His work on the movie earned him an Oscar® nomination for Best Original Screenplay and a Writers Guild of America award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. In addition to Braveheart, he is the writer and/or director behind The Man In The Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers, Pearl Harbor, Secretariat, and Heaven Is For Real, movies which celebrate the value of faith, courage, and honor. He graduated from Duke University and put himself through a year of Divinity School by teaching karate. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, he has authored nine books, is the founder of Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity, and is the father of three sons.