Lev L. Spiro is an American film and television director. His TV episodic work includes multiple

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning shows such as ''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American television sitcom, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, that aired on ABC for 11 seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse but interrelated fa ...

'', ''

Weeds A weed is an unwanted plant of any species. Weed or weeds may also refer to: Places * Weed, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in the United States * Weed, California, a city in the United States * Weed, Kentucky, an unincorporated communit ...

'', ''

Arrested Development ''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...

'', ''

My Name Is Earl ''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia (producer), Greg Garcia for NBC. It aired for four seasons from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, with a total of List of My Name Is Earl episodes, 96 episodes. It wa ...

'', ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'', ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...

'', ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'', ''

The O.C. ''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on Fox in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, with a total of four seasons consisting of 92 episodes. The serie ...

'' and ''

Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' (stylized in all lowercase) is an American semi-autobiographical sitcom created by Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi that originally aired on UPN from 2005 to 2006, and then on The CW until 2009. The series is based loosely ...

''. His film directing includes the DGA Award nominated ''

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

'', the Emmy Award-winning '' Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie'', and the

Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...

film '' Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland'' (2016).

Early life

Spiro earned dual bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Communication Arts from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. He then attended the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

, where he received a master's degree in Film Production. His early work includes film adaptations of ''The Convict'', a short story by

James Lee Burke James Lee Burke (born December 5, 1936) is an American author, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won Edgar Awards for his novels ''Black Cherry Blues'' (1990), ''Cimarron Rose'' (1998), and ''Flags on the Bayou'' (2024). He has ...

, and '' The Suicide Club'', a story by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

, which starred

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...

and

Paul Bettany Paul Bettany (born 27 May 1971) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the Disney+ series ''WandaVision'' (2021), which garn ...

Career

Since beginning his career, Spiro has directed over 150 drama and comedy episodes, pilots and features for network and cable television. Episodic television work includes multiple episodes of Showtime's ''

'', ABC's ''

'' and CW's ''

'', as well as ''

'', ''

'' and many more. In 2008, Spiro directed the critically acclaimed family feature

, which garnered a

DGA Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Categ ...

nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs. In 2009 he directed '' Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie'' which won the

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

Award for Outstanding Children's Program. More recently Spiro has directed episodes of Netflix's ''

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 ...

'' and Amazon's '' The Tick''.

Personal life

Spiro is married to screenwriter/producer

Melissa Rosenberg Melissa Anne Rosenberg is an American television writer, television producer, and screenwriter. She has worked in both film and television and has won a Peabody Award. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards, and two Writers Guild of Ame ...

Directing credits

* ''

Dolly Parton's Heartstrings ''Dolly Parton's Heartstrings'', or simply ''Heartstrings'', is an American anthology dramedy television series that premiered on November 22, 2019, on Netflix. Premise ''Dolly Parton's Heartstrings'' showcases "the stories, memories and inspi ...

'' (2019) * '' Insatiable'' (2018) * '' The Tick'' (2017) * ''

Daytime Divas ''Daytime Divas'' is an American satirical comedy-drama television series developed by Amy and Wendy Engelberg for VH1. It is based on the 2011 book ''Satan's Sisters'' by former co-host of '' The View'' Star Jones. The show stars Vanessa Willi ...

'' (2017) * ''

Imaginary Mary ''Imaginary Mary'' is an American live-action/animated fantasy sitcom television series created by Adam F. Goldberg, David Guarascio and Patrick Osborne that aired on ABC from March 29 to May 30, 2017. The series is executive produced by the ...

'' (2017) * '' Still the King'' (2016–17) * '' Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland'' (2016) * ''

'' (2015) * ''

UnREAL Unreal may refer to: Books and TV * ''Unreal'' (short story collection), a 1985 book of short stories by Paul Jennings * ''Unreal'' (TV series), a 2015 television drama series on Lifetime Computing and games * ''Unreal'' (video game series), ...

'' (2015) * '' The Neighbors'' (2014) * ''

'' (2013) * ''

Betas ''Betas'' is an American television series produced by Amazon Studios. The show stars Joe Dinicol and Karan Soni as "dating app" developers in Silicon Valley who are looking for an investor. Amazon offered the first three episodes of ''Betas'' ...

