Inappropriate Behavior: Fatherhood and Autism | Tony Spiridakis | TEDxOrientHarbor

An incredibly honest, and sometimes humorous look at what it’s like to be the father of an autistic child. Tony Spiridakis discusses using comedy (sometimes inappropriately) to cope with his son’s diagnosis and how humor helped his son find confidence in himself. His message is one of love, acceptance and finding the good in any situation. Tony is a writer, director and actor for film and television as well as co-founder of the Manhattan Film Institute. In his first screenplay, Queens Logic, Tony co-starred with Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, Joe Mantegna and Jamie Lee Curtis. After this breakout, he was writing scripts for powerhouse producers Scott Rudin, Laura Ziskin, John Davis and Harvey Weinstein. Known for creating great roles for actors, Tony wrote for Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman, Diane Keaton, Richard Dreyfuss, Timothy Hutton, Eddie Murphy, Chazz Palminteri and Giancarlo Giannini. He’s been a screenwriting mentor at the Hamptons Film Festival, taught film production at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film. In 2009 Tony co-founded the Manhattan Film Institute, a boutique conservatory based in Greenport that nurtures aspirations of aspiring filmmakers and actors.

Tony is a writer, director and actor for film and television as well as co-founder of the Manhattan Film Institute. In his first screenplay, Queens Logic, Tony co-starred with Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, Joe Mantegna and Jamie Lee Curtis. After this breakout, he was writing scripts for powerhouse producers Scott Rudin, Laura Ziskin, John Davis and Harvey Weinstein. Known for creating great roles for actors, Tony wrote for Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman, Diane Keaton, Richard Dreyfuss, Timothy Hutton, Eddie Murphy, Chazz Palminteri and Giancarlo Giannini. He’s been a screenwriting mentor at the Hamptons Film Festival, taught film production at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film. In 2009 Tony co-founded the Manhattan Film Institute, a boutique conservatory based in Greenport that nurtures aspirations of aspiring filmmakers and actors. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx