John Phillip Landgraf (born May 20, 1962) is the Chairman of

FX Networks FX Networks, LLC, is a company consisting of a network of cable channels plus a production company and a subsidiary of the Disney General Entertainment Content segment of The Walt Disney Company. Originally a part of 21st Century Fox, the compan ...

. He is also a member of the Peabody Awards board of directors, which is presented by the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Previously he was President and General Manager of

FX Network FX is an American pay television channel owned by FX Networks, LLC, a subsidiary of the Disney General Entertainment Content unit of The Walt Disney Company. It is based at the Fox Studios lot in Century City, California. FX originally launch ...

, a position he held since 2005. TV critic

Alan Sepinwall Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...

jokingly refers to Landgraf as "the Mayor of TV".

Early life

Landgraf was born in California to father John R. Landgraf, Ph.D., a pastor, and Barbara Landgraf (née Joslin). When he was very young, his parents traveled constantly, performing as backup singers for the gospel evangelist Rev. Mel Dibble, who was part of Billy Graham Crusades. When he was 5 years old, his mother completed an M.A. in social work and his father completed his PhD in family counseling. In 1969, when he was seven years old, his parents divorced. After spending much of his childhood moving, Landgraf spent his high school years in Oakland,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, and graduated from Skyline High in 1980. In 1984, Landgraf received a B.A. in Anthropology from Pitzer College, one of the

Claremont Colleges The Claremont Colleges (known colloquially as the 7Cs) are a consortium of seven private institutions of higher education located in Claremont, California, United States. They comprise five undergraduate colleges (the 5Cs)— Pomona College, Sc ...

Career

Early career

During and after college, Landgraf did an internship, worked in sales and eventually worked on the production side of the video production company J-Nex Media, a Los Angeles company that made commercial and industrial video. In 1988, Landgraf was Director of Development at Sarabande Productions, where he eventually became Senior Vice President. From 1994 to 1999, Landgraf was Vice President of Primetime at

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

where he oversaw the development of ''

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 ...

,'' and other popular TV shows that included '' Friends'' and '' JAG.''

Producing

Landgraf founded the production company Jersey Television with

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...

, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher. Jersey Television was responsible for producing shows like

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...

's ''

Reno 911! ''Reno 911!'' is an American comedy television series airing on Comedy Central. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically '' Cops'', with comic actors playing the police officers. Thomas Lennon, Ro ...

'' and '' Karen Sisco''.

FX Network

In 2004, Landgraf was President of Entertainment of

, responsible for original TV shows that included critically acclaimed shows like ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...

'' and the

Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. A native of Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song "Asshole") and throu ...

-starring show, '' Rescue Me.'' In 2005, Landgraf was promoted to President and General Manager of

, a position that oversees the management FX, FX HD, the Fox Movie Channel and FX Prods. In this position Landgraf is responsible for the operations, programming, development, scheduling, and marketing of the TV channels he oversees. In 2013, Landgraf launched

FXX FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and fe ...

. Since Landgraf took on his leadership role at FX, the number of original programs has increased. During the 2015

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canada, Canadian television television criticism, critics, journalists and columnists who cover television television programme, programming for newspapers, ...

presentations, Landgraf expressed concern that while television is undergoing a golden age, there is simply too much television.

Personal life

In 1997, Landgraf married actress

Ally Walker Allene Damian "Ally" Walker (born August 25, 1961) is an American actress. She made her television debut in the NBC daytime soap opera '' Santa Barbara'' (1988) before landing the leading roles on the short-lived dramas '' True Blue'' (1989–199 ...

. They have three sons and live in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

. Landgraf plays the flute. He also sang in a barbershop quartet during his time at Pitzer College.

Filmography

* 1990: ''Rising Son'' (TV movie) - associate producer * 1992: ''Those Secrets'' (TV movie) - co-producer * 1995: '' Mad Love'' - co-producer * 1996: '' Nightjohn'' (TV movie) - co-producer * 1998: ''Mind Games'' (TV movie) - co-producer * 2000: ''Celebrity'' (TV movie) - executive producer * 2001: '' Kate Brasher'' (TV series) - executive producer * 2002: ''

The American Embassy ''The American Embassy'' is an American drama series that aired on Fox from March to April 2002. The series was created by James D. Parriott, and executive produced by Danny DeVito. Synopsis The series follows the personal and professional lif ...

'' (TV series) - executive producer * 2001-2004: '' UC: Undercover'' (TV series) - executive producer, 4 episodes * 2002: ''The Funkhousers'' (TV movie) - executive producer * 2003: ''Other People's Business'' (TV movie) - executive producer * 2004-2009: ''

'' - executive producer, 13 episodes * 2004: '' Karen Sisco'' (TV series) - executive producer, 1 episode; writer, 1 episode: "No One's Girl" * 2005-2008: '' 30 Days'' - executive producer * 2007: '' Reno 911!: Miami'' - producer

Awards

* 1984-1985: Coro Fellowship * Chair Appointee to the Executive Committee of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Board of Governors * 2012: NCTA Vanguard Award for Programming * 2013: ''

Adweek ''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cover ...

''’s TV Executive of the Year. * 2014: ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

s Creative Leadership Award

Works and publications

References

External links

John Landgraf
at 21st Century Fox * {{DEFAULTSORT:Landgraf, John Pitzer College alumni Television producers from California American television executives Living people 1962 births