The Most Exciting (TV) Authors

1. David Simon

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.

The Wire

2. Noah Hawley

Writer | Fargo

Award-winning Noah Hawley is one of the most accomplished auteurs and versatile storytellers working in television, film and literature. Hawley balances the art of telling cinematic, unforgettable character-driven stories that linger along after you've been immersed in them.

Over the course of his ...

Fargo, Legion

3. David Benioff

Producer | Game of Thrones

David Benioff was born on September 25, 1970 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Game of Thrones (2011), The Kite Runner (2007) and 25th Hour (2002). He has been married to Amanda Peet since September 30, 2006. They have three children.

Game of Thrones

4. 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, "...

Person of Interest

5. Jenji Kohan

Producer | Orange Is the New Black

Jenji Kohan was born on July 5, 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), Weeds (2005) and Tracey Takes On... (1996). She was previously married to Christopher Noxon.

Orange is the New Black

6. Michelle King

Writer | The Good Wife

Michelle King was born on May 11, 1962 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for The Good Wife (2009), Evil (2019) and The Good Fight (2017). She is married to Robert King.

The Good Wife, The Good Fight

7. Sharon Horgan

Actress | Catastrophe

Sharon Lorencia Horgan is an Irish actress, writer, director, comedian and producer. She is best known for the comedy series Pulling (2006-2009) and Catastrophe (2015-2019), both of which she starred in and co-wrote. She also created the HBO comedy series Divorce (2016-2019).

Horgan won the 2008 ...

Catastrophe

8. Matt Duffer

Writer | Stranger Things

Matt Duffer of The Duffer Brothers, born in Durham, February 15, 1984, is a writer, producer, and director for film and television. He is most known as the creator and showrunner of the hit Netflix Sci-Fi TV series Stranger Things. Other works include the thriller film Hidden and he has written ...

Stranger Things

9. Ray McKinnon

Writer | Rectify

Ray McKinnon is a writer, actor, director and producer. He served from 2012 through 2016 as creator, showrunner, writer and director of the Peabody Award winning, Sundance TV series, "Rectify."

As an actor, McKinnon has created a canon of unforgettable, offbeat and richly textured characters. In a ...

Rectify

10. Steven Moffat

Writer | Sherlock

Steven Moffat was born on November 18, 1961 in Paisley, Scotland, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Sherlock (2010), Doctor Who (2005) and The Adventures of Tintin (2011). He has been married to Sue Vertue since 1999. They have two children. He was previously married to Maggie.

Sherlock

11. Charlie Brooker

Writer | Black Mirror

Charlton "Charlie" Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English humourist, critic, author, screenwriter, producer, and television presenter. He is the creator and co-showrunner of the anthology series Black Mirror and has written for programmes such as Brass Eye, The 11 O'Clock Show, and Nathan Barley...

Black Mirror

12. Beau Willimon

Writer | The Ides of March

Beau Willimon is known for The Ides of March (2011), House of Cards (2013) and Andor (2022).

House of Cards

13. Mike Judge

Writer | Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

Mike Judge is an American actor, animator, film director, screenwriter, and television producer.

In 1962, Judge was born in Guayaquil, the largest city of Ecuador and the country's main port. His parents were expatriate Americans. His father was archaeologist William James Judge and his mother was ...

Silicon Valley

14. Nic Pizzolatto

Writer | True Detective

A producer, writer, director and award-winning novelist. He is the author of the collection 'Between Here and the Yellow Sea' and the novel 'Galveston.' He is originally from Southwest Louisiana, and taught literature at several universities, including the University of Chicago, before going into ...

True Detective

15. 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 ...

Big Little Lies

16. Lilly Wachowski

Writer | The Matrix

Director, writer, and producer Lilly Wachowski was born in 1967 in Chicago, the daughter of Lynne, a nurse and painter, and Ron, a businessman. Lilly was educated at Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago, before moving on to Whitney M. Young High School. After graduating from high school, she ...

Sense8

17. Melissa Rosenberg

Producer | Jessica Jones

Melissa Rosenberg was born on August 28, 1962 in Marin County, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Jessica Jones (2015), Dexter (2006) and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010). She has been married to Lev L. Spiro since 1995.

Jessica Jones

18. Joey Soloway

Producer | Transparent

Joey Soloway was born on September 26, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. They are a producer and writer, known for Transparent (2014), Six Feet Under (2001) and United States of Tara (2009). They were previously married to Bruce Gilbert, and for writing and directing the feature Afternoon Delight (...

