The Top 125 Movie-TV Producers/Showrunners

1. Steven Bochco

Attended Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie-Mellon University) as a playwriting major. Barbara Bosson (his second wife), Michael Tucker, Bruce Weitz and Charles Haid were classmates; he and Tucker drove cross-country to Hollywood for full-time jobs at Universal, where Bochco would remain for 12 years.

In ...

2. David Milch

Writer | Hill Street Blues

David Milch was born on March 23, 1945 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Hill Street Blues (1981), NYPD Blue (1993) and Brooklyn South (1997). He has been married to Rita Stern since 1982. They have three children.

3. Jerry Bruckheimer

Producer | Top Gun: Maverick

Jerry Bruckheimer is a film and television producer born on September 21, 1943 in Detroit. He graduated from high school in 1961 before it was moving to Arizona. He started his career in 1968 to produce television commercials and advertising for the firm BBD&O in New York.

He left the commercial ...

4. Joel Silver

Producer | The Nice Guys

As flamboyant as any character in his movies, Joel Silver can be credited along with Jerry Bruckheimer as practically reinventing the action film genre in the 1980s. Born in New Jersey, he attended the New York University Film School. After college, he worked at Lawrence Gordon Pictures, earning ...

5. Jack L. Warner

Producer | My Fair Lady

With his brothers Harry M. Warner, Albert Warner, and Sam Warner, he founded Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. in 1923. They released the first motion picture with synchronized sound, The Jazz Singer (1927) with Al Jolson. In the 1930s they gave employment to a parade of stars, including Bette Davis, ...

6. Arnold Kopelson

Producer | Platoon

Arnold Kopelson has produced 29 motion pictures. He has been honored with a Best Picture Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and an Independent Spirit Award, all for his production of Platoon (1986). He received a Best Picture Academy Award nomination for his production of The Fugitive (1993). ...

7. Robert Evans

Producer | Chinatown

Robert Evans was born in New York City, to Florence (Krasne) and Archie Shapera, a dentist with a thriving practice in Harlem. His family was of Russian Jewish descent. He was raised on Manhattan's Upper West Side. He began his show-business career as a teenage radio actor. After flopping in his ...

8. John Wells

Producer | The Company Men

John Wells is one of the most prolific writers, directors and producers for television, film and the stage. Over the past two decades, Wells has been a creative force behind some of primetime's biggest hit series, including ER, The West Wing, Third Watch and China Beach. He is currently Executive ...

9. Lorenzo di Bonaventura

Producer | Four Brothers

Lorenzo di Bonaventura was born on January 13, 1957 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and production manager, known for Four Brothers (2005), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and Transformers (2007).

10. Randall Emmett

Producer | The Irishman

Randall Emmett was born on March 25, 1971 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Irishman (2019), Silence (2016) and Boss Level (2020). He was previously married to Ambyr Childers.

11. George Furla

Producer | Lone Survivor

George Furla was born in 1960. He is known for Lone Survivor (2013), 2 Guns (2013) and End of Watch (2012).

12. Thomas Carter

Director | Coach Carter

Thomas Carter was born on July 17, 1953 in Austin, Texas, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Coach Carter (2005), Equal Justice (1990) and Save the Last Dance (2001).

13. Dick Wolf

Producer | Law & Order

Dick Wolf was born on December 20, 1946 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Law & Order (1990), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001). He has been married to Noelle Lippman since June 17, 2006. They have two ...

14. Howard Gordon

Producer | 24

Howard Gordon was born on March 31, 1961 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for 24 (2001), Homeland (2011) and The X-Files (1993).

15. Michael M. Robin

Producer | NYPD Blue

Michael M. Robin was born on November 2, 1984 in Viljandi, Estonia. He is a producer and director, known for NYPD Blue (1993), The Closer (2005) and L.A. Law (1986).

16. Greg Daniels

Producer | The Office

Greg Daniels was born on June 13, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Office (2005), Parks and Recreation (2009) and King of the Hill (1997). He has been married to Susanne Daniels since September 15, 1991. They have four children.

