Allison Burnett grew up in Evanston, Illinois. After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in Speech, he moved to New York City, where he was a fellow of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting program at the Juilliard School. In 1990, he moved to Los Angeles, where he works today as a director and screenwriter. In 1997, he directed his first feature film, Red Meat. In 2000, he wrote the original script for Autumn in New York, starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder. His first novel, Christopher, was a finalist for the 2004 PEN Center USA Literary Award in Fiction. He lives with screenwriter Chloe King and their son Keats.