David Koepp is a renowned American screenwriter and director, best known for his work on some of the highest-grossing films of all time. He was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1963, to Donald Koepp, the owner of a billboard company, and a family therapist mother. Koepp has a bachelor's degree in film from UCLA.
Koepp has had a highly successful career in the film industry, with his screenwriting work grossing over $6 billion worldwide. He is known for his versatility in writing for a wide variety of genres, having written some of the most popular films in recent history. Some of his most notable writing credits include "Jurassic Park," "Spider-Man," "Panic Room," "War of the Worlds," and "Mission: Impossible." In addition to his writing, Koepp has also directed several films, including "Stir of Echoes," "Secret Window," "Ghost Town," and "Premium Rush."
Koepp grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and attended a number of colleges over the course of his academic career. He has fond memories of his time at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the film school at UCLA. Koepp credits much of his success as a writer to the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis at Saint Anthony's Church and School, who told him early on that his handwriting was so bad that he had better learn to type immediately. This early advice proved to be invaluable, as Koepp went on to become one of the most successful screenwriters in the film industry. His first novel, "Cold Storage," was published in 2019.