Halley Gross Explained

Halley Gross
Birth Date:27 December 1985
Birth Place:Sanibel, Florida, U.S.
Alma Mater:New York University
Years Active:1995–present

Halley Wegryn Gross (born December 27, 1985) is an American screenwriter and actress. She is best known for writing two 2016 episodes of the HBO series Westworld and co-writing the 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II.

Early life

Halley Wegryn Gross was born in Sanibel, Florida, on December 27, 1985, the only child of Heidi Wegryn and David Robert Gross (1935–2014), both attorneys. She grew up in New Jersey, including in New Vernon, and attended Pingry School, graduating in 2004. From the age of 10, she was a child actress who made appearances on Law & Order and later wanted to become a comedian while in college, but found that comedy made her uncomfortable.[1] She attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University (NYU) as an undergraduate. She graduated with a degree in creative writing in 2008 and then gained a master's degree in dramaturgy from NYU in 2010.[2]

Career

Acting

Gross worked as an actress and appeared onstage in a 2005 production of Hurlyburly,[3] a 2011 production of The Metal Children,[4] and a 2012 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.[5]

Writing

She had her breakthrough as a writer and story editor for two 2016 episodes of the HBO television series Westworld.[6] She was also a writer for two episodes of the 2019 Amazon miniseries Too Old to Die Young. In 2020, she co-wrote the video game The Last of Us Part II with Neil Druckmann.[7] The game won multiple awards, some of which were awarded to Gross and Druckmann for their writing. The game also broke the record for the most Game of the Year awards received by a single game.[8] Gross joined the writers' room of the second season of the television adaptation of The Last of Us,[9] which adapts part of the events of The Last of Us Part II.[10] She co-wrote the sixth and seventh episodes with Druckmann and Craig Mazin.[11] Gross stepped away from writing duties on the HBO series in July 2025.[12]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleNotes
2007The BabysittersNadine Woodberg
2024Trigger WarningRewrote script by John Brancato and Josh Olson

Television

YearTitleEpisode(s)
2015Banshee"Snakes and Whatnot"
2016Westworld"The Adversary" and "Trompe L'Oeil"; also story editor
2017Emerald City"Everybody Lies"
2019Too Old to Die Young"" and ""
2024"The Stress of Her Regard" and "Nocturne"
2025The Last of Us"The Price" and "Convergence" (with Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin); also co-executive producer

Video games

YearTitleNotes
2020The Last of Us Part IICo-writer, narrative lead
AJ (acting role)

Accolades

Date Award / Publication Category Work Result Ref.
November 24, 2020Golden Joystick AwardsBest StorytellingThe Last of Us Part II[13]
December 10, 2020The Game AwardsBest Narrative[14]
December 12, 2020Titanium AwardsBest Narrative Design[15]
December 22, 2020IGNBest Video Game Story[16]
March 20, 2021SXSW Gaming AwardsExcellence in Narrative[17]
April 8, 2021D.I.C.E. AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Story[18]
July 21, 2021Game Developers Choice AwardsBest Narrative[19]
April 14, 2024Writers Guild of America AwardsNew SeriesThe Last of Us[20]
Drama Series
September 7, 2025Humanitas PrizeDrama Teleplay[21]