Transparent

19. Darren Star

Writer | Sex and the City

Darren Star was born on July 25, 1961 in Potomac, Maryland, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Sex and the City (1998), Emily in Paris (2020) and Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990).

Younger, Sex and the City

20. Steve Conrad

Writer | Patriot

Steve Conrad was born in 1968 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Patriot (2015), Wonder (2017) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013).

Patriot

21. 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 ...

Grey's Anatomy

22. Dan Goor

Writer | Parks and Recreation

Dan Goor was born on April 28, 1975 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Parks and Recreation (2009), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013) and Killing It (2022).

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

23. Marta Kauffman

Writer | Friends

Marta Kauffman was born on September 21, 1956 in Broomall, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Friends (1994), Dream On (1990) and Grace and Frankie (2015). She was previously married to Michael Skloff.

Grace and Frankie, Friends

24. Sally Wainwright

Writer | Happy Valley

Sally Wainwright was born in 1964 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, UK. She is a writer and producer, known for Happy Valley (2014), Last Tango in Halifax (2012) and Gentleman Jack (2019).

Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, Scott and Bailey

25. Bruno Heller

Writer | Rome

Bruno Heller was born in 1960 in London, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Rome (2005), The Mentalist (2008) and Gotham (2014).

Rome

26. Adam Price

Writer | Borgen

Adam Price is a Danish screenwriter, playwright, and co-owner and executive-producer at SAM Productions ApS (http://samproductions.dk/).

Adam Price has been acknowledged with several international awards for his work, most recently as creator of the Danish drama series Borgen (2010) (2008-2012) for ...

Borgen

27. Joseph Weisberg

Writer | The Americans

Joseph Weisberg is known for The Americans (2013), The Patient (2022) and Falling Skies (2011).

The Americans

28. Peter Morgan

Writer | Frost/Nixon

Peter Morgan was born on April 10, 1963 in London, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Frost/Nixon (2008), The Last King of Scotland (2006) and The Crown (2016).

The Crown

29. Luca Guadagnino

Director | Call Me by Your Name

Luca Guadagnino was born on August 10, 1971 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. He is a director and producer, known for Call Me by Your Name (2017), Suspiria (2018) and Bones and All (2022).

Call Me By Your Name

30. Greta Gerwig

Writer | Barbie

Greta Gerwig is an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, and director. She has collaborated with Noah Baumbach on several films, including Greenberg (2010), Frances Ha (2012), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination, and Mistress America (2015). Gerwig made her solo directorial debut ...

Lady Bird

31. 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 ...

Writer: Hell or High Water, Sicario

32. Kenneth Lonergan

Writer | Manchester by the Sea

Kenneth Lonergan is a playwright, screenwriter and director. His film, You Can Count on Me (2000), which he wrote and directed, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, won the Sundance 2000 Grand Jury Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, the NY Film Critics Circle, LA Film ...

Manchester by the Sea

33. Amy Sherman-Palladino

Producer | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

An only child, Amy Sherman-Palladino is daughter to comedian Don Sherman & dancer Maybin Hewes.

Originally a dancer herself, Palladino had initially received a callback to the musical Cats, while also having a possible writing position on the staff of Roseanne in rotation. When she and writing ...

Writer: Gilmor Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

34. Nadine Labaki

Actress | Et maintenant on va où?

Nadine Labaki was born on February 18, 1974 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is an actress and director, known for Where Do We Go Now? (2011), Capernaum (2018) and Caramel (2007). She has been married to Khaled Mouzanar since October 2007.

Kapernaum

35. Patty Jenkins

Director | Wonder Woman

Patty Jenkins is a writer/director best known for directing Wonder Woman, the Warner Bros./DC Comics blockbuster of 2017, and her debut feature Monster. Patty also works in television where she is best known for the pilot and finale episode of AMC's hit show The Killing.

Patty began her career as a ...

Wander Woman

36. Laurie Nunn

Writer | Sex Education

Laurie Nunn was born in May 1986 in the UK. Laurie is a writer and producer, known for Sex Education (2019), Gone to Earth (2007) and The Summer House.

Sex Education

37. Lisa McGee

Writer | Derry Girls

Lisa McGee was born on August 17, 1980 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK. She is a writer and producer, known for Derry Girls (2018), The Deceived (2020) and Being Human (2008).