17. Tom Fontana

Writer | St. Elsewhere

Tom Fontana was born on September 12, 1951 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He is an Emmy Award winning writer and producer, known for Copper (2012), Borgia (2011), Oz (1997), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and St. Elsewhere (1982). He was twice married to Sagan Lewis, before her death in 2016.

18. Shawn Ryan

Producer | The Shield

Shawn Ryan was born on October 11, 1966 in Rockford, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Shield (2002), S.W.A.T. (2017) and Timeless (2016). He has been married to Cathy Cahlin Ryan since April 25, 1998. They have two children.

19. Charles Band

Producer | Puppet Master

Charles Band is a writer, producer, director and publisher. He was born on December 27, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, as Charles Robert Band. His father was producer and director Albert Band and his brother is composer Richard Band.

Band has been writing, producing and directing films in the ...

20. Norman Lear

Producer | All in the Family

Norman Lear enjoyed a long career in television and film, political and social activism, and philanthropy.

Born in 1922 in New Haven, Connecticut, Lear flew 52 combat missions over Europe in World War II before beginning his television career. His classic shows of the 1970s and '80s - All in the ...

21. Avi Lerner

Producer | Rambo: Last Blood

Avi Lerner is the Chairman and founder of Nu Image, Inc., Millennium Films and all related companies. With more than 350 films to his credit, he is one of the most experienced, prolific and successful independent producers of our time.

Born and raised in Haifa, Israel, Lerner began as manager of ...

22. Steven Spielberg

Producer | Schindler's List

One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...

23. Alex Gibney

Producer | Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Alex Gibney was born on October 23, 1953 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005), Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) and Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015). He has been married to Anne Gibney since ...

24. Robert Redford

Actor | The Natural

Born on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, to Charles Robert Redford, an accountant for Standard Oil, and Martha Redford, Charles Robert Redford, Jr. was a scrappy kid who stole hubcaps in high school and lost his college baseball scholarship at the University of Colorado because of ...

25. David E. Kelley

Writer | The Practice

David Kelley might be described as living the American Dream, 1990s' style: write a screenplay, move to Hollywood, make millions and marry a movie star. A former Boston lawyer, in the last decade, he switched careers to become a successful television producer whose shows are recognized for their ...

26. Ken Burns

Producer | The Central Park Five

Celebrated American documentarian who gradually amassed a considerable reputation and a devoted audience with a series of reassuringly traditional meditations on Americana. Burns' works are treasure troves of archival materials; he skillfully utilizes period music and footage, photographs, ...

27. Oliver Stone

Director | JFK

Oliver Stone has become known as a master of controversial subjects and a legendary film maker. His films are filled with a variety of film angles and styles, he pushes his actors to give Oscar-worthy performances, and despite his failures, has always returned to success.

William Oliver Stone was ...

28. Spike Lee

Director | Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended ...

29. Taylor Sheridan

Writer | Hell or High Water

Taylor Sheridan is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He is best known for writing the screenplay for 'Sicario' (2015) and 'Hell or high water' (2016), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

He also starred in the FX television series 'Sons of ...

30. Donald P. Bellisario

Writer | Quantum Leap

Donald P. Bellisario was born in North Charleroi in Pennsylvania. His father ran the tavern, where he grew up listening to the war stories of vets returning from WWII. He had a fifteen-year career in advertising before moving to Hollywood. He broke into television as the story editor for Black ...

31. Glen A. Larson

Writer | McCloud

Born on January 3, 1937 in Los Angeles, California, Glen A. Larson was the man behind some of the world's best-known prime-time television series. His highly successful productions (successful both financially and popularly, less often critically) include Knight Rider (1982), The Fall Guy (1981), ...

32. Stephen J. Cannell

Writer | The Rockford Files

Stephen J. Cannell was raised in Pasadena, California. His father ran an interior design firm. From an early age, Stephen suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia, which made it nearly impossible from him to do well in school, he either flunked or was held back many times. Even though one of the courses ...

33. Aaron Sorkin

Writer | The West Wing

Aaron Sorkin grew up in Scarsdale, a suburb of New York City where he was very involved in his high school drama and theater club. After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater, Sorkin intended to pursue a career in acting. It took him only a short time to ...

