Biography

Joe Gayton was best known as co-creator, co-writer and co-showrunner of the epic American-Canadian western series Hell on Wheels (2011) which enjoyed a five season run on the AMC network. Set early in 1865, during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, the show dealt with the building of the first transcontinental railroad and the accompanying mobile tent settlement. In Gayton's own words: "we thought it would be really intriguing to take what ostensibly is a Western and set it against that backdrop, just because of the great different types of characters, the greed and rapaciousness that were going on, because of all that it meant to this country and all that it meant to the Native Americans."

Gayton began his screenwriting career in 1983 with the wartime action film Uncommon Valor (1983). From 2006, Joe worked exclusively in tandem with his brother Tony Gayton, who, in an interview, praised his brother's ingenuity as a writer, saying "He comes up with some great stuff that comes out of left field.". Their collaboration began with the crime drama Southern Comfort (2006). They also co-wrote the action thrillers The Shepherd (2008) with Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Faster (2010), starring Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton. The latter grossed $35.6 million at the box office.

Joe Gayton died from prostate cancer on May 14 2023, aged 66.
- IMDb mini biography by: I.S.Mowis

Brother of Tony Gayton

His favorite poet was Dylan Thomas.

Once you sell one of these big scripts, people are much more eager to like your ideas.