Director · Actor · Writer · Producer

Kevin Williamson

36 credited titles on WatchWise

Kevin Meade Williamson (born March 14, 1965) is an American screenwriter and director, best known for creating the Scream franchise. In 1995, and unhappy with his futile attempts to get an acting career off the ground, Williamson wrote a self-referential comedy horror script titled Scary Movie, which was subsequently bought by Miramax Films and put into production under filmmaker Wes Craven. Retitled Scream, the movie was a sleeper smash upon release in 1996 and was credited with reviving the horror genre as a commercial money-maker. It has, as of 2026, spawned six sequels and a TV spin-off series. The success of Scream led to Williamson becoming one of the most in-demand screenwriters of the era, with some of his biggest hits including the thriller I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), the alien invasion film The Faculty (1998), and the TV drama Dawson’s Creek (1998), which was loosely inspired by his own coming-of-age and ran for six seasons. He also made his directorial debut with the black comedy Teaching Mrs Tingle in 1999. Williamson’s other credits include the TV series The Vampire Diaries (2009) and The Following (2013), as well as the werewolf horror film Cursed (2005).

Associated lifetime gross

$205M

Combined reported budget

$68M

Gross / budget

3.0x

Bankability Index

36 / 100

Associated performance by genre

Worldwide gross by tagged contribution — US$.

Horror

$184M · 2 films · 100% hit

Comedy

$21M · 2 films · 0% hit

Bankability assessment

36/100Developing verified track record

Films measured × gross-vs-budget efficiency, weighted by billing prominence — lead roles and directing count fully, minor roles fractionally. Association, not attribution — not a claim that this individual caused the revenue.

Filmography cards

Each title carries role, budget, worldwide gross and commercial verdict.

Hit

Based on 4 of 26 catalogued titles with reported budget and worldwide gross — figures from TMDB and Wikipedia (reused under CC BY-SA), shown in US$. Coverage varies by title; figures are estimates, not audited trade data.