Nicole Holofcener

• Name — Nicole Holofcener • Born — 22 March 1960 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Occupation — * Film director • screenwriter • Years Active — 1982–present • Children — 2 • Father — Lawrence Holofcener • Mother — Carol Holofcener • Education — New York University (BFA) Columbia University (MFA) • Relatives — Charles H. Joffe (stepfather)

Holofcener was born to a culturally-Jewish family in New York City, the younger of two daughters of artist Lawrence Holofcener and set decorator Carol Joffe (Shapiro). Her elder sister is Suzanne Holofcener. Nicole's parents divorced when she was a year old. When she was eight, her mother married film producer Charles H. Joffe, who moved the family to Hollywood. Since her stepfather produced Woody Allen's films, Holofcener spent enough time on Allen's sets to be an extra in Take the Money and Run and Sleeper. Joffe was responsible for Holofcener's first "real" job in the movie industry: a production assistant on Woody Allen's A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy in 1982. She moved up to apprentice editor for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Holofcener's first experiences with film as a child left her either frightened or sad; she recalled her fright at Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor. Holofcener originally wanted to become an artist like her father, but felt she wasn't as talented as others in her classes at Sonoma State University. From there, she gravitated into taking film courses. She studied film at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and at Columbia University, and made two shorts titled Angry, which received critical praise at the Sundance Film Festival, and It's Richard I Love. While at Columbia, she was taught by Martin Scorsese. After viewing one of her NYU films, her stepfather wondered aloud if she should make a career change. Disappointed, she became a clerk at a video store for a while, then entered Columbia's graduate film program. At the time of his death in 2008, Joffe had become one of the most ardent fans of his stepdaughter's work.

Holofcener made her feature film writing and directing debut in 1996 with Walking and Talking, which starred Catherine Keener, Anne Heche, Todd Field, Liev Schreiber, and Kevin Corrigan. The film was critically acclaimed. Her understanding of modern, professional women made her an ideal choice to direct female-centric television shows like Sex and the City, Leap of Faith and Gilmore Girls. Holofcener also worked on an episode of the U.S. adaptation of Cold Feet. She followed in 2001 with her second feature, Lovely and Amazing. Featuring performances by Catherine Keener, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Mortimer and newcomer Raven Goodwin, the film was not only critically acclaimed but did well at the box office. After directing two episodes of the series Six Feet Under, Holofcener began work on her third film, Friends with Money, which featured Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack, Frances McDormand, and Catherine Keener. The film opened the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and its screenplay was nominated for the 2006 Independent Spirit Award, while McDormand won the award for Best Supporting Female. The film received a limited release on April 7, 2006. Holofcener's fourth feature, Please Give, premiered at Sundance and was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. The film also won Holofcener the Robert Altman Award. The film also gained Holofcener a nomination with the Writers Guild of America Awards for Best Original Screenplay. It stars Keener in the duo's fourth collaboration and was released in 2010. The film also features Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Amanda Peet, and Sarah Steele. Holofcener followed this up with Enough Said starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, and Catherine Keener. The film premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The romantic comedy follows the character Eva, a recent divorcée. Eva falls in love unexpectedly and discovers her new love interest is the ex-husband of her friend. To date, Enough Said is Holofcener's most financially successful film. The film was officially released on September 20, 2013, a few months after Gandolfini's death. In 2015, it was announced that Holofcener was set to direct an adaptation of Lee Israel's memoir Can You Ever Forgive Me?, with Julianne Moore in the lead role. However, later that year, Moore was fired by Holofcener, who would later leave her directing role. Eventually Melissa McCarthy was selected for the lead role. The film, ultimately directed by Marielle Heller, was well-received by critics and garnered Holofcener a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Holofcener directed the 2015 pilot of Amazon's One Mississippi. The series was written by Tig Notaro and Diablo Cody. Notaro also starred in the series, which was produced by Louis C.K. Holofcener's 2023 film You Hurt My Feelings stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies. It premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by A24. Holofcener has been viewed as an indie filmmaker despite the financial and critical success of her feature-length films. Many of the conventions of independent film are found in her movies. Many of Holofcener's films are shot on location during their production. Much of her work has a realistic style, but her films do not always have a typical plot structure and are sometimes obscure. Holofcener portrays typical, "everyday" middle-class people and their actions, like the characters in Please Give. Holofcener's films almost always feature a female character in the lead.

Writer • Year — Title — Episodes • 1993-1994 — Ready or Not — "The New Deal" • "Family Therapy" • "Busy's Curse" • "Black or White or Maybe Grey" • "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" Director • Year — Title — Episode(s) • 1998 — L.A. Doctors — "Nate Expectations" • 1998-2000 — Sex and the City — "Are We Sluts?" • "No Ifs, Ands or Butts" • "Three's a Crowd" • "Bay of Married Pigs" • 1999 — Cold Feet — "Pilot" • 2002 — Gilmore Girls — "Secrets and Loans" • Leap of Faith — "Pilot" • 2003-2004 — Six Feet Under — "Bomb Shelter" • "Timing & Space" • 2009 — Bored to Death — "The Case of the Stolen Sperm" • 2011-2013 — Enlightened — "The Key" • "Not Good Enough Mothers" • Parks and Recreation — "The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip Off Classic" • "Jerry's Retirement" • "Smallest Park" • "Eagleton" • 2015 — Togetherness — "Ghost in Chains" • Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt — "Kimmy Goes to a Party!" • Inside Amy Schumer — "Last F... Able Day" • Orange Is the New Black — "Fake It Till You Fake It Some More" • 2016 — One Mississippi — "The Cat's Out" • "Effects" • "Pilot" • 2019 — Mrs. Fletcher — "Empty Best" • 2023 — Extrapolations — "2068: The Going Away Party" • Lucky Hank — "The Count of Monte Cristo" • "The Chopping Block" Actress • Year — Title — Role — Episodes • 2019-2020 — Bojack Horseman — Herself (voice) — "A Quick One, While He's Away" • "Angela"

Nicole Holofcener is recorded as actress, screenwriter and director.