Adam Bernstein (born May 7, 1960) is an American film director, music video director and television director. For his work on the television show '' Fargo'' in 2014, he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special. In 2007, he won a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

for his work on ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...

''.

Biography

Bernstein was born in

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

, and is of half

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and half Italian ancestry. In 1973, he was the recipient of the Good Citizenship Medal from the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

. A member of the

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

Class of 1982, Bernstein began his career as an animator. He later went on to direct

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

’s first original live-action, scripted comedy, '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'', in 1993. His work as a director includes over seventy music videos, amongst which are "

Love Shack "Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's from their fifth studio album, ''Cosmic Thing'' (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band, following their decline in ...

" for the B-52's, " Hey Ladies" for the

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

and " Baby Got Back" for

Sir Mix-a-Lot Anthony L. Ray (born August 12, 1963), better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot or his CB handle Prime Minista, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 1992 hit song " Baby Got Back", which peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' ...

. Additionally, he has helmed the pilots for '' Fargo'', ''

'', '' Scrubs'', '' Alpha House'' and '' Strangers with Candy'', and multiple episodes of '' Oz'' and ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...

''. Bernstein has been married to actress

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht (born June 28, 1965) is an American actress known for her roles as Gretchen Schwartz on ''Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', Carol Mannheim on '' The Boys'', and Karen on ''Special''. She is also known for her expansive ...

since 1995 (they both worked on ''

'', in which she starred as Gretchen, with Bernstein directing the seasons 1-5 episodes, on five seasons on the show). He was an adjunct faculty member at

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

teaching theatre and filmmaking along with his wife.

Television credits

* '' Costiera'' (upcoming) * '' Before'' (2024) * ''

Silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...

(2024) * '' The Sinner'' (2020) * '' City on a Hill'' (2019) * '' Weird City'' (2019) * '' Fosse/Verdon'' (2019) * ''

Sneaky Pete ''Sneaky Pete'' is an American black comedy crime drama television series created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston. The series follows Marius Josipović ( Giovanni Ribisi), a released convict who adopts the identity of his cellmate, Pete Murph ...

'' (2018) * '' Sweetbitter'' (2018) * '' The Mist'' (2017) * ''

Doubt Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, and is certainty, uncertain about them. Doubt on an emotional level is indecision between belief and wikt:disbelief, disbelief. It may i ...

'' (2017) * ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Pr ...

'' (2016) * '' Outsiders'' (2016) * '' The Brink'' (2015) * '' Nurse Jackie'' (2015) * ''

Bloodline Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic infor ...

'' (2015) * ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...

'' (2015–2018) * '' Fargo'' (2014) * '' Masters of Sex'' (2014) * '' Next Caller'' (2013) * '' Alpha House'' (2013) * ''

House of Lies ''House of Lies'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Matthew Carnahan. The show, which premiered on Showtime on January 8, 2012, is based on the 2005 book of the same name by Martin Kihn. It follows a group of manageme ...

'' (2012-2013) * '' The Big C'' (2012) * '' Smash'' (2012) * '' A Gifted Man'' (2012) * '' Shameless'' (2011) * ''

Bored to Death ''Bored to Death'' is an American comedy series that ran on HBO from September 20, 2009, to November 28, 2011. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames—a writer based in Brooklyn, ...

'' (2011) * '' Parenthood'' (2010) * ''

Californication Californication may refer to: *Californication (word), an expression that refers to the influx of Californians into various western states in the U.S. *Californication (album), ''Californication'' (album), a 1999 album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers ...

'' (2008–2014) * ''

'' (2008–2012) * ''

'' (2006): Won

* '' The Bedford Diaries'' (2006) directed pilot episode * '' Scrubs'' (2001–2007) * '' Ed'' (2001–2003) * '' Entourage'' (2004) * '' The Job'' (2002) * '' Oz'' (1999–2003) * ''

Action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

'' (1999–2000) * '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1999) * '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999) * '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' (1993)

Selected music video credits

* " Alternative Girlfriend" by

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies (BNL) is a Canadian Rock music, rock band which was formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their Barenaked Ladies (EP), self-titled 1991 cassette becoming th ...

(1995) * "

Headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...

" by Frank Black (1994) * " Push th' Little Daisies" by Ween (1993) * " Baby Got Back" by

(1992) * " American Music" by

Violent Femmes Violent Femmes are an American folk punk band from Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band consists of founding members Gordon Gano (guitar, lead vocals) and Brian Ritchie (bass, backing vocals), joined by multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza ( ...

(1991) * "Rockaway" by

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek ( ), was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the America ...

(1990) * " Hey Ladies" by the

(1989) * "

" by

The B-52's The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, k ...

(1989) * "Hawaiian Sophie" by Jaz (1989) * " So Wat Cha Sayin'" by

EPMD EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is an initialism for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. E Double) and Parrish Smith ("PMD" a.k.a. Parrish Mi ...

(1989) * " Punk Rock Girl" by The Dead Milkmen (1989) * "

Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" is a song on the American hip hop group Public Enemy's 1988 album, ''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back''. It was released as a single in 1989. The song tells the story of a conscientious objector who ...

" by

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

(1988) * " You Gots to Chill" by EPMD (1988) * "I Don't Care" by

Audio Two Audio Two was the Brooklyn, New York hip hop duo of rapping, emcee Kirk "Milk Dee" Robinson and DJ Nat "Gizmo" Robinson, best known for their first hit "Top Billin'". History The duo's debut single, "Make it Funky", was released in 1987, bu ...

(1988) * 7 music videos by

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...

(1986–1992)

Film directing credits

* ''Bad Apple'' (2004) * '' Six Ways to Sunday'' (1997) (also writer) * '' It's Pat'' (1994)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Adam 1960 births Living people American music video directors American people of Italian descent American people of Jewish descent American television directors People from Princeton, New Jersey Princeton University alumni Williams College faculty Nickelodeon people Film directors from New Jersey Film directors from New York City Fellows of the American Physical Society