Meaghan Oppenheimer

American screenwriter

Meaghan Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer in 2022

Born| 1985 or 1986 (age 39–40)

Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.

Occupations|

* Screenwriter
* producer

Years active| 2010–present
Known for| Tell Me Lies
Spouse|

Tom Ellis

(m. 2019)​

Children| 1

Meaghan Oppenheimer (born 1985 or 1986)[1] is an American television and movie screenwriter, producer, and former child actor.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Meaghan Oppenheimer grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma,[2] and was a child actor, working in various regional theatre productions and television shows.[3] She graduated from Holland Hall, and then New York University—Tisch School of the Arts in 2009. Afterward, she relocated to Los Angeles to begin a screenwriting career.[4][5][6]

## Career

[edit]

In 2010, Oppenheimer wrote and starred in Hot Mess, a film about two roommates who become friends with benefits. She has written screenplays for projects including Fear the Walking Dead.[a]

Her unproduced screenplay, The Remains, was selected for the 2013 Black List, an annual survey of the "most liked" screenplays not yet made into films.[7]

She co-wrote the screenplay for the 2015 film We Are Your Friends with filmmaker Max Joseph.[8][9]

In December 2015, ABC announced that Reese Witherspoon would produce a new television series written by Oppenheimer, with the working title Please Don't Go, about the personal and professional life of a ruthless divorce attorney in Dallas whose past continues to haunt her.[10] In March 2016, ABC announced that Penelope Ann Miller had been cast opposite T. R. Knight in the project[b] that in 2016 was released as Broken—a series pilot that halted production after the first episode aired.[c]

In 2018, Oppenheimer wrote the script for the Facebook Watch TV show, Queen America.[12]

Oppenheimer adapted Carola Lovering's novel Tell Me Lies into a Hulu series of the same name, which was released in 2022 and received positive reviews.[13][12][14] She also served as co-executive producer and showrunner of the series, which starred Grace Van Patten and Jackson White.[15] Her husband, Tom Ellis, starred in the second season.[16]

## Personal life

[edit]

Oppenheimer married actor Tom Ellis since June 1, 2019.[17][18][19] She is stepmother to his three children.[1][20] In 2023, the couple's daughter was born via surrogacy.[21][22]

## Screenwriting credits

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes / Vehicle

|
|
|

2010  | Hot Mess | Screenwriter / actress  | short film
2015  | Fear the Walking Dead | Screenwriter  | S1 E4: "Not Fade Away"
2015  | We Are Your Friends[9] | Screenwriter  | Feature film
2016  | Broken[11] | Screenwriter  | one episode (TV pilot)
2018  | Queen America[12] | Screenwriter  | one episode / series creator (10 episodes)
2022-present  | Tell Me Lies[13][15] | Screenwriter / Executive Producer and Showrunner | three episodes / series creator (10 episodes) / TV Film

## Acting credits

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes / Vehicle

|
|
|

2010  | stalkTALK | Drew Walker  | TV series: 8 episodes
2010  | The Rock 'n' Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher | Renee  | comedy film
2011  | LoveFinder | Lexi  | TV movie
2011  | How to Marry a Billionaire | Bree  | TV movie
2012  | LoveFinder: The Virals | Lexi  | short film

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Season 1, Episode 4 ("Not Fade Away.")
2. ^ which was given the working title Meaghan Oppenheimer Pilot
3. ^ Miller's role was that of "Elizabeth Hamilton, the wife of a Texas oil billionaire who is seeking revenge after having been left for a woman 20 years younger than she".[11]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b 'Lucifer' Star Tom Ellis Marries Longtime Girlfriend, Writer Meaghan Oppenheimer; Cher, staff writer; June 4, 2019; webpage; People; retrieved November 2022
2. ^ Giulia Sbaffi (May 8, 2019). "Tutto quello che non sai su Tom Ellis, l'attore di Lucifer". Donna Glamour (in Italian). Retrieved May 16, 2019.
3. ^ "Meaghan Oppenheimer – the Her Voice Podcast".
4. ^ "Broadway brightness". Tulsa World. November 3, 1999. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
5. ^ "Blacklisted". Retrieved March 21, 2016.
6. ^ "Up-and-coming Oklahoma stars: the next generation". Tulsa World. September 8, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
7. ^ Melissa Silverstein and Inkoo Kang (December 18, 2013). "Less Than 20% of Black List Scripts Are By Women Screenwriters – Women and Hollywood". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
8. ^ Mannie Holmes (August 21, 2015). "Zac Efron: 'We Are Your Friends' Is Millennials' 'Saturday Night Fever' – Variety". Variety. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
9. ^ a b Frazer Harrison (August 21, 2015). "Premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "We Are Your Friends" – Arrivals". Getty Images. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
10. ^ Denise Petski (December 21, 2015). "Reese Witherspoon To Produce Drama 'Please Don't Go' In Works at ABC – Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
11. ^ a b Penelope Ann Miller Joins ABC’s Meaghan Oppenheimer Pilot by Denise Petski, March 2, 2016
12. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (August 3, 2021). "'Tell Me Lies' Drama Series Starring Grace Van Patten Ordered by Hulu With Emma Roberts Exec Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
13. ^ a b Betancourt, Bianca (August 8, 2022). "Consider 'Tell Me Lies' Your Next Ultra-Sexy Binge Watch". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
14. ^ Everyone Has a Stephen: Tell Me Lies Author and Showrunner Break Down the Hulu Adaptation; Weiss, Keely; October 27, 2022; interview; Elle; webpage; retrieved November 2022
15. ^ a b 'Tell Me Lies’: Meaghan Oppenheimer Breaks Down The Finale; Feldman, Dana; article page; October 26, 2022; Forbes online; [Limited Access]; retrieved November 2022
16. ^ Seitz, Loree (September 13, 2024). "'Tell Me Lies' Star Tom Ellis Says He Had the 'Hardest Time' Breaking Into His 'Quietly Sociopathic' Character". TheWrap. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
17. ^ Lopez, Julyssa (September 24, 2019). "Lucifer Actor Tom Ellis Marries Meaghan Oppenheimer". Brides. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
18. ^ Heller, Corrine (June 3, 2019). "Lucifer Star Tom Ellis Marries Meaghan Oppenheimer in Star-Studded Ceremony". E! News.
19. ^ "Lucifer's Tom Ellis Shares Never-before-seen Wedding Photo with Wife Meaghan". HELLO!. June 2, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
20. ^ "Lucifer Star Tom Ellis Looks Almost Unrecognizable in First-ever Television Role". Hello Magazine. May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
21. ^ "'Lucifers Tom Ellis Welcomes Baby Girl with Wife Meaghan Oppenheimer, Jokes Birth 'Ended the SAG Strike'". Peoplemag. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
22. ^ Cook, Sam (November 10, 2023). "Actor Tom Ellis and wife welcome baby daughter via surrogate". Wales Online. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Poland

*[m.]: married