CHRISTOPHER CANAAN won an Emmy with Michael Mann for the miniseries, “Camerena:  Drug Wars.” He has written and produced movies and mini-series for CBS, NBC, ABC, The Family Channel, Fox, USA, Show Time, Hallmark and Starz Encore, including “Cries Unheard,” with Hillary  Swank. In addition, he has penned two feature films: “Robinson Crusoe,” starring Pierce Brosnan, and Dashiell Hammett’s “The House On Turk Street,” starring Samuel L. Jackson.  He also is co-creator of the CBS series, “Walker Texas Ranger.” Canaan developed a contemporary version of “The Prince and The Pauper” for Prince Edward of England, and “Project Millennium” for George Lucas. His screen adaptations include novels by Elmore Leonard, Ann Rice and Robert Ludlum. 

 

Canaan holds an MFA in Theater from the University of California, San Diego. He also studied theater history and criticism at NYU and was a student at the Stella Adler Studio. Canaan has performed in regional theater at the Old Globe Theater, and the Los Angeles Music Center where he performed with Charlton Heston in “Crucifer of Blood.” He also performed in the professional repertory companies at Tulane University in New Orleans, Dartmouth College, and Tufts University. 

 

For several years, Canaan taught screenwriting for the Writers Program at UCLA Extension and has lectured at various universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, USC, Play Penn and California Lutheran University. Canaan is a member of the faculty at the Academy of Cinema in Athens, Greece, where he taught creative writing. He has also taught at the Bucks County Playhouse, and The College of New Jersey and the Solebury School.  

 

He recently served as the Artistic Director of The New Hope Repertory Company.