Andrew Niccol
Andrew Niccol (born 10 June 1964) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He wrote and directed Gattaca (1997), Simone (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014). He wrote and co-produced The Truman Show, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won him the BAFTA Award in the same category.
Also recorded as Andrew M. Niccol
Andrew Niccol

Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Andrew Niccol
- Born
- 10 June 1964
- Birthplace
- Paraparaumu, New Zealand
- Occupation
- * Screenwriter
- Nationality
- New Zealand.
- Fields
- speculative fiction and dystopian fiction.
- Education
- Auckland Grammar School.
- Honours
- Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Andrew Niccol (born 10 June 1964) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He wrote and directed Gattaca (1997), Simone (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014). He wrote and co-produced The Truman Show, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won him the BAFTA Award in the same category.
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Note VALÉORINE
Andrew Niccol (born 1964) is a director, film producer and screenwriter, of New Zealand nationality. The director was born in Paraparaumu.
Andrew Niccol was educated at Auckland Grammar School. The director is a member of Writers Guild of America West and worked in New Zealand.
The work spans dystopian fiction and speculative fiction. Languages used include English. Honours include Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q360737 · wikipedia · Andrew Niccol
In this article
Biography
Biography
His high-concept science fiction films tend to explore social, cultural and political issues; artificial realities and simulations are frequent themes in his work. His film Good Kill was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.
Andrew Niccol studied at Auckland Grammar School. The recorded working language is English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are speculative fiction and dystopian fiction. Places of work recorded in the authority are New Zealand. Distinctions recorded are Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Andrew Niccol • Born — 10 June 1964 • Birthplace — Paraparaumu, New Zealand • Occupation — * Screenwriter • film director • film producer • Children — 3
Early and personal life
Early and personal life
Niccol was born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand, and grew up in Auckland, where he attended Auckland Grammar School beginning in 1973. He left New Zealand at age 21 and began directing TV ads in London, which he did for more than ten years before his directorial debut, Gattaca (1997). During production of Simone, he met model and actress Rachel Roberts, with whom he has two children, Jack, born in 2003 (who also played "Young Nicolai" in the 2005 film Lord of War) and Ava, born in 2008.
Directing
Directing
Niccol has directed the films Gattaca (1997), Simone (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014) (reuniting after 17 years with actor Ethan Hawke in a lead role; Hawke also appeared in Lord of War as a supporting character named Jack Valentine). He has also directed a short film entitled The Minutes (2012), which is a documentary-esque, narrative tie-in to In Time that describes in more detail the world and characters from the film. For his directorial debut and first film (which he also wrote), Gattaca (1997), he won a Best Film award from the Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival and both a Special Jury Prize and the Fun Trophy from the Gérardmer Film Festival. For his film Lord of War (2005), he received a Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking from the National Board of Review. In June 2021, Niccol was named as the director and writer of a film based on the Christchurch mosque shootings called They Are Us. The filmmakers' choice to focus on New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern's response rather than the victims generated criticism within New Zealand. In response to public backlash, Niccols confirmed that the film's development had been put on hold until a full consultation with the New Zealand Muslim community had been conducted.
Writing and producing
Writing and producing
Niccol's breakthrough screenplay was his script for the film The Truman Show (1998), directed by Peter Weir and starring Jim Carrey. He also served as a producer on the film. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay (Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Screenplay in 1999 and won a BAFTA award for Best Screenplay, a Saturn Award for Best Writing or Best Writer, an Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Original Screenplay and Best Motion Picture, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (shared with Peter Weir), and an Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay. Niccol has written all the films he has directed and produced several of them. In 1999, he received the ALFS Award for "Screenwriter of the Year" from the London Critics Circle Film Awards for his screenwriting work on The Truman Show (1998) and Gattaca (1997). Niccol co-wrote the story for The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg. He also served as an executive producer on the film.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Producer • 1997 — Gattaca • 1998 — The Truman Show • 2002 — Simone • 2004 — The Terminal — Story — Executive • 2005 — Lord of War • 2011 — In Time • 2013 — The Host • 2014 — Good Kill • 2018 — Anon • 2026 — I, Object • 2027 — Lords of War
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q360737: Andrew Niccol
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Andrew Niccol”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Awards and nominations
• Year — Title — Award/Nomination • 1997 — Gattaca — Sitges Film Festival for Best Film London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year • 1998 — The Truman Show — BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay Saturn Award for Best Writing London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year Nominated: Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Nominated: Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated: Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay Nominated: Writers Guild of America for Best Screenplay • 2014 — Good Kill — Nominated: Golden Lion
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Andrew Niccol biography and filmography. Tribute.ca. 1964-06-10.
- 2.The Films of Andrew Niccol - Reviews by David Nusair. Reelfilm.com.
- 3.Bozzola, Lucia. Andrew Niccol Biography. Rotten Tomatoes.
- 4.Foley, Michael P. Plato, Christianity, and the Cinematic Craft of Andrew Niccol. Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture. Project Muse. 9. 2. 43–67. Spring 2006. 10.1353/log.2006.0014.
- 5.Bozzola, Lucia. Andrew Niccol. The New York Times. 2014.
- 6.International competition of feature films. labiennale.org.
- 7.Venice Film Festival Lineup Announced. Deadline Hollywood. 24 July 2014.
- 8.Mortimer, Adam Egypt. The Minutes. 2013-05-23.
- 9.Ritman, Alex. Rose Byrne to Play New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Andrew Niccol's 'They Are Us'. The Hollywood Reporter. 10 June 2021.
- 10.Rahman, Abid. Jacinda Ardern Film Causes Backlash In New Zealand, Accusations of "White Saviorism". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 June 2021.
- 11.Thousands sign petition denouncing mosque attacks film. Radio New Zealand. 12 June 2021.
- 12.McClure, Tess. They Are Us: controversial film about Christchurch attacks put on hold. The Guardian. 23 July 2021.
- 13.Kronast, Hannah. Development of Christchurch attack film They Are Us put on hold. Newshub. 23 July 2021.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q360737: Andrew NiccolWikimedia Foundation
Verifiedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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