Early Life
Dean Devlin was born on August 27, 1962, in New York City. His mother, Pilar Seurat, was a Filipino actress, and his father, Don Devlin, was a Jewish actor, writer, and producer. After divorcing in 1963, Pilar married writer Don Cerveris. Both of Dean’s parents died of lung cancer, Don in December 2000 and Pilar in June 2001.
Career
In the ’80s, Devlin appeared on television series such as “Happy Days” (1983), “Fame” (1983), “Hill Street Blues” (1984), “The Insiders” (1985), “L.A. Law” (1986), “Hard Copy” (1987), and “Generations” (1989). He was also in the films “My Bodyguard” (1980) “The Wild Life” (1984), “Real Genius” (1985), and “3:15 the Moment of Truth” (1986). Dean started writing screenplays, and the first film he received a screenwriting credit for was 1992’s “Universal Soldier,” which he co-wrote with with Richard Rothstein & Christopher Leitch. He soon began working with Roland Emmerich, and the two wrote “Stargate” (1994), “Independence Day” (1996), “Godzilla” (1998), and “Independence Day: Resurgence” (2016) together. Devlin also served as a producer on those films., which each brought in more than $100 million at the box office. “Independence Day” was a huge hit, grossing $817.4 million and winning a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture. Dean produced the films “The Patriot” (2000), “Eight Legged Freaks” (2002), “Cellular” (2004), “Flyboys” (2006), “Transit” (2013), and “The Wannabe” (2015) and the documentaries “Who Killed the Electric Car?” (2000) and “Shakespeare High” (2011). He co-wrote (with Paul Guyot), directed, and produced the 2017 science-fiction film “Geostorm,” and he directed and produced the 2018 thriller “Bad Samaritan.”
Personal Life
Dean married Lisa Brenner on July 4, 2003, and they have two children, Hannah and Penelope. Lisa, Hannah, and Penelope all appeared on the comedy series “The Virtual End,” which follows “six friends as they work through the seven stages of grief during a quarantine.” Brenner has more than 50 acting credits to her name and is probably best known for playing Maggie Cory on the soap opera “Another World.”
Awards and Nominations
In 1997, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films nominated Devlin for a Saturn Award for Best Writer for “Independence Day” (shared with Roland Emmerich), and the following year, they honored him with the George Pal Memorial Award. “Independence Day” also earned Dean a “Sci-Fi Universe Magazine” award for Best Writing for a Genre Motion Picture, a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation, and an Online Film & Television Association Award nomination for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Picture. In 1995, Devlin received a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation for “Stargate” (shared with Roland Emmerich). At the 2022 FEST International Film Festival, Dean was presented with the Belgrade Victor for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema.