34. Rene Balcer

Writer | Law & Order True Crime

Rene Balcer was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Rene is a writer and producer, known for Law & Order True Crime (2017), Above the Drowning Sea (2017) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001).

35. Shonda Rhimes

Producer | Grey's Anatomy

Shonda Lynn Rhimes is an African-American producer, author and screenwriter. She is known for working on the Britney Spears and Zoe Saldana film Crossroads, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Private Practice, the Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and the Halle ...

36. Mark Gordon

Producer | Saving Private Ryan

Mark Gordon was born on October 10, 1956 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. He is a producer known for his work on Saving Private Ryan, Speed, The Day After Tomorrow, The Patriot, Steve Jobs, Greys Anatomy, Criminal Minds, and Ray Donovan. In addition he served as president of the Producer's Guild of ...

37. Brian Grazer

Producer | A Beautiful Mind

Emmy and Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer has been making movies and television programs for more than 25 years. As both a writer and producer, he has been personally nominated for four Academy Awards, and in 2002 won the Best Picture Oscar for A Beautiful Mind (2001). In addition to ...

38. Ron Howard

Producer | Arrested Development

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard is one of this generation's most popular directors. From the critically acclaimed dramas A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Apollo 13 (1995) to the hit comedies Parenthood (1989) and Splash (1983), he has created some of Hollywood's most memorable films.

Howard ...

39. Antoine Fuqua

Producer | The Magnificent Seven

Antoine Fuqua is an American film director, known for his work in the film Training Day as well as The Replacement Killers, Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter, Brooklyn's Finest, Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer.

He has directed music videos for such artists as Arrested Development, Prince, ...

40. Kenya Barris

Writer | Black·ish

Kenya Barris was born on August 9, 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Black-ish (2014), #BlackAF (2020) and You People (2023). He has been married to Rainbow Barris since December 3, 1999. They have six children.

41. Ronald D. Moore

Producer | Battlestar Galactica

Ron Moore was a member of the Kappa Alpha literary society during his time at Cornell University. He dropped out of college during his senior year, after which he moved to Los Angeles, California, with a friend in hopes of becoming a working writer. He was two weeks away from joining the United ...

42. Jonathan Nolan

Writer | Westworld

Attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, graduating in 1994.

Graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1999. Majored in English.

Shortly after graduating from Georgetown University, Jonathan Nolan served as a production assistant on Memento (2000).

Wrote the short story, "...

43. Christopher McQuarrie

Writer | The Usual Suspects

Christopher McQuarrie is an acclaimed producer, director and an Academy Award® winning writer. McQuarrie grew up in Princeton Junction, New Jersey and in lieu of college, he spent the first five years out of school traveling and working at a detective agency. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue...

44. David Simon

Writer | The Wire

David Simon was born on May 13, 1960 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Wire (2002), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and The Corner (2000). He has been married to Laura Lippman since October 3, 2006. They have one child.

45. Danny Bilson

Writer | Da 5 Bloods

Danny Bilson was born into a show business family in Los Angeles, California, the son of Mona (Weichman) and Director Bruce Bilson (Bewitched, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes).

He has three daughters; his eldest, Rachel Bilson (born on August 25, 1981) is an actress, notable for her role in The O.C. and ...

46. Danny Arnold

Writer | Barney Miller

Danny Arnold was born on January 23, 1925 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Barney Miller (1975), My World and Welcome to It (1969) and That Girl (1966). He was married to Donna Cooke and Joanne Gilbert. He died on August 19, 1995 in Los Angeles, California, ...

47. John Davis

Producer | I, Robot

John Davis was born on July 20, 1954 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He is a producer and production manager, known for I, Robot (2004), Prey (2022) and Waterworld (1995). He is married to Jordan Davis. They have three children.

48. David Feige

Producer | Untouchable

David Feige was born on October 8, 1965 in the USA. David is a producer and writer, known for Untouchable (2016), Raising the Bar (2008) and The Firm (2012). David has been married to Robin Gail Steinberg since September 10, 2011.

49. Bruce Helford

Writer | The Conners

Bruce Helford was born on January 28, 1952. He is a writer and producer, known for The Conners (2018), Roseanne (1988) and Wanda at Large (2003).

