Mark L. Smith

Mark L. Smith is an American screen artist known primarily for writing, with additional work as a producer and director. Born in New York City, New York, he has built a career around muscular, character-driven stories that often place people under extreme pressure.

Smith first gained wide attention with the thriller Vacancy (2007), then expanded his profile with major studio and prestige projects. His screenplay for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s survival epic The Revenant (2015) helped cement his reputation for immersive, high-stakes storytelling.

In the years that followed, he continued to move fluidly across genres, contributing to the WWII horror-action film Overlord (2018) and the space-set drama The Midnight Sky (2020). More recently, his credits include The Boys in the Boat (2023) and the blockbuster sequel Twisters (2024).

Smith’s work also extends to television, with the miniseries American Primeval and Untamed slated for 2025. He is also credited under alternate name forms including מארק ל' סמית', Марк Л. Смит, and Марк Л. Сміт.