'' (2013) * ''

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 ''Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23'' is an American television sitcom created by Nahnatchka Khan. It was broadcast on ABC between April 11, 2012, and September 6, 2014, comprising two seasons and 26 episodes. Originally a mid-season replac ...

'' (2012) * '' Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta!'' (2012) * '' Jane by Design'' (Pilot) (2011) * '' Are We There Yet?'' (2011) * ''

Supah Ninjas ''Supah Ninjas'' is an American action superhero teen sitcom, created by Leo Chu and Eric Garcia. The series aired on Nickelodeon from January 17, 2011 to April 27, 2013. It ran for 2 seasons. The series follows three high school friends—Mi ...

'' (2011) * '' Glory Daze'' (2010) * ''

Blue Mountain State ''Blue Mountain State'' is an American television sitcom that premiered on Spike (now Paramount Network) on January 11, 2010. The series was created by Chris Romano and Eric Falconer, and produced by Lionsgate Television. The series is about a ...

'' (2010) * '' Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie'' (2009) * ''

Jonas Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States Arts, entertainment, and media * Jonas Brothers, American pop rock band. ** ''Jonas'' (TV serie ...

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2007) * ''

Dirt Dirt is any matter considered unclean, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Du ...

'' (2007) * ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened o ...

'' (2006) * ''

Pepper Dennis ''Pepper Dennis'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on The WB from April 4 to July 4, 2006. It was announced on May 17, 2006, that ''Pepper Dennis'' would not be one of the WB shows transferred to The CW. ''Pepper Dennis'' ...

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2005) * '' Point Pleasant'' (2005) * '' Summerland'' (Pilot) (2004) * ''

''(2004) * '' One Tree Hill'' (2004) * ''

Everwood ''Everwood'' is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti, Mickey Liddell, Rina Mimoun, Andrew A. Ackerman and Michael Green served as executive producers. The series aired on the WB from September 16, 2002, to Jun ...

'' (2003) * ''

Do Over ''Do Over'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series created by Kenny Schwartz and Rick Wiener about a man who gets a chance to relive his childhood. The series, which was originally broadcast on The WB from September 19 to December 5, 20 ...

'' (Pilot) (2002) * ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2001) * '' Popular'' (2000) * ''

Arli$$ ''Arliss'' (rendered in its logo as ''Arli$$'') is an American dark comedy series, created by and starring Robert Wuhl (who was also the series' showrunner), about the glitzy, big-money world of professional sports, with Wuhl playing the etern ...

'' (2000) * ''

The Jersey ''The Jersey'' is an American comedy television series based on the '' Monday Night Football Club'' books by Gordon Korman. The series aired on Disney Channel from January 30, 1999, to March 23, 2004. Premise Nicholas "Nick" Lighter, Morgan ...

'' (Pilot) (1999) * ''

Cousin Skeeter ''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2002. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life is changed when his strange cousin, Skeeter, comes to stay with his family. With Skeet ...

'' (1998) * ''Welcome to Planet Earth'' (1996)

Awards and nominations

* OFTA Awards (2013) ''Best Direction in a Comedy Series'', for ''

'' *

(2010) ''Outstanding Children's Program'', for '' Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie'' *

Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

Nomination (2010) ''Outstanding Children's Program'', for '' Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie'' *

Nomination (2009) ''Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs'', for ''

'' * OFTA Awards (2002) ''Best Direction in a Comedy Series'', for ''

'' *

Young Artist Awards The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

(2000) ''Best Performance in a TV Series - Young Ensemble'', for ''

'' *

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

(2000) ''Outstanding TV Individual Episode'' for ''Popular'' "

Wild Wild Mess This page lists the episodes of the 1999–2001 television comedy-drama ''Popular (TV series), Popular''. There were a total of 43 episodes in this series. Series overview Episodes Season 1 (1999–2000) Season 2 (2000–2001) Ratings ...

References

External links

www.levlspiro.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiro, Lev L Film directors from Los Angeles American television directors American television writers American male television writers Living people University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)