Alan Taylor (born January 13, 1959) is an American television director, film director, screenwriter, and television producer. He is best known for his work on television series such as ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'', ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United Stat ...

'', ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...

'', and '' Game of Thrones''. He also directed films such as '' Palookaville'', '' Thor: The Dark World'', ''

Terminator Genisys ''Terminator Genisys'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. Produced by Skydance Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film is a reboot o ...

'', and ''

The Many Saints of Newark ''The Many Saints of Newark'' (marketed with the subtitle ''A Sopranos Story'') is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series ''The So ...

''. In 2007 Taylor won a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is presented to the best directing of a television drama series, usually for a particular episode.Though this category is the dominant one in which dramatic directing has been ...

for ''The Sopranos'' episode " Kennedy and Heidi". In 2008 and 2018 he was also nominated in the same category for the ''Mad Men'' episode "

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical '' Roberta''. The song was sung in the Broadway show by Tamara Drasin. Its first recorded performance was by Ge ...

" and the ''Game of Thrones'' episode " Beyond the Wall", respectively.

Early life

Taylor's father, James J. Taylor, was a private in the U.S. army translating for

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

, stationed in Yokohama, who subsequently held numerous jobs before becoming a

videographer Videography is the process of capturing moving images on electronic media (e.g., videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage) and even streaming media. The term includes methods of video production and post-production. It ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Taylor's mother, Mimi Cazort, was ''curator emerita'' for the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the ...

. His sister is the

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

musician Anna Domino. He spent part of his life in Manor Park, Ottawa, Canada, and attended Manor Park Public School and

Lisgar Collegiate Institute Lisgar Collegiate Institute is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board secondary school in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The school is located in downtown Ottawa by the Rideau Canal. History In 1843, a grammar school with 40 paying students ...

high school. As part of the Communications Club at Lisgar, he acted in its production of ''

The Mouse That Roared ''The Mouse That Roared'' is a 1955 satirical novel by Irish-American writer Leonard Wibberley, which launched a series of satirical books about an imaginary country in Europe called the Duchy of Grand Fenwick. Wibberley used the premise to m ...

''. He went on to major in history at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

and then at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

before transferring to

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

in his late 20s to study film under instructors including director

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

Career

Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most often on HBO. Taylor's early work on television include work on ''

'', ''

'', and ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

''. Taylor joined the crew of the HBO western drama '' Deadwood'' as a director for the first season in 2004. Taylor directed the pilot episodes of ''

'' ("

") and '' Bored to Death'' as well as subsequent episodes of each. He joined the HBO series '' Game of Thrones'', directing seven episodes including critically acclaimed

season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguati ...

episode "

Baelor "Baelor" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the Game of Thrones (season 1), first season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones''. First aired on June 12, 2011, it was written by series creators and executive producer ...

." He worked on a television adaptation of the Strugatsky brothers' 1971 science fiction novel '' Roadside Picnic'' for the

WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that was owned by the Nexstar Media Group, and was the company's only wholly owned, national cable-originated television channel. The channel in its final form under the WGN branding ra ...

network. Besides his television work, Taylor's early films include '' Palookaville'', ''

The Emperor's New Clothes "The Emperor's New Clothes" ( da, Kejserens nye klæder ) is a literary Folklore, folktale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, about a vain emperor who gets exposed before his subjects. The tale has been translated into over 100 l ...

'', and ''

Kill the Poor "Kill the Poor" is a song by Dead Kennedys, released in October 1980 on Cherry Red Records as the band's third single, with "In-sight" as its B-side. The song is a scathing satire of the elite who if given the chance, would wipe out the impover ...

.'' In the 2010s, Taylor began working on large budget blockbuster films. He was hired to direct '' Thor: The Dark World'' (2013) a superhero film and sequel to 2011's ''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

''. He was approached by

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...

producer Kevin Feige following director

Patty Jenkins Patricia Lea Jenkins (born July 24, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She has directed the feature films ''Monster'' (2003), ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), and ''Wonder Woman 1984'' (2020). For the film ''Monster'', she w ...

exit from the project and hoped he would inject a darker tone into the project after seeing Taylor's work on ''Game of Thrones''. Taylor's next film was ''

,'' a film that Taylor hoped to fix following his reading of the script, citing his love of the first two

Terminator Terminator may refer to: Science and technology Genetics * Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription * Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...

films. After directing nine episodes for the HBO series The Sopranos, Taylor was approached by show creator

David Chase David Henry Chase (born August 22, 1945) is an American filmmaker. He wrote and produced the HBO drama ''The Sopranos'' which aired for six seasons between 1999 and 2007. Chase has also produced and written for such shows as ''The Rockford File ...

to return to direct the 2021 prequel film ''

.'' In August 2022, it was announced that Taylor was hired to direct multiple episodes of the second season of ''

House of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second TV show in the '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' franch ...