50. Gale Anne Hurd

Producer | The Terminator

Gale Anne Hurd was born on October 25, 1955 in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Stanford University, she joined New World Pictures as executive assistant to Roger Corman, the company president. She worked her way up through various administrative positions and eventually became ...

Eric Ellis Overmyer was born on September 25, 1951 in Boulder, Colorado, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), Law & Order (1990) and The Wire (2002).

54. David Shore

Producer | House M.D.

David Shore has written for cult favorite Due South, NYPD Blue and EZ Streets, served as head writer and supervising producer on Traders, which he developed for Canadian television, and was part of the writing team of the Emmy Award-winning first season of The Practice. He was twice nominated for ...

55. Michael Piller

Writer | Star Trek: Insurrection

Michael went to school in New York before taking a creative writing course. The professor for this course told everyone, "There are enough bad writers out there. There needn't be anymore". Michael recalls that the professor would rip up his writing and he would be so broken-hearted. This professor ...

56. Joel Surnow

Writer | 24

Joel Surnow was born on November 29, 1954 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for 24 (2001), The Equalizer (1985) and Nowhere Man (1995). He has been married to Colleen Surnow since October 10, 1989. They have three children.

57. Rod Serling

Writer | The Twilight Zone

A former boxer, paratrooper and general all-around angry young man, Rod Serling was one of the radical new voices that made the "Golden Age" of television. Long before The Twilight Zone (1959), he was known for writing such high-quality scripts as "Patterns" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight," both ...

58. Graham Yost

Producer | Justified

Graham Yost was born on September 5, 1959 in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. He is a producer and writer, known for Justified (2010), From the Earth to the Moon (1998) and Speed (1994).

59. Warren Leight

Producer | Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Warren Leight is a writer and showrunner who is currently helming Law & Order: Special Victims Unit during its historic 21st season. Previously, he developed new projects for Sony's television division and was showrunner and Executive Producer of the NBC drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit ...

60. Brad Grey

Producer | The Departed

Brad Grey was born on December 29, 1957 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for The Departed (2006), The Sopranos (1999) and The Larry Sanders Show (1992). He was married to Cassandra Huysentuyt and Jill Gutterson. He died on May 14, 2017 in Holmby Hills,...

61. Michael Mann

Producer | The Insider

As a director, screenwriter, and producer, four-time Academy Award nominee Michael Mann has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema. After writing and directing the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television movie The Jericho Mile (1979), Mann ...

62. Ira Steven Behr

Producer | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Graduate of Lehman College in New York City, Behr studied Mass Communications and Theater, and was offered a playwriting scholarship at Brandeis University. Instead, Behr elected to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career in writing comedies for television and film. However, instead of comedies, ...

63. Tim Kring

Producer | Heroes

Tim Kring was born on July 9, 1957 in El Dorado County, California, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Heroes (2006), Chicago Hope (1994) and The Conspiracy for Good: London 2010 (2010).

64. Chris Fedak

Writer | Ambulance

Chris Fedak is known for Ambulance (2022), Forever (2014) and DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016).

65. Eric Kripke

Writer | The Boys

Eric Kripke is an American writer and television producer. He came to prominence as the creator of The CW fantasy drama series Supernatural (2005-2020), where he served as show-runner during the first five seasons. Kripke also created the post-apocalyptic drama series Revolution (2012-2014) and ...

66. Bill D'Elia

Producer | Boston Legal

Bill D'Elia has been an Executive Producer/Director on at least a dozen television series including How To Get Away With Murder, The Crazy Ones, Monday Mornings, Harry's Law, Boston Legal, and Ally McBeal. Additionally, he has directed over 150 television episodes, has been a Consulting Producer/...

67. Seth MacFarlane

Writer | Family Guy

Seth Woodbury MacFarlane was born in the small New England town of Kent, Connecticut, where he lived with his mother, Ann Perry (Sager), an admissions office worker, his father, Ronald Milton MacFarlane, a prep school teacher, and his sister, Rachael MacFarlane, now a voice actress and singer. He ...

