Dana Fox (born September 18, 1976) is an American screenwriter. She is best known as the writer of the films The Wedding Date (2005), What Happens in Vegas (2008) and Wicked (2024, co-written with Winnie Holzman), and the television comedy series Ben and Kate (2012–13).
Career Fox graduated from Stanford University in 1998 with a degree in English and art history, and went on to attend the University of Southern California (USC), where she took part in the USC School of Cinematic Arts' Peter Stark Producing Program and graduated in 2000. She had originally intended to become a film producer, but when assigned a homework task at USC to write a 30-page screenplay, she found that she enjoyed writing more and decided to become a screenwriter instead. She became an assistant to writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar while they were creating the Superman television series Smallville, and later worked for writer-director John August.
While represented by Gough and Millar's agent, established screenwriter Jessica Bendinger sought after an unpublished writer who would work inexpensively on a screenplay. Fox had not yet written a sample screenplay, but Bendinger was so impressed with her ideas for the story that Fox was hired to write the script. The produced film was The Wedding Date, which ultimately was panned by critics but a financial success. After The Wedding Dates release, she was attached to three separate writing projects. Her next produced screenplay was What Happens in Vegas, which was bought by 20th Century Fox in a high six-figure deal for the script's first draft, and which stars Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. After What Happens in Vegas was bought, Fox performed rewrites on 27 Dresses (2008) and Knight and Day (2010), and was named one of Variety magazine's "10 Screenwriters to Watch" of 2007.
In 2012, Fox developed a half hour comedy for FOX based loosely on her older brother. The show, Ben and Kate, premiered on September 25, 2012.
Fox is good friends with fellow writers Diablo Cody (Juno), Lorene Scafaria (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist), and Liz Meriwether (No Strings Attached) with whom she collaborates in a writing group they call the "Fempire". In 2012, Fox and the "Fempire" received the Athena Film Festival Award for Creativity and Sisterhood.The Athena Film Festival: http://athenafilmfestival.com
Personal life Fox was born in Brighton, New York, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Fox married Quinn Emmett on October 23, 2010 at Historic Jamestowne in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Filmography Film Year Title Writer Producer 2005 The Wedding Date 2008 What Happens in Vegas 2009 Couples Retreat 2015 Hot Pursuit 2016 How to Be Single 2019 Isn't It Romantic 2021 Cruella 2022 The Lost City 2024 Wicked 2025 Wicked: For Good
Additional literary material Fly Me to the Moonhttps://directories.wga.org/member/danafox/ (2024) Back in Action (2025) A Minecraft Movie (2025)
Television Year Title Writer Creator ExecutiveProducer Notes 2010 Children's Hospital Episode: "Show Me on Montana" 2012–2013 Ben and Kate 2020–2021 Home Before Dark
References
External links