Biography

SEAN MCNAMARA – 2025 Biography

Sean McNamara is an American Director, Writer, and Producer of family dramas, including the breakout hit features SOUL SURFER, REAGAN and THE MIRACLE SEASON.

The John O’Leary Biopic SOUL ON FIRE, from SONY AFFIRM, stars William H. Macy, John Corbett, and Joel Courtney. This inspirational true-life story weaves together tragedy, redemption, baseball, and a love story. It will be released in theaters nationwide on October 10, 2025.

BAU, ARTIST AT WAR, from PARAMOUNT, REPUBLIC PICTURES & SHOW BIZ DIRECT releases 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 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 2700 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 Movie-guide Awards 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.

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 and Rita Wilson, John Corbett and Rebecca De Mornay, HOOVEY, starring Patrick Warburton. McNamara has helmed, written, and produced many films and TV shows, including FIELD OF LOST SHOES starring Jason Isaacs, Tom Skerritt and David Arquette, RACE TO SPACE, starring James Woods and many more.

In 2025 Sean celebrated the 27th anniversary of BROOKWELL MCNAMARA ENTERTAINMENT, that he co-founded with business partner David Brookwell in 1998. Together, they have produced 45 feature films 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, Documentaries 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 received dozens of Film Festival awards including an “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, and Mira Sorvino, Jamie Lee Curtis and Nominees like William H. Macy, James Woods to major movie stars such as Pierce Brosnan and Dennis Quaid to the new generation including Shia LaBeouf, Raven Simone, Hilary Duff, Jessica Alba, Erin Moriarty, Jessica Williams and Danika Yarosh.

Sean lives in Playa Del Rey, California.