Derry Girls

38. Paolo Sorrentino

Writer | È stata la mano di Dio

Director and screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino was born in Naples in 1970, and and became an orphan when he lost both of his parents at the age of 16. At the age of 25, after studying for a few years at the Faculty of Economics and Business in University of Naples Federico II, he decided to work in the...

Grande Bellezza

39. Pawel Pawlikowski

Director | Zimna wojna

A literature and philosophy graduate, with extensive post-graduate work at Oxford on German literature, Polish-born Pawel Pawlikowski started as a documentary filmmaker in British television.

His second feature, Last Resort (2000), earned him international critical acclaim at numerous festivals, ...

Ida, Cold War

40. Asghar Farhadi

Writer | Forooshande

Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in Iran. He became interested in cinema in his teenage years and started his filmmaking education by joining the Youth Cinema Society of Esfahan in 1986 where he made 8mm and 16mm short films. He received his Bachelors in Theater from University of Tehran's School of...

A Separatiaon, All About Elli

41. Kar-Wai Wong

Director | Yi dai zong shi

Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1956) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylised, emotionally resonant work, including Ah fei zing zyun (1990), Dung che sai duk (1994), Chung Hing sam lam (1994), Do lok tin si (1995), Chun gwong ...

In The Mood For Love

42. Denis Villeneuve

Director | Dune

Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director and writer. He was born in 1967, in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada. He started his career as a filmmaker at the National Film Board of Canada. He is best known for his feature films Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), ...

Arrival, Incendies

43. Pif

Writer | La mafia uccide solo d'estate

Pif was born on June 4, 1972 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. He is a writer and director, known for The Mafia Kills Only in Summer (2013), At War with Love (2016) and E noi come stronzi rimanemmo a guardare (2021).

In Guerra per Amore, The Mafia Kills only in Summer

44. Juan José Campanella

Writer | El secreto de sus ojos

Juan José Campanella was born on July 19, 1959 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a writer and director, known for The Secret in Their Eyes (2009), The Man of Your Dreams (2011) and The Weasel's Tale (2019).

The Secret in Their Eyes

45. Damián Szifron

Editor | Relatos salvajes

Damián Szifron was born on July 9, 1975 in Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a producer and editor, known for Wild Tales (2014), To Catch a Killer (2023) and Los simuladores (2002).

Wild Tales

46. Fabián Bielinsky

Writer | Nueve reinas

He graduated from ENERC (Escuela Nacional de Experimentación y Realización Cinematográfica), the most prestigious film school in Argentina, including Lucrecia Martel among its alumni and Anahí Berneri among its lecturers. He worked in several films as Assistant Director or co-writer, until his ...

Nueve Reinas, Son of the Bride

47. Cesc Gay

Writer | Truman

Cesc Gay was born in 1967 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He is a writer and director, known for Truman (2015), En la ciudad (2003) and Nico and Dani (2000).

A Gun In Each Hand

48. Chloe Zhao

Actress | Ju Sha Zhi Duo Ming Sha Tan

Chloe Zhao was born on October 29, 1987 in Jilin, China. She is an actress, known for Red Water (2021), Duan Nao (2017) and Sexy Underwear (2020).

Nomandland, The Rider

49. Bong Joon Ho

Writer | Snowpiercer

Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean filmmaker. The recipient of three Academy Awards, his filmography is characterized by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black humor, and sudden tone shifts. He first became known to audiences and achieved a cult following with his directorial debut film, the ...

Parasite, Memories of Murder

50. Scott Frank

Writer | Logan

Scott Frank was born on March 10, 1960 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Logan (2017), Out of Sight (1998) and The Lookout (2007).

The Queen s Gambit

51. Emerald Fennell

Writer | Saltburn

Emerald Lilly Fennell is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer. She has received many awards and nominations, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. Fennell first ...

Promising Young Woman

52. Alice Birch

Writer | Lady Macbeth

Alice Birch is an award winning British writer known for Lady Macbeth.

Awards for Lady Macbeth include: Nominated Outstanding Debut & Best British Feature BAFTA 2018, Nominated Best International Film Spirit Awards 2018, Winner 5 British Independent Film Awards 2017 including Best Screenplay, Winner...

Normal People

53. Zerocalcare

Writer | La profezia dell'armadillo

Zerocalcare was born on December 12, 1983 in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. He is a writer and actor, known for The Prophecy of the Armadillo (2018), Tear Along the Dotted Line (2021) and This World Can't Tear Me Down (2023).

Tear Along The Dotted Line