68. James Cameron

Writer | Avatar: The Way of Water

James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He moved to the United States in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University before switching to English, and eventually dropping out. He then drove a truck to support his ...

69. Barbara Hall

Writer | I'll Fly Away

Barbara Hall was born on July 17, 1961 in Chatham, Virginia, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for I'll Fly Away (1991), Joan of Arcadia (2003) and Homeland (2011).

70. David Chase

Producer | The Sopranos

Born in Mt. Vernon, New York, and raised in New Jersey, David Chase (born David DeCesare) dreamed of being a star drummer in a rock band! He spent many years playing drums and bass trying to be part of a successful rock band in the 1960s East Coast music scene. He also loved movies, such as The ...

71. John Singleton

Writer | Boyz n the Hood

Son of Danny Singleton, a mortgage broker, and Sheila Ward, a pharmaceutical company sales executive, and raised in separate households by his unmarried parents, John Singleton attended the Film Writing Program at USC, after graduating from high school in 1986. While studying there, he won three ...

72. Vince Gilligan

Producer | The X Files

George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is known for his television work, specifically as creator, head writer, executive producer, and director of Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul. He was a writer and producer for The ...

73. Peter Chernin

Producer | Ford v Ferrari

Peter Chernin is a Co-founder and Partner at TCG. Peter also founded The Chernin Group, LLC in 2010 and serves as its Chairman and CEO. In addition to his investment business, Peter produces television programs and feature films through Chernin Entertainment, which is well known for hits including ...

74. Joseph Merhi

Producer | Spartan

Born in Syria, before entering the world of cinema, he owned a chain of pizzerias in Las Vegas; began his career as director and producer in 1986 when he founded the film production company City Lights together with producer Ronald L. Gilchrist; in 1989, however, he decided to start his own ...

75. Richard Pepin

Producer | Mindstorm

Born in Canada, Richard Pepin is known for directing and producing together with director Joseph Merhi with the PM Entertainment Group which he co-owned many action, fantasy and martial arts films between the 80s and 90s distributed for the direct circuit -to-video; Pepin unlike his colleague has ...

76. Courtney A. Kemp

Producer | Power Book II: Ghost

Courtney A. Kemp was born on May 4, 1977 in Westport, Connecticut, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Power Book II: Ghost (2020), The Good Wife (2009) and Power (2014).

77. Ann Biderman

Writer | NYPD Blue

Ann Biderman was born on August 15, 1951. She is a writer and producer, known for NYPD Blue (1993), Copycat (1995) and Primal Fear (1996).

78. David Hollander

Producer | Ray Donovan

David Hollander was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Mount Lebanon High School and Sewickley Academy before going to Northwestern University. He began his career as a playwright before turning his attention to film and television. He has served on the faculty of the USC Graduate ...

79. Kurt Sutter

Producer | Sons of Anarchy

Raised in the shadow of Rahway prison, Sutter spent most of his New Jersey childhood indoors, away from people, three feet from a TV screen. That's where he learned the essentials of storytelling and the comic significance of anvils.

After graduating from Rutgers University with a BA in Film, Kurt ...

80. 50 Cent

Soundtrack | Get Rich or Die Tryin'

50 Cent (Curtis James Jackson) is an American rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur.

He began a musical career and in 2000 he produced Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records, but days before the planned release he was shot and the album was never released. In 2002, after Jackson released the ...

81. Alex Kurtzman

Producer | Sleepy Hollow

Alex Kurtzman is an American filmmaker and screenwriter. He directed People Like Us and the panned 2017 reboot The Mummy starring Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella. He wrote Transformers 1 and 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Star Trek, The Island and Cowboys & Aliens. He also created the TV show Fringe.

82. Gene Roddenberry

Writer | Star Trek

While in junior high school, he became interested in science fiction, and years later while reading a copy of 'Astounding Stories' when he was working as an airline pilot, he decided to give it up and become a writer. He moved West and joined the Los Angeles police force to gain experience that ...

83. George Lucas

Writer | Star Wars

George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Thomas Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional racecar ...

84. Michael Bay

Producer | Armageddon

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and Divinyls. His work won...