''.

Personal life

Taylor currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, he has three children with award-winning makeup artist Nicki Ledermann

Directing filmography

Film Television *''That Burning Question'' (1988) *'' Homicide: Life on the Street'' TV series **episode "Mercy" **episode " Blood Ties" **episode "The Wedding" **episode " A Dog and Pony Show" **episode "Autofocus" **episode "The True Test" **episode "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" *'' Oz'' (1997) TV series **episode 1.06 "To Your Health" **episode 2.06 "Strange Bedfellows" *''

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

'' (1998) TV series **episode "Breaking In, Breaking Out, Breaking Up, Breaking Down" *''

'' (1998) TV series **episode 2.09 "Old Dogs, New Dicks" **episode 2.14 "The Fuck Buddy" **episode 4.15 "Change of a Dress" **episode 4.16 "Ring a Ding-Ding" **episode 6.07 "The Post-it Always Sticks Twice" **episode 6.08 "The Catch" *''

Now and Again ''Now and Again'' is an American science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Glenn Gordon Caron that aired from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the ...

'' (1999) TV series **episode "Over Easy" *''

'' (1999) TV series **episode 1.06 "

Pax Soprana "Pax Soprana" is the sixth episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos''. It was written by Frank Renzulli, directed by Alan Taylor and originally aired on February 14, 1999. Starring * James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano * Lorraine Bracco ...

" **episode 4.10 " The Strong, Silent Type" **episode 5.02 " Rat Pack" **episode 6.04 "

The Fleshy Part of the Thigh "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh" is the 69th episode of the HBO original series, ''The Sopranos'', and the fourth of the show's sixth season. Written by Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, and directed by Alan Taylor (director), Alan Taylor, it origin ...

" **episode 6.09 " The Ride" **episode 6.12 " Kaisha" **episode 6.14 "

Stage 5 Stage 5 (or, originally, "Stage V") is an unofficial stage at the Walnut Valley Festival, an annual bluegrass festival in Winfield, Kansas, United States. Set up in the Pecan Grove campground, the informal stage began in 1987 when camper Russe ...

" **episode 6.18 " Kennedy and Heidi" **episode 6.20 " The Blue Comet" *''

'' (1999) TV series **episode 1.08 "Enemies" **episode 1.16 "20 Hours in L.A." *'' Six Feet Under'' (2001) TV series **episode 2.08 "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" *''

Keen Eddie ''Keen Eddie'' is an American action, comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox from June 3 to July 24, 2003. The series was originally scheduled to premiere during the 2002–03 television season, but was postponed and premiered as a sum ...

'' (2003) **episode "Sticky Fingers" *'' Carnivàle'' (2003) TV series **episode 2.07 "Damascus, NE" *'' Deadwood'' (2004) TV series **episode 1.04 "Here Was a Man" **episode 2.04 "Requiem for a Gleet" *'' Lost'' (2004) TV series **episode 2.04 " Everybody Hates Hugo" *''

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

'' (2005) TV series **episode 1.10 "

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

" **episode 1.12 "

Kalends of February ''Rome (TV series), Rome'', a Dramatic programming, dramatic television series created by John Milius, William J. MacDonald (producer), William J. MacDonald and Bruno Heller, premiered on 28 August 2005 on the HBO, HBO Network in the United Sta ...

" *''

Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 12, 2006 to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tri ...

'' (2006) TV series **episode 1.05 "Affair" *''

'' (2007) TV series **episode 1.01 "

" **episode 1.02 " Ladies Room" **episode 1.12 "Nixon vs. Kennedy" **episode 2.12 "The Mountain King" *'' Boardwalk Empire'' (2010) TV series **episode 1.05 " Nights in Ballygran" *'' Game of Thrones'' (2011) TV series **episode 1.09 "

" **episode 1.10 " Fire and Blood" **episode 2.01 " The North Remembers" **episode 2.02 " The Night Lands" **episode 2.08 " The Prince of Winterfell" **episode 2.10 " Valar Morghulis" **episode 7.06 " Beyond the Wall"

Reception

Below is the critical, public and commercial reception to films Taylor has directed, as of October 11, 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Alan 1959 births American film directors American male screenwriters American television directors American television producers Primetime Emmy Award winners Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Directors Guild of America Award winners