, McCormack appeared on Broadway at the Criterion Center Stage Right as a member of the ensemble in a revival of the drama play Summer and Smoke (1948) by Tennessee Williams, produced by The Roundabout Theatre Company.^[6] He has also appeared in two Off-Broadway theatre productions, Chinese Friends and The Long Christmas Ride Home.^[7] McCormack and Rashida Jones worked on the script of Toy Story 4. They ultimately withdrew from the project in November 2017, and received "story by" credit.^[8]

Personal life

As of 2018, he is engaged to actress Emily Arlook.^[9]

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999–2001	The Sopranos	Jason La Penna	Television series
2000	Boiler Room	Mike
2001	American Outlaws	Bob Younger
2002	Abandon	August
2002	A Midsummer Night's Rave	Greg
2002	The Shield	Steve Hanratty	Television series
2005	Prime	Palmer
2005	Must Love Dogs	Jason
2005	Syriana	Willy
2006	Right at Your Door	Jason
2006	CSI: NY	Todd Miller	Television series
2007–2008	Dirt	Leo Spiller	Television series
2008	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Langston Weller	Television series
2008–2009	Brothers & Sisters	Ethan Tavis	Television series
2008–2012	In Plain Sight	Robert O'Conner	Television series
2011	Paul the Male Matchmaker	Harry	Television series
2011	Alphas	Marcus Ayers	Television series
2012	Celeste and Jesse Forever	Skillz	Also credited as co-screenwriter
2012	Mob City	Gunman	Television series
2013	The Office	Wolf	Television series
2014	Among Ravens	Chad Whitlock
2018	A Wrinkle in Time	Mr. Teacher
2019	Toy Story 4	—	Co-story writer
2020	If Anything Happens I Love You	—	Director and writer
2024	A Swim Lesson	Director	Documentary Short film^[10]

Stage work

Year	Title	Genre	Role	Theatre	Location	Notes
1996	Summer and Smoke	drama	Ensemble (member)	Criterion Center Stage Right	New York City, New York	Broadway revival by The Roundabout Theatre Company
2003	The Long Christmas Ride Home	drama	Stephen	Vineyard Theatre	New York City, New York	Off-Broadway; recipient, 2004 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Featured Actor
2004	Chinese Friends		Stephan	Playwrights Horizons	New York City, New York	Off-Broadway

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
2013	13th Black Reel Awards	Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original (shared with Rashida Jones)	Celeste and Jesse Forever	Nominated
2013	28th Independent Spirit Awards	Best First Screenplay (shared with Rashida Jones)	Celeste and Jesse Forever	Nominated
2021	Academy Awards	Best Animated Short	If Anything Happens I Love You	Won

References

^ "Instagram".
^ "Biodata". IMDb.com. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
^ Catlin, Roger. "Behind The Scenes Success Story; Trinity College Alum McCormack Makes His Own Work As Writer And Producer", Hartford Courant, October 19, 2014. Accessed March 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "When Will McCormack was attending Trinity College in the mid-1990s as a performing arts minor, 'I was in every play I could be in there.' A role model for the Plainfield, N. J., native was his older sister, Mary McCormack, a Trinity grad, who was by then starting her movie career that would bring her to starring roles in The West Wing and In Plain Sight."
^ Terrace, Vincent (June 8, 2009). The Year in Television, 2008: A Catalog of New and Continuing Series, Miniseries, Specials and TV Movies. McFarland. p. 756. ISBN 9780786453368.
^ CATLIN, ROGER (October 16, 2014). "Trinity College Alum Will McCormack Building Hollywood Credits". courant.com. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
^ "Summer and Smoke". IBDb.com. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
^ Will McCormack at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
^ "Disney-Pixar Hires New Screenwriter for 'Toy Story 4'". January 18, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
^ "Emily Arlook Dishes on Playing a Bisexual Jewish College Student on 'grown-ish'". Alma. February 14, 2018.
^ Kimberly Nordyke, Beatrice Verhoeven (December 17, 2024). "Academy Unveils Shortlists in 10 Oscar Categories". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2025.

External links

Will McCormack at IMDb
Will McCormack at the Internet Broadway Database
Will McCormack at the Internet Off-Broadway Database

[1] "Instagram".

[2] "Biodata". IMDb.com. Retrieved September 1, 2017.

[3] Catlin, Roger. "Behind The Scenes Success Story; Trinity College Alum McCormack Makes His Own Work As Writer And Producer", Hartford Courant, October 19, 2014. Accessed March 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "When Will McCormack was attending Trinity College in the mid-1990s as a performing arts minor, 'I was in every play I could be in there.' A role model for the Plainfield, N. J., native was his older sister, Mary McCormack, a Trinity grad, who was by then starting her movie career that would bring her to starring roles in The West Wing and In Plain Sight."

[4] Terrace, Vincent (June 8, 2009). The Year in Television, 2008: A Catalog of New and Continuing Series, Miniseries, Specials and TV Movies. McFarland. p. 756. ISBN 9780786453368.

[5] CATLIN, ROGER (October 16, 2014). "Trinity College Alum Will McCormack Building Hollywood Credits". courant.com. Retrieved April 25, 2019.

[6] "Summer and Smoke". IBDb.com. Retrieved February 3, 2013.

[7] Will McCormack at the Internet Off-Broadway Database

[8] "Disney-Pixar Hires New Screenwriter for 'Toy Story 4'". January 18, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.

[fiance-9] "Emily Arlook Dishes on Playing a Bisexual Jewish College Student on 'grown-ish'". Alma. February 14, 2018.

[osc:hr-10] Kimberly Nordyke, Beatrice Verhoeven (December 17, 2024). "Academy Unveils Shortlists in 10 Oscar Categories". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2025.

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