10 Amazing Actors Who Also Happen to be Great Screenwriters

Actors frequently experiment behind the scenes with different aspects of movie making. Some go into directing, while others might dabble with cinematography. However, writing forms the backbone of every movie and is the key to its success, it should be organic rather than pushed or coerced.

There are many working actors in the industry who are talented writers. Not many moviegoers are aware that these actors are also skilled screenwriters, therefore here is a list of actors who also happen to be writers.

Ben Affleck

A man is talking and instructing another man who is sitting down

Ben Affleck is no stranger in the film industry over the past 20 years with notable acting roles such as Batman in Zack Snyder's Justice League or Nick Dunne in David Fincher 2014's thriller, Gone Girl.

Affleck is also regarded as one of the most gifted actors and screenwriters working today, having his first writing credit as co-writer of Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon in 1997 which he won an Oscar for Best Writing. Later, in 2007, he also co-writes Gone Baby Gone, his debut film as a filmmaker which is highly praised by critics. The Town, Live by Night, and most recently The Last Duel are among Affleck's further writing credits.

Matt Damon

Like his friend Affleck, Matt Damon is well-known in the film business and has played a number of memorable characters, including Jason Bourne in the series of the same name, the scientist in The Martian who grows potatoes on Mars, and Linus Caldwell in Ocean's 13.

Damon expands his career into writing, winning his first Oscar for the film Good Will Hunting, which he co-wrote with Affleck. The duo most recently worked together once more on the historical drama The Last Duel, as both co-writers and co-stars. Aside from his work with Affleck, Damon also contributed to some of the writing for films like Gerry and Promised Land. Fans will soon be able to watch the collaboration of Damon and Affleck on the screen again in an upcoming Untitled Project.

Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen, the Canadian-born actor, who is primarily recognized by moviegoers as a comic who has been in a number of comedies throughout the years, including This is the End, Superbad, and Pineapple Express. However, they don’t realize that Rogen actually writes and produces all of those films.

Beyond the comedies that have made him famous, Rogen also pens popular projects like Preachers, The Green Hornet, and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. He has received several Primetime Emmy nominations throughout his career, one of them being for his participation in writing for Sacha Baron Cohen's Da Ali G Show.

George Clooney

George Clooney, who has been in countless blockbusters like the Ocean franchise, Up in the Air, Money Monster, and the TV series Sisters, is undoubtedly one of the most successful actors in Hollywood right now.

Nonetheless, Clooney also writes and directs, so his talent is not limited to acting. His writing credits include the 2005 movie Good Night, and Good Luck, which received several nominations for Oscars with one for best original screenplay. His other writing credits also contain The Monuments Men, The Ides of March, and most recently, in 2017, Suburbicon.

Ricky Gervais

The British comedian Ricky Gervais, is best known for savagely hosting the Golden Globe Awards and creating the British version of The Office. Additionally, he has two Netflix specials featuring his brilliant stand-up comedy, Humanity, and SuperNature.

However, not everyone is aware of Gervais' brilliance and talent as a writer. He is the co-creator and co-writer of some of television's funniest shows, including The Office and Extras. Gervais’s writing is always distinctive with big screen examples including Cemetery Junction and The Invention of Lying. His most recent Netflix series, After Life, is well-liked by both fans and critics, receiving multiple nominations and awards.

Jordan Peele

A man is giving a woman acting instructions

Jordan Peele is widely known for his work on the Key and Peele television series and as the narrator of the 2021 reboot of The Twilight Zone. In addition to appearing in various films as a supporting actor, he also starred in Keanu and the television series Mad TV.

His writing career, however, is more promising than his acting one, with films like Get Out and Us, both of which he directed, wrote, and produced, ranking among some of his finest successes as a filmmaker and earning him an Oscar win for Best Orginal Screenplay. Nope and Wendell & Wild, two of Peele's most recent projects, will be released later this year.

Tina Fey

A woman is happy and throwing her hand in the air

Tina Fey is well recognized for her regular appearances on Saturday Night Live and occasionally as Claire Foster in the Steve Carell and Tina Fey-led comedy Date Night. She has put in a lot of effort over the course of nearly two decades to become one of the best comedians of her generation.

However, not many people are aware that she started writing for Saturday Night Live in 1997 and had already been the show's lead writer for a year when she and Jimmy Fallon took over the Weekend Update desk. Fey is also responsible for Mean Girls, having created it as well as the award-winning program 30 Rock, so fans can thank her for that.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

A woman sitting and smiling behind the camera

Many people only recognize Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the lady from the Amazon Prime series, Fleabag, or as the protagonist of Harry Styles' Treat People with Kindness music video, which debuted on January 1, 2021.

Nonetheless, only a few people are aware that Waller-Bridge is Fleabag's award-winning and critically acclaimed creator and writer. With a BAFTA nomination for her writing in the Netflix comedies Crashing, her brilliance extends beyond acting to writing as well. Moreover, Drifters, Killing Eve, and the recent 25th Bond movie, No Time To Die, are among her other literary credits.

Rashida Jones

Being a cast member of The Office and Parks and Recreation has given Rashida Jones a name that is widely recognized in the comedy world, but she has also managed to excel in dramatic television and film productions like On the Rocks, Decoding Annie Parker, and The Sound of Silence.

In addition to her career as an actress, Jones has contributed writing to a number of well-known films and TV shows, including Black Mirror, A to Z, and the Netflix documentary Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On. In addition, she co-wrote Celeste and Jesse Forever, in which she also starred with Andy Samberg and Toy Story 4 with the help of a remarkable team that included Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom.

Emma Thompson

A mother and her daughter sitting in an office talking to someone

Emma Thompson is a gifted actor and screenwriter who has been in numerous motion pictures, television shows, and even stage productions. She has received nominations and awards for many of these roles.

One of her most notable works is the 1995 movie Sense and Sensibility, an adaptation of the same-named Jane Austen novel in which she both appeared and penned the screenplay. Nanny McPhee, Effie Gray, Bridget Jones's Baby, and most recently, Last Christmas are some more films in which Thompson worked as both an actress and a screenwriter.

NEXT:The 10 Highest-Grossing Screenwriters at the Worldwide Box Office