Sam Esmail Bio
Sam Esmail (born September 17, 1977) is an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter who runs the production company Esmail Corp. He is best known as the creator, writer, and director of the acclaimed USA Network television series Mr. Robot (2015–2019), starring Rami Malek. Esmail has written and directed feature films including Comet (2014) and Leave the World Behind (2023). His work often explores themes of alienation, technology, and American society. He is married to actress Emmy Rossum and they have two children.
Early Life and Background
Sam Esmail was born to Egyptian immigrant parents in Hoboken, New Jersey. He has described his parents as strict Muslims who were not shy about expressing their faith. The family includes an older sister and two younger brothers, including Samer Esmail who later worked as a post-production coordinator on Mr. Robot and Homecoming. When Esmail was five years old, his family relocated to South Carolina and then to Charlotte, North Carolina.
As a child, Esmail developed a strong interest in technology. He received his first computer at age nine and began learning computer programming a few years later. His family eventually moved back to New Jersey, settling in Sewell, where Esmail graduated from Washington Township High School in 1995. During his high school years in Summerville, South Carolina, Esmail faced racism and described himself as a funny-looking Egyptian kid who drew attention. He hosted Stanley Kubrick film festivals at his house, interests he said were not considered cool at the time.
Path to Director
Esmail attended New York University where he studied film and computer science at the Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 1998. While at NYU, he worked in the computer lab but was later placed on academic probation for hacking emails. After graduation, he briefly worked for an internet start-up before founding his own ISP software company called Portal Vision. At just 20 years old, Esmail raised $6 million in venture capital funding during the dot-com boom. When broadband internet began replacing dial-up, his software became outdated, leading him to leave his position as president and chief technology officer.
Esmail then briefly attended Dartmouth College’s creative writing program before moving to Los Angeles in 2001 to attend the AFI Conservatory. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in directing in 2004, completing his transition into formal film and television training.
Sam Esmail Career
Early Career (2004–2014)
After graduating from the AFI Conservatory in 2004, Esmail struggled to find work in the industry and held various odd jobs. He worked as an assistant film editor and eventually established a career as a post-production supervisor, helping to edit episodes of reality television shows for Lifetime and A&E, stand-up specials for Comedy Central, HBO’s documentary series Tourgasm and HBO First Look. He also supervised behind-the-scenes features for The Fast and the Furious franchise and the 2010 A&E documentary The Battle for Late Night.
Frustrated with his career trajectory and Hollywood films in general, Esmail began writing his own screenplays. His screenplay Sequels, Remakes & Adaptations landed on the 2008 Black List, an annual survey of the most liked unmade motion picture screenplays. He followed this with another screenplay on the Black List the following year. During this period, he co-wrote the horror film Mockingbird with writer Bryan Bertino, which was released in 2014.
Breakthrough (2014–2020)
Esmail wrote seriously for years before focusing on his passion for directing. He began writing his feature-length directorial debut, Comet, which was released by IFC Films in 2014. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and had a limited theatrical release.
Mr. Robot
Originally intending Mr. Robot as a follow-up feature film to Comet, Esmail began working on the technological thriller in the late 2000s, inspired by the 2008 financial crisis and the Arab Spring. He has said the main character Elliot is a thinly veiled version of himself, sharing social anxiety and coming from Washington Township, New Jersey. He was inspired to expand the concept into what he imagined would be a four-or-five season television series. After securing management from Anonymous Content, Esmail shopped the project to various networks and began developing the show with USA Network in 2014.
Mr. Robot premiered on USA Network on June 24, 2015. Esmail served as creator, executive producer, and head writer. Beginning with season two, he directed all episodes, helming 38 of the show’s 45 total episodes. The first season received critical acclaim and Esmail received Emmy nominations. The series ran for four seasons, with subsequent premieres in July 2016, October 2017, and October 2019. Following the show’s success, Esmail formed his own production company, Esmail Corp.
Homecoming and Other Projects
Esmail served as executive producer and director of the Amazon Prime Video psychological thriller series Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts and Janelle Monáe, which premiered in November 2018. He received strong reviews for his direction of the first season. In 2018, he began developing the television show Briarpatch with journalist and producer Andy Greenwald. The show was picked up by USA Network and released in 2020, alongside the second season of Homecoming, which Esmail executive produced but did not direct. In February 2019, Esmail signed a four-year exclusive deal with Universal Content Productions.
Also in 2019, Esmail was announced as developing a limited series based on Los Angeles pseudo-celebrity Angelyne with his wife Emmy Rossum for Peacock. The series was released on May 19, 2022.
Recent Work (2021–Present)
In February 2020, Esmail was announced as producing a new television series based on the Slow Burn podcast’s coverage of the Watergate scandal. Titled Gaslit, the series featured Julia Roberts and premiered on Starz in April 2022.
Esmail directed the Netflix film adaptation of the novel Leave the World Behind, starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Myha’la Herrold. Production began in April 2022, with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions joining as producers. The film was released in 2023 to positive reviews.
In June 2021, Peacock picked up The Resort, a darkly comedic television series featuring true crime stories from resorts. Esmail executive produced and developed the project with screenwriter Andy Siara. The eight-episode series premiered in July 2022.
Upcoming Projects
Esmail continues to develop multiple projects across film and television. Since 2018, he has been developing a film with Universal Pictures and Mr. Robot star Rami Malek based on the memoir American Radical: Inside the World of an Undercover Muslim FBI Agent by Tamer Elnoury and Kevin Maurer, with screenwriter Nazrin Choudhury attached. Other developing projects include The American Throne with director Julius Onah, a miniseries based on the comedy False Alarm produced with Paul Feig, and a Coast Guard-centered procedural drama titled So Others May Live.
Sam Esmail Awards and Nominations
Sam Esmail has received critical recognition throughout his career, particularly for his work on Mr. Robot. He was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the first season of Mr. Robot, including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. The series itself received numerous award nominations and wins across its four-season run, establishing Esmail as a significant creative voice in prestige television.
Sam Esmail Family
Sam Esmail comes from a family with Egyptian heritage. His parents were Egyptian immigrants who raised him and his siblings in New Jersey, South Carolina, and North Carolina before returning to New Jersey. He has an older sister and two younger brothers. His brother Samer Esmail worked alongside him as a post-production coordinator on both Mr. Robot and Homecoming. His cousin by marriage is Arthur P. Becker.
Personal Life
Sam Esmail married actress Emmy Rossum on May 28, 2017, at the Central Synagogue in New York City. They became engaged in August 2015 after dating for two years. Esmail had previously directed Rossum in his debut film Comet. The couple has two children: a daughter born in May 2021 and a son born in April 2023.
Esmail is fluent in Arabic and notably delivered part of his Golden Globes acceptance speech in the language. He has spoken publicly about having social anxiety disorder and has credited his wife with helping him manage it. He divides his time between New York City and Los Angeles.