Chris Raymond is a graduate fellow of the American Film Institute. Born in New York City, the son of a man studying to be a priest and a woman who wanted to be a nun, his early years were filled with all the drama that such an opening demands. In the darkness, however, there was one bright spot for Chris - the theater

Chris' passion for the theater eventually led to the National Shakespeare Conservatory where he found his purpose as an actor and developed his artistic voice. Following graduation, he founded the Orinoco Theater Company as its Artistic Director. The next few years led him from off-Broadway to regional theater in a variety of productions from Neil Simon's, "Lost in Yonkers" to Shakespeare's, "Antony and Cleopatra." While paying his dues on the stage, Chris authored and produced "Life Parade," an existential fable and a one-man show entitled, "My Skin, My Bones, My Heretic Heart."

Prior to AFI, Chris studied directing at the California Institute of the Arts. His recent screen-writing credits include "The Yard Sale," starring Anne Meara, and "The Joshua Tree," for which Chris won the Alfred P. Sloan Screenwriting Award. Chris has also won AFI's James K. Fadiman Award for Excellence in Screenwriting for his feature-length script, "Daughter of Heaven," based on the life of China's only female Emperor Wu Zetian. He has also been recognized by the Chesterfield, The Nicholl's and the Sundance Feature Film Lab.

He has recently optioned and is developing bestselling author D.M. (The White Hotel) Thomas's lyrical novel about the JFK assassination titled Flying In To Love, for the screen.

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Chris Raymond

Writer