Notes and References

  1. News: Martens . Todd . Inside 2020's most anticipated — and targeted — game: violence, a virus, an LGBTQ love story . November 7, 2020 . Los Angeles Times . June 18, 2020.
  2. Web site: Halley Wegryn Gross - Biography. IMDb. May 30, 2019.
  3. Web site: Marin Ireland and Amanda Seyfried to Join Ethan Hawke and Parker Posey for Hurlyburly | TheaterMania. April 23, 2015 .
  4. Web site: The Metal Children — Theater Review. . October 14, 2010.
  5. News: Foolish Mortals, Naughty Fairies: The Usual Mischief. The New York Times. April 30, 2012. Isherwood. Charles.
  6. Web site: Writing The Apocalypse: Talking To Halley Gross Of The Last Of Us Part II. December 12, 2020. CGMagazine. en-CA. January 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210116165813/https://www.cgmagonline.com/2020/06/23/writing-the-apocalypse-talking-to-halley-gross-of-the-last-of-us-part-ii/. dead.
  7. Web site: The Last of Us 2 Brings on Westworld Writer; Story Described as "Intense". GameSpot. May 30, 2019.
  8. Web site: The Last of Us 2 overtakes The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to become the most awarded game ever . Wald . Heather . . . January 26, 2021 . December 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210126152414/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-last-of-us-2-overtakes-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-to-become-the-most-awarded-ever/ . January 26, 2021 . live .
  9. Web site: 'The Last Of Us': Co-Creator Craig Mazin Provides Season 2 Status Update, Rules Out Another Bill & Frank Episode, Reveals Season 3 Plans . Nellie . Andreeva . 14 July 2023 . 15 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715210621/https://deadline.com/2023/07/the-last-of-us-craig-mazin-season-2-status-update-season-3-plans-spoilers-clickers-qa-1235437723/ . 15 July 2023.
  10. Web site: How 'The Last of Us' Plans to Bring the Zombie Genre Back to Life . James . Hibberd . . 4 January 2023 . 15 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230104140120/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/the-last-of-us-hbo-pedro-pascal-bella-ramsey-interview-1235290103/ . 4 January 2023.
  11. Web site: The Last of Us . . January 20, 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250119210832/https://directories.wga.org/project/1235295/the-last-of-us/ . January 19, 2025 . live .
  12. Web site: Last of Us Shocker: Neil Druckmann Exits HBO Series Ahead of Season 3 . Otterson . Joe . . . June 2, 2025 . July 3, 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250702180427/https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/neil-druckmann-exits-the-last-of-us-season-3-hbo-1236446316/ . July 2, 2025 . live .
  13. Web site: Every winner at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020 . Tyrer . Ben . . . November 24, 2020 . November 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201124224231/https://www.gamesradar.com/every-winner-at-the-golden-joystick-awards-2020/ . November 24, 2020 . live .
  14. Web site: The Game Awards 2020: Complete Winners List . Stedman . Alex . . . December 10, 2020 . December 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201211025814/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/the-game-awards-winners-list-2020-1234850547/ . December 11, 2020 . live .
  15. Web site: Todos los ganadores de los Premios Titanium de Fun & Serious Game Festival . es . All winners of the Fun & Serious Game Festival Titanium Awards . Soriano . David . . . December 12, 2020 . December 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201212195955/https://es.ign.com/fun-serious/169392/news/todos-los-ganadores-de-los-premios-titanium-de-fun-serious-game-festival . December 12, 2020 . live .
  16. Web site: The Best Video Game Story of 2020 . . . December 22, 2020 . December 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201216070143/https://www.ign.com/articles/best-video-game-story-2020 . December 16, 2020 . live .
  17. Web site: SXSW Gaming Awards 2021 Winners Announced: Hades Awarded Video Game of the Year . Ankers . Adele . . . March 21, 2021 . April 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210321010112/https://www.ign.com/articles/sxsw-gaming-awards-2021-winners-announced-hades-video-game-of-year-award . March 21, 2021 . live .
  18. Web site: The D.I.C.E. Awards 2021 winners & finalists . Denzer . TJ . . Gamerhub . April 22, 2021 . April 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210422232105/https://www.shacknews.com/article/123995/the-dice-awards-2021-winners-finalists . April 22, 2021 . live .
  19. Web site: 'Hades' Takes Top Honor at Game Developers Choice Awards . Beresford . Trilby . . . July 21, 2021 . July 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210722022831/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/hades-game-developers-choice-awards-winners-list-1234983585/ . July 22, 2021 . live .
  20. Web site: 2025 Writers Guild Awards Nominees & Winners . 2025-07-10 . awards.wga.org . en.
  21. Web site: Schneider . Michael . 2025-07-09 . Humanitas Prize Nominations Include ‘The Pitt,’ ‘The Last of Us,’ ‘The Studio’; Fortune Feimster Set to Host (EXCLUSIVE) . 2025-07-10 . Variety . en-US.

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