Alan Taylor

Alan Taylor Bio

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 acclaimed television series such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Mad Men, and Game of Thrones, and for directing major feature films including Thor: The Dark World, Terminator Genisys, and The Many Saints of Newark. In 2007, Taylor won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for The Sopranos episode Kennedy and Heidi, and he later earned two additional nominations in the same category for Mad Men and Game of Thrones. Over a career that began in 1990, he has become one of the most respected directors working at the intersection of prestige television and large-scale Hollywood filmmaking.

Early Life and Background

Alan Taylor was born on January 13, 1959, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the United States. His father, James J. Taylor, served as a private in the U.S. Army translating for Voice of America while stationed in Yokohama, and later held numerous jobs before becoming a videographer in Washington, D.C. His mother, Mimi Cazort, is curator emerita for the National Gallery of Canada. Taylor also has a sister who works as an indie rock musician under the name Anna Domino.

Taylor spent part of his youth in Manor Park, Ottawa, Canada, where he attended Manor Park Public School and Lisgar Collegiate Institute. As a member of the Communications Club at Lisgar, he acted in a production of The Mouse That Roared, an early signal of his interest in storytelling and performance. These years in Canada gave him a broad cultural foundation before he moved on to higher education in the United States.

He went on to study history at the University of Toronto and then at Columbia University in New York City. In his late twenties, Taylor transferred to New York University to study film, where his instructors included the legendary director Martin Scorsese. This combination of a strong liberal arts background and rigorous film training shaped the visual sensibility and narrative instincts that would later define his work in both television and feature films.

Path to Directing

After completing his studies at New York University, Taylor began building a directing career in the early 1990s. His first notable film was the 1995 feature Palookaville, a small-scale crime comedy that helped establish his reputation for character-driven storytelling. He followed this with additional independent films, including The Emperor’s New Clothes and Kill the Poor, which further showcased his ability to handle intimate casts and grounded performances.

As he transitioned into television, Taylor joined several high-profile productions, directing episodes of The Sopranos, Sex and the City, and The West Wing during the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2004, he joined the crew of the HBO western drama Deadwood as a director for its first season, deepening his relationship with the premium cable network. These early assignments gave him a steady stream of opportunities to work with top writers, actors, and crews in television.

His growing prestige in television soon led to bigger opportunities. Taylor was chosen to direct the pilot episode of Mad Men, titled Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, as well as additional episodes of the series. He also directed the pilot of Bored to Death and joined the HBO series Game of Thrones, where he directed seven episodes, including the critically acclaimed first-season installment Baelor. These projects cemented his standing as one of the most trusted pilot and series directors working in American television.

Alan Taylor Career

Early Career (1990–2003)

Alan Taylor began his professional career in 1990 and quickly moved into independent film with the 1995 release of Palookaville, a comedy-drama about three friends attempting small-time crimes. The film established him as a thoughtful director of character-driven stories and earned him notice within the independent film community.

During this period he also directed additional independent features, including The Emperor’s New Clothes and Kill the Poor, while beginning to take on television assignments. He directed episodes of influential series such as Sex and the City and The West Wing, demonstrating his range across both comedy and political drama. By the early 2000s, Taylor had developed a reputation as a versatile director capable of moving between formats.

Breakthrough (2004–2012)

Taylor’s breakthrough arrived in 2004 when he joined the HBO western drama Deadwood as a director for its first season, working alongside some of the most respected talents in the industry. This collaboration with HBO led to further high-profile assignments, including directing the pilot of Mad Men in 2007. The Mad Men pilot, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, set the visual tone for one of the most celebrated dramas of its era and earned Taylor a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2008.

In 2007, Taylor won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for directing The Sopranos episode Kennedy and Heidi, a landmark moment in his television career. He continued to expand his television footprint by directing the pilot of Bored to Death and joining the cast of directors on Game of Thrones, where he helmed seven episodes including the pivotal first-season episode Baelor. His work on Game of Thrones played a key role in establishing the show’s early reputation and led to another Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2018 for the episode Beyond the Wall.

Notable Works and Milestones

Among Alan Taylor’s signature works are his direction of the pilots for Mad Men and Game of Thrones, two of the most influential television series of the twenty-first century. His Emmy-winning episode Kennedy and Heidi from The Sopranos is widely regarded as one of the most memorable hours of that landmark series. These television achievements established him as a go-to director for prestige drama before he made the leap to large-scale feature filmmaking.

Alan Taylor Award Nominations

Alan Taylor has received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations across his career for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. In 2007, he was nominated and won for The Sopranos episode Kennedy and Heidi. He earned a second nomination in 2008 for the Mad Men pilot Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and a third nomination in 2018 for the Game of Thrones episode Beyond the Wall. These nominations reflect consistent recognition from the Television Academy for his work on some of the most acclaimed dramas of his generation.

Alan Taylor Awards Won

Alan Taylor won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2007 for his direction of The Sopranos episode Kennedy and Heidi. The win remains the defining award of his career and a defining moment in his long collaboration with HBO.

Alan Taylor Family

Alan Taylor is the son of James J. Taylor, a former U.S. Army private who worked as a translator for Voice of America and later became a videographer in Washington, D.C., and Mimi Cazort, curator emerita for the National Gallery of Canada. His sister is the indie rock musician Anna Domino. Taylor and his former wife, the award-winning makeup artist Nicki Ledermann, have three daughters: Willa Taylor, Ginger Taylor, and Jem Taylor.

Personal Life

Alan Taylor was married to the award-winning makeup artist Nicki Ledermann from 2005 to 2020, and together they have three daughters. He currently resides in Tyler Hill, Pennsylvania. Over the course of his career, Taylor has balanced long stints working in New York and Los Angeles with time at his Pennsylvania home, and he continues to be closely associated with HBO, the network where many of his most celebrated directorial achievements were produced.