Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont, January 28, 1959) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a screenwriter for such horror films as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), The Blob (1988), and The Fly II (1989). As a director, he is known for his film adaptations of Stephen King novellas and novels, such as The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), and The Mist (2007). Darabont also developed and executive-produced the first season and first half of the second season of the AMC horror drama series The Walking Dead (2010–2011). He directed two episodes of the fifth and final season of the Netflix science fiction horror drama series Stranger Things (2025).
Filmography (47 movies)
9.1
9.1
The United Monster Talent Agency
2010
as Director #1
8.7
8.7
The Shawshank Redemption
1994
Screenplay
8.5
8.5
The Green Mile
1999
Writer
8.3
8.3
Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature
2001
as Self
8.2
8.2
When Darkness Came: The Making of 'The Mist'
2008
as Self
8.0
8.0
Stephen King's World of Horror
1989
as Self
8.0
8.0
The Making of The Walking Dead
2010
as Self
7.5
7.5
Nightshift Collection
1994
Director
7.3
7.3
Nightmare Factory
2011
as Self
7.2
7.2
Collateral
2004
Executive Producer
7.2
7.2
Monsters Among Us: The Creature FX of 'The Mist'
2008
as Self
7.0
7.0
The Horror of It All: The Visual F/X of The Mist
2008
as Self
7.0
7.0
Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile
2000
Executive Producer
7.0
7.0
The Mist: Taming the Beast - The Making of Scene 35
2008
as Himself
7.0
7.0
Drew: The Man Behind the Poster
2013
as Self
6.9
6.9
The Mist
2007
Producer
6.9
6.9
King on Screen
2023
as Self
6.8
6.8
The Blob
1988
Screenplay
6.8
6.8
Artifact from the Future: The Making of 'THX 1138'
2004
as Self
6.8
6.8
The Majestic
2001
Producer
6.7
6.7
Buried Alive
1990
Director
6.7
6.7
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
1987
Screenplay
6.6
6.6
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
2008
as Self
6.5
6.5
Tales from the Script
2009
as Self
6.5
6.5
The Salton Sea
2002
Producer
6.5
6.5
Made Men: The 'GoodFellas' Legacy
2004
as Self
6.4
6.4
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1994
Writer
6.3
6.3
Stephen King: Shining in the Dark
1999
as Self
6.2
6.2
Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father
1996
Writer
6.0
6.0
Clint Eastwood's West
2011
as Self
6.0
6.0
Irreverent Imagination: The Golden Age of the Looney Tunes
2003
as Himself
5.9
5.9
Stephen King's World of Horror
1986
as Self
5.9
5.9
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Phantom Train of Doom
1999
Screenplay
5.8
5.8
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life
1999
Screenplay
5.7
5.7
Recreating the Eighth Wonder: The Making of 'King Kong'
2006
as Self
5.7
5.7
The Fly II
1989
Screenplay
5.5
5.5
Fear Himself: The Life and Crimes of Freddy Krueger
2012
as Self
5.4
5.4
The Woman in the Room
1983
Director
5.3
5.3
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert
1999
Writer
5.1
5.1
Black Cat Run
1998
Writer
5.0
5.0
Two-Fisted Tales
1992
Writer
5.0
5.0
Walking the Mile
2014
Executive Producer
4.9
4.9
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Adventures in the Secret Service
1999
Screenplay
4.8
4.8
Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of An Artist
2008
as Self
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
2008
as Self
Light in the Darkness: The Impact of Night of The Living Dead