SEAN MCNAMARA – 2026 Biography

Sean McNamara is an award-winning American Director, Writer, and Producer of family dramas, including the breakout hit features SOUL SURFER, BAU, ARTIST AT WAR, REAGAN and THE MIRACLE SEASON.

NIXON is now in pre-production in London, England.

HIS HEART, starring Martin Sheen and Esai Morales, is wrapping up production in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is set for a 2027 theatrical release.

In post-production are 21 DOWN, starring Ashley Judd; HOME, starring Dennis Haysbert, Mike Vogel, DeVon Franklin, and Alexa PenaVega; and WILL TO WIN, starring Sean Astin.

SOUL ON FIRE, from SONY AFFIRM — the John O’Leary biopic starring William H. Macy, John Corbett, and Joel Courtney — weaves together tragedy, redemption, baseball, and a love story. It was released in theaters nationwide on October 10, 2025.

BAU, ARTIST AT WAR, from PARAMOUNT, REPUBLIC PICTURES & SHOW BIZ DIRECT, released nationwide on September 26, 2025. This is the inspiring true love story of Joseph and Rebecca Bau. Joseph is an artist, forger, and Holocaust survivor who uses his artistic skills in the camps to help hundreds of Jews escape. Steven Spielberg showcased their story in Schindler’s List.

REAGAN, from LIONSGATE, UNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL & SHOW BIZ DIRECT, is a drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan from his childhood through his Hollywood years as governor of California to his time in the Oval Office and beyond. It stars Dennis Quaid, Penelope Ann Miller & Jon Voight and was released in 2,700 theaters on August 30, 2024.

ON A WING AND A PRAYER is a true story starring Heather Graham and Dennis Quaid. The MGM/Roma Downey feature premiered on Easter Sunday on AMAZON PRIME to record numbers. Dennis Quaid won Best Actor for his performance at the Movieguide Awards in 2024.

TRUE SPIRIT for NETFLIX premiered to audiences worldwide in 2023. It tells the story of Jessica Watson, who, at 16, circumnavigated the globe on her sailboat Pink Lady.

THE KING’S DAUGHTER, a historical romance fantasy set at Versailles starring Pierce Brosnan, Kaya Scodelario, and William Hurt, debuted in theaters in 2022.

Other notable movies include THE MIRACLE SEASON, starring Erin Moriarty, Danika Yarosh, Helen Hunt, and William Hurt, and SPARE PARTS, starring Marisa Tomei, George Lopez and Jamie Lee Curtis, based on the Wired magazine article “La Vida Robot.”

Past films include ORPHAN HORSE, starring Jon Voight; RAISE YOUR VOICE, starring Hilary Duff, Rita Wilson, John Corbett and Rebecca De Mornay; HOOVEY, with Patrick Warburton; FIELD OF LOST SHOES, starring Jason Isaacs, Tom Skerritt and David Arquette; RACE TO SPACE, starring James Woods; and many more.

McNamara has helmed, written, and produced many more films and TV shows.

In 2026 Sean celebrated the 28th anniversary of BROOKWELL MCNAMARA ENTERTAINMENT, which he co-founded with business partner David Brookwell in 1998. Together, they have produced 50 feature films and documentaries for PARAMOUNT PICTURES, REPUBLIC PICTURES, SONY, TRI-STAR PICTURES, NEW LINE CINEMA, LIONSGATE FILMS, and UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, to name a few. Their television production of TV movies and series includes over 500 episodes for HULU, NETFLIX, HALLMARK, CBS, ABC, THE DISNEY CHANNEL, NICKELODEON, and CARTOON NETWORK.

In television, SHADRACH premiered in July of 2024 on PURE FLIX. Sean co-created the hit BEYOND THE BREAK for MTV NETWORKS and executive produced EVEN STEVENS and THAT’S SO RAVEN for THE DISNEY CHANNEL.

Mr. McNamara won a BAFTA for EVEN STEVENS and is a five-time EMMY AWARD-nominated producer for THAT’S SO RAVEN and EVEN STEVENS. Sean is a four-time DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA AWARD nominee. He won the prestigious IMAGEN AWARD for Best Director for SPARE PARTS and BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE at the GI FILM FESTIVAL for FIELD OF LOST SHOES.

REAGAN received an “A” CinemaScore and 98% Verified Hot on Rotten Tomatoes.

SOUL SURFER, REAGAN, SPARE PARTS, BAU, ARTIST AT WAR and THE MIRACLE SEASON have received dozens of film festival awards, including “A+” CinemaScores.

Sean is known as an “Actors’ Director,” working with stars who range from ACADEMY AWARD winners such as Helen Hunt, William Hurt, Jon Voight, Marisa Tomei, Mira Sorvino, and Jamie Lee Curtis, and nominees like William H. Macy and James Woods, to major movie stars such as Pierce Brosnan, Dennis Quaid, and Sean Astin, to the next generation including Zendaya, Shia LaBeouf, Raven-Symoné, Hilary Duff, Jessica Alba, Erin Moriarty, Jessica Williams, and Danika Yarosh.

Sean lives with his family in Playa Del Rey, California.