Frye was born in Oregon and raised in Eugene. His parents were Helen (Jackson) Frye, a federal judge, and William Frye.[2] He attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland for one year before moving to Europe. He lived in Paris and worked as a male model in Austria.[2] After returning to the United States, Frye considered becoming a painter and moved to New York's East Village in 1981 before attending New York University Film School a few years later. Talking a mandatory writing class, he discovered an affinity for screenwriting. "I pursued it hard," he recalled, "and got lucky."[2][3]
Career
While still in film school, Frye wrote the early drafts of what would become the screenplay for Something Wild (1986).[2][3] Other early writing credits included the 1993 comedy film Amos & Andrew, which Frye also directed,[2] and the third episode in the 2001 HBO miniseriesBand of Brothers .[4][3]
Frye was a co-screenwriter for Foxcatcher (2014), a film about John Eleuthere du Pont and his 1996 murder of World and Olympic champion wrestler, Dave Schultz. Director Bennett Miller came to Frye with the project, who was intrigued by the reverse direction of the story arc: instead of an athlete working his or her way to the top, this story began with an Olympic champion who finds himself back at the bottom.[3]
Frye taught screenwriting for many years, emphasizing conflict as an essential ingredient. "You want to have mean people, bullies, cheaters, criminals as part of your story. They are much more interesting characters than people who follow the rules." Billy Wilder is an influence; his portrait hangs in Frye's kitchen.[3]
In 1986, Frye appeared in a music video directed by Robert Longo in which Frye argues about reincarnation with actress Jodi Long.[5]
