Mike White
Having emerged from the television world to find success in feature comedies, screenwriter-actor Mike White quickly became in-demand for his scripts that often featured central characters as alienated outsiders, weirdos and general malcontents who were nonetheless engaging, human and above all hilarious. White broke into the business as a staff writer on the hit teen drama "Dawson's Creek" (The WB, 1998-2003) before entering the feature game as the writer of the black comedy "Dead Man on Campus" (1998) and serving as a writer-producer on the cult television series "Freaks and Geeks" (NBC/Fox Family, 1999-2000). White had his first major breakthrough with the oddball black comedy "Chuck & Buck" (2000), which also featured the writer in the latter title role. Realizing features were his chosen medium, he penned the lighthearted teen comedy "Orange County" (2002) while reuniting with longtime collaborator director Miguel Arteta for the acclaimed indie dramedy "The Good Girl" (2002), starring Jennifer Aniston. But perhaps his biggest feature success came with "School of Rock" (2003), a Jack Black comedy about a musician moonlighting as a grade school teacher. White, who also co-starred in the film, had written the project specifically for his friend and the results were remarkable, both critically and at the box office. While enjoying the occasional appearance onscreen in small but memorable roles, and making his directorial debut with "Year of the Dog" (2007), there was no doubt that White was one of the most diverse and prolific talents working in Hollywood.