Stephen Tolkin is an American

television writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, director and composer. He worked on a number of American television series including '' Brothers & Sisters'', ''

Perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system, ...

'', ''

Legend of the Seeker ''Legend of the Seeker'' is an American television series created by Sam Raimi, based on the fantasy novel series ''The Sword of Truth'' by Terry Goodkind. Distributed in U.S. by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, ABC Studios produced the series f ...

'' and '' Switched at Birth''. He has been nominated for an

NAACP 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. Similar to ...

for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television) for ''A Day Late and a Dollar Short''.

Early life and education

Tolkin is the son of

Mel Tolkin Mel Tolkin ( Shmuel Tolchinsky; August 3, 1913 – November 26, 2007) was a television comedy writer best known as head writer of the live sketch comedy series ''Your Show of Shows'' (NBC, 1950–1954) during the Golden Age of Television. There ...

, the award-winning head writer of ''

Your Show of Shows ''Your Show of Shows'' is a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the United States on NBC from February 25, 1950, through June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Other featured performers were Carl Reiner, How ...

'' and Edith Tolkin, who was

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

' senior vice president of legal affairs, and brother of

Michael Tolkin Michael L. Tolkin (born October 17, 1950) is an American filmmaker and novelist. He has written numerous screenplays, including '' The Player'' (1992), which he adapted from his own 1988 novel of the same name,Tolkin, Michael"The Player" 1st ed., ...

. He attended

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, where he was awarded the 1975 Peter J. Wallace Prize for Fiction for his short story ''Notes for a Biography of Lelia Reiszman'', and the Yale School of Architecture.

Career

Tolkin has written films and miniseries including ''

Intensity Intensity may refer to: In colloquial use * Strength (disambiguation) *Amplitude *Level (disambiguation) *Magnitude (disambiguation) In physical sciences Physics *Intensity (physics), power per unit area (W/m2) * Field strength of electric, ma ...

'', based on the

Dean Koontz Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on ''The New ...

novel of the same name (he would also write the two-part miniseries for Koontz's '' Mr. Murder''), '' Cleveland Abduction'', based on the Ariel Castro kidnappings, and

The Craigslist Killer Philip Haynes Markoff (February 12, 1986 – August 15, 2010) was an American medical student who was charged with the armed robbery and murder of Julissa Brisman in a Boston hotel on April 14, 2009, and two other armed robberies. Markoff mai ...

. He wrote and directed ''New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell'', based on the

2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape The 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape was a jailbreak that took place on June 6, 2015, when two inmates, Richard Matt and David Sweat, were discovered missing during a 5:17 a.m. bed check at the maximum security Clinton Correctiona ...

, and '' Daybreak'', for HBO. He directed ''A Day Late and a Dollar Short'', for

Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...

, based on the bestselling novel by

Terry McMillan Terry McMillan (born October 18, 1951) is an American novelist. Her work centers around the experiences of Black women in the United States. Early life McMillan was born in Port Huron, Michigan. She received a B.A. in journalism in 1977 from ...

, for which he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television), and ''What If God Were the Sun?'', starring

Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (born June 19, 1930) is an American retired actress, whose career in film, stage, and television has spanned seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she is known for her collaborations ...

, who received

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

and

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie and ...

nominations for her performance. He has created and developed multiple TV series, including '' Kate Brasher'', '' Summerland'', '' Taxi Brooklyn'', '' Somewhere Between'' and ''Legend of the Seeker''. He has served as writer and producer on series such as ''

'' and ''Brothers & Sisters''. He has directed episodes of ''

American Playhouse ''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Overview It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever an ...

'', ''Switched at Birth'' and the miniseries '' Golden Years''. He wrote music and lyrics for songs performed in ''Legend of the Seeker'', ''A Day Late and a Dollar Short'' and ''Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story'', a film he also wrote and directed.

Filmography

Writer

* ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1 ( cover dated March 1941) from T ...

'' (1990) * ''Intensity'' (1997) * ''Kate Brasher'' (2001) * ''Summerland'' (series creator, 2004-2005) * ''The Craigslist Killer'' (2011) * ''Legend of the Seeker'' (also executive producer, developed by, composer, 2008-2010) * ''Brothers & Sisters'' (4 episodes, 2010-2011) * ''Perception'' (2 episodes, 2012) * ''Cleveland Abduction'' (2015) * ''Somewhere Between'' (also executive producer, developed by, 2017) * ''Doomsday Mom'' (2021) * '' See'' (1 episode, 2021)

Director

* ''Daybreak'' (also writer, 1993) * ''Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story'' (also writer, 1999) * '' Carolina Moon'' (also writer, 2007) * ''What If God Were the Sun?'' (2007) * ''A Day Late and a Dollar Short'' (2014) * ''Switched at Birth'' (2017) * ''New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell'' (also writer, 2017) * ''Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill'' (also writer, 2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolkin, Stephen Living people American male screenwriters Yale College alumni Writers from New York City American Jews American television directors American television writers 20th-century male writers 21st-century American male writers Screenwriters from New York (state) Year of birth missing (living people) Yale School of Architecture alumni 21st-century American screenwriters