Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American screenwriter, producer, director and novelist. He wrote the films Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation (2002), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). He made his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York (2008), which film critic Roger Ebert called "the best movie of the decade" in 2009.Ebert, Roger. (2009-12-13) The best films of the decade – Roger Ebert's Journal . Blogs.suntimes.com. Retrieved on 2010-12-19. Further directorial work include the stop motion animated film Anomalisa (2015) and I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020).
One of the most celebrated screenwriters of his era, "Charlie Kaufman is one of the few truly important writers to make screenplays his medium." "One of modern cinema's most celebrated writers"... "In exploring our inner selves, he's become one of the best writers of his generation, David L. Ulin argues." Kaufman has been nominated for four Academy Awards: twice for Best Original Screenplay for Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (winning for the latter), Best Adapted Screenplay (with his fictional brother) for Adaptation, and Best Animated Feature for Anomalisa. He also won two BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplays and one BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Three of Kaufman's scripts appear in the Writers Guild of America's list of the 101 greatest movie screenplays ever written.
Major associations
Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1999 Best Original Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2002 Best Adapted Screenplay Adaptation 2004 Best Original Screenplay Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2015 Best Animated Feature Anomalisa
British Academy Film Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1999 Best Original Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2002 Best Adapted Screenplay Adaptation 2004 Best Original Screenplay Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Children's and Family Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.2024 Outstanding Animated SpecialOrion and the Dark
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1999 Best Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2002 Adaptation 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Independent Spirit Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1999 Best First Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2008 Best First Feature Synecdoche, New York Best Screenplay 2015 Best Film Anomalisa Best Director Best Screenplay
Writers Guild of America Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1999 Best Original Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2002 Best Adapted Screenplay Adaptation 2004 Best Original Screenplay Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Festival awards Cannes Film Festival Year Category Nominated work Result2008 Palme d'OrSynecdoche, New York Caméra d'Or
Venice Film Festival Year Category Nominated work Result 2015 Grand Jury Prize Anomalisa Golden Lion
Critics awards Boston Society of Film Critics Year Category Nominated work Result 1999 Best Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2002 Adaptation 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2020 I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Chicago Film Critics Association Year Category Nominated work Result 1999 Best Original Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2002 Best Adapted Screenplay Adaptation 2008 Best Original Screenplay Synecdoche, New York 2015Best Adapted Screenplay Anomalisa 2020 I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2002 Best Screenplay Adaptation Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2015Best Animated FeatureAnomalisa
Florida Film Critics Circle Award Year Category Nominated work Result 2002 Best Screenplay Adaptation 2020 Best Adapted Screenplay I'm Thinking of Ending Things
London Film Critics' Circle Award Year Category Nominated work Result 2004 Screenwriter of the Year Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Year Category Nominated work Result 1999 Best Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2008 Synecdoche, New York
National Board of Review Year Category Nominated work Result 2001 Best Screenplay Human Nature 2002 Adaptation Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
National Society of Film Critics Year Category Nominated work Result1999 Best Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2008 Synecdoche, New York 2015 Anomalisa 2020I'm Thinking of Ending Things
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Year Category Nominated work Result2002Best ScreenplayAdaptation 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Online Film Critics Society Year Category Nominated work Result 2002 Best Adapted Screenplay Adaptation 2004 Best Original Screenplay Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2008 Synecdoche, New York
San Diego Film Critics Society Year Category Nominated work Result1999 Best Original Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2002 Best Adapted Screenplay Adaptation 2020 Best Adapted ScreenplayI'm Thinking of Ending Things
Toronto Film Critics Association Year Category Nominated work Result1999 Best Screenplay Being John Malkovich 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Year Category Nominated work Result 2015 Best Screenplay Anomalisa
Washington D.C. Critics Association Year Category Nominated work Result 2004 Best Original Screenplay Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Miscellaneous awards Year Award Category Nominated work Result 1999Saturn Awards Best Writing Being John Malkovich 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2015 Best Animated FilmAnomalisa 2015 Producers Guild of America Award Outstanding Animated Motion Picture 2015Annie Award Directing in a Feature Production 2024 Writing in an Animated Television / Broadcast ProductionOrion and the Dark 2024 Children's and Family Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Special
References