Stuart's first screenplay was for the 1988 action film Die Hard,[4][5] which was later revised by veteran screenwriter Steven E. de Souza. Adapted from the Roderick Thorp 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, the film was a massive financial and critical success, spawning four sequels and being considered one of the greatest and most influential action films of all time.[6][7][8][9]
In 1997, he made his directorial debut with Switchback, a thriller starring Dennis Quaid and Danny Glover. The film's negative critical reception led to Stuart semi-retiring from filmmaking for over a decade, before returning by writing, producing, and directing Blood Done Sign My Name (2010), adapted from the autobiography of author and historian Timothy Tyson.[12]
He is the creator of Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla, a historical fiction drama television series and a sequel to History's Vikings. This spin-off series starts a century after the original series and tells the tales of some of the best known Northmen in history: Leif Erikson, Freydis and Harald Hardrada.[13]
He was married to his high school sweetheart Anne Bryant Stuart from March 1, 2001 until her death. They had two children, Alexandra "Lexi" Stuart and Baker Stuart.[citation needed]
