Jerry Stahl

Jerry Stahl is an American screenwriter, novelist, and television writer who grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began by publishing short fiction and won a Pushcart Prize in 1976. He wrote for magazines and served as humor editor for Hustler before becoming a writer for television series including ALF, Thirtysomething, and Moonlighting. In 1990 he wrote episodes of Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure. His 1995 memoir Permanent Midnight was adapted into the film Permanent Midnight (1998), starring Ben Stiller, which raised his profile. He also wrote the screenplay for Bad Boys II. His novels include Perv: A Love Story, Plainclothes Naked, and I, Fatty. He edited The Heroin Chronicles and wrote transgressive and controversial episodes of CSI, introducing the dominatrix character Lady Heather. With Barbara Turner, he wrote the HBO film Hemingway & Gellhorn. He has also acted in seven films.