85. Carlton Cuse

Producer | Lost

Born in Mexico City, Cuse grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and in Orange County, California. He attended Harvard University, graduating with a degree in American History.

Cuse, along with Damon Lindelof, served as writer and showrunner for all six seasons of Lost (2004) for ABC. He wrote, directed,...

86. Brad Fuller

Producer | A Quiet Place

Brad Fuller was born on November 5, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a producer, known for A Quiet Place (2018), A Quiet Place Part II (2020) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).

87. Mike Flanagan

Writer | The Fall of the House of Usher

Mike Flanagan is a prolific writer, director, and editor. He entered into an exclusive overall deal with Amazon Studios in 2023 for television projects (after a similar exclusive deal with Netflix from 2018-2022), and has made feature films for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Netflix and more. ...

88. Lynda La Plante

Writer | Prime Suspect

Lynda La Plante was born on March 15, 1943 in Liverpool, England, UK. She is a writer and actress, known for Prime Suspect (1991), Prime Suspect 3 (1993) and Widows (2018). She was previously married to Richard La Plante.

89. Neil Cross

Writer | Luther

Neil Cross is known for Luther (2010), Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023) and The Mosquito Coast (2021).

90. Anthony E. Zuiker

Writer | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Anthony E. Zuiker is the creator of television's hugely successful "CSI" franchise, currently serving as executive producer of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and the newest series in the franchise, "CSI: Cyber." In December of 2014, Zuiker made his debut in the kids market with "Mysteryopolis," a...

91. Naren Shankar

Producer | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Naren Shankar is the Executive Producer/Showrunner of the critically acclaimed television adaptation of the international best-seller science fiction novel series, The Expanse, an Amazon Prime Original Series from Alcon Television Studios.

Naren spent eight seasons as a Writer-Executive Producer and...

92. James Duff

Producer | The Closer

James Duff was born on September 3, 1955 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Closer (2005), Major Crimes (2012) and Star Trek: Picard (2020). He has been married to Phillip P. Keene since 2013.

93. Erica Messer

Producer | Criminal Minds

Erica Messer is known for Criminal Minds (2005), The Biggest Little Farm (2018) and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016).

94. Steve Franks

Producer | Psych

Steve Franks was creator, writer, and executive producer of the USA Network original series Psych.

A southern California native, Franks earned a BA in English from the University of California, Irvine in 1991 while also doing stand-up comedy and fronting the popular Orange County band, Friendly ...

95. Richard D. Zanuck

Producer | Driving Miss Daisy

Richard D. Zanuck was born on December 13, 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a producer and production manager, known for Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Cocoon (1985) and Deep Impact (1998). He was married to Lili Fini Zanuck, Linda Harrison and Lili Gentle. He died on July 13, 2012 in ...

96. J. Michael Straczynski

Writer | Babylon 5

J. Michael Straczynski was born on July 17, 1954 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Babylon 5 (1993), Changeling (2008) and Jeremiah (2002). He was previously married to Kathryn M. Drennan.

97. Manny Coto

Producer | American Horror Story

Emmy Award-winning producer/writer and director Hector Manuel Coto was born in Havana, Cuba, one of four siblings of Spanish-Galician ancestry. His parents, Manuel (a doctor) and Norma (a teacher), were refugees from the Castro regime who settled near Orlando, Florida. Coto developed an early ...

98. D.J. Nash

Producer | A Million Little Things

D.J. Nash is known for A Million Little Things (2018), 'Til Death (2006) and Traffic Light (2011).

99. Jim Henson

Soundtrack | The Muppet Show

Jim Henson never thought that he would make a name of himself in puppetry; it was merely a way of getting himself on television. The vehicle that achieved it was Sam and Friends (1955), a late-night puppet show that was on after the 11:00 news in Washington DC. It proved to be very popular and ...

100. Brian Henson

Producer | The Muppet Christmas Carol

Brian, the son of Jim Henson, grew up with his parents who had created The Muppets, Playing with puppets alongside his brother and 3 sisters was natural to him. By the time he was 17 he had enough skill as a puppeteer to perform with his father in The Great Muppet Caper but he didn't think the ...