Bryan Gordon

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title: "Bryan Gordon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-male-film-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "american-television-directors", "american-television-producers", "american-television-writers", "american-male-television-writers", "gordon-family-(show-business)", "university-of-delaware-alumni", "living-people", "year-of-birth-missing-(living-people)", "directors-guild-of-america-award-winners", "people-from-dover,-delaware", "film-directors-from-delaware", "screenwriters-from-delaware", "dover-high-school-(delaware)-alumni", "jewish-american-male-actors"] description: "American actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Gordon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actor ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Bryan Gordon
birth_place	Dover, Delaware, U.S.
nationality	American
occupation	Director, writer, producer, actor
spouse	Jessie Nelson
children	Molly Gordon
::

| name = Bryan Gordon | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Dover, Delaware, U.S. | nationality = American | education = | occupation = Director, writer, producer, actor | spouse = Jessie Nelson | children = Molly Gordon

Bryan Gordon is an American film and television director, writer, actor and producer who is primarily known for directing comedy television shows.

Early life

Gordon was born and raised in Dover, Delaware. He graduated from Dover High School. in 1969. He is Jewish.

Career

After college, Gordon moved to New York City and started his career as a comedy writer on the ABC late night variety show Fridays in the early 1980s. He became an independent filmmaker, writing and directing the Academy Award-winning short film Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987). His other film directing credits include his full-length directorial debut Career Opportunities (1991), written by John Hughes and starring Frank Whaley and Jennifer Connelly and Pie in the Sky (1996) starring Josh Charles, Anne Heche, Charles Grodin and John Goodman.

Gordon has directed episodes on such TV series as Grace and Frankie, The Office, Weeds, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The West Wing, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Sports Night (also starring Josh Charles), Curb Your Enthusiasm (created, written by and starring Larry David, Gordon's co-worker on Fridays),) Freaks and Geeks and The Wonder Years.

He has directed numerous television pilots — among them One Tree Hill — setting the look and design for the series. He directed and produced the TBS pilot The Wedding Band that premiered in 2012. Also in 2012, he directed the 30 for 30 documentary short for ESPN, "The Arnold Palmer",

In 2009 and 2010, he directed and produced the series Party Down for the Starz Network. In 2015, he co-created, executive produced, and directed Yahoo Screen original series Sin City Saints.

Honors and awards

Gordon has been nominated three times for the Directors Guild of America Award. In 2002, he received its Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.

He also been nominated for an Emmy Award twice — both for his work on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which he directed numerous episodes over its entire run.

He is a member of his alma mater the University of Delaware's Wall of Fame.

Personal life

Bryan Gordon is married to filmmaker Jessie Nelson. They reside in Los Angeles and have a daughter, actress Molly Gordon (b. 1995).

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Notes
1987	Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall	Director and writer
1991	Career Opportunities	Director
1995	Pie in the Sky	Director and writer
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Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Notes
1977-1978	Laugh-In	Writer, 2 episodes
1980-1981	Fridays	Writer, 37 episodes
1991-1992	The Wonder Years	Director, 2 episodes
1993	Bakersfield, P.D.	Director, episode "The Snake Charmer"
1999	Action	Director, episode "Blood Money"
1999-2000	Freaks and Geeks	Director, 2 episodes
2000	Ally McBeal	Director, episode "The Oddball Parade"
Sports Night	Director, episode "Draft Day: Part I — It Can't Rain at Indian Wells"
M.Y.O.B.	Director, 2 episodes
Gideon's Crossing	Director, episode "Freak Show"
Boston Public	Director, episode "Chapter Four"
The Michael Richards Show	Director, episode "The Consultant"
2000-2017	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Director, 9 episodes
2001	The West Wing	Director, episode "The Stackhouse Filibuster"
Dead Last	Director, episode "Gastric Distress"
2001-2002	Maybe It's Me	Director, 6 episodes
2002	Hidden Hills	Director, episode "Christmas"
That Was Then	Director, episode "Under Noah's Certain Terms"
Do Over	Director, episode "Hollyween (a.k.a. Halloween Kiss)"
2003	Andy Richter Controls the Universe	Director, episode "Bully the Kid"
The O'Keefes	Director, episode "Election"
One Tree Hill	Director, 2 episodes
2004	Jack & Bobby	Director, episode "The Lost Boys"
2005-2006	The Office	Director, 2 episodes: "The Alliance" and "The Injury"
2006	Weeds	Director, episode "Last Tango in Agrestic"
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip	Director, episode "B-12"
Help Me Help You	Director, episode "Raging Bill"
2007	Life Is Wild	Director, episode "Pilot"
2009-2010	Party Down	Director, 9 episodes; Producer, 15 episodes
2010	Childrens Hospital	Director, 2 episodes
2011	Mr. Sunshine	Director, 2 episodes
The Paul Reiser Show	Director, episode "Pilot"
Man Up!	Director, episode "Wingmen"
Portlandia	Consulting producer, 6 episodes
2012	Free Agents	Director, episode "Are You There, Helen? It's Me, God"
Wedding Band	Director and producer, episode "Pilot"
30 for 30	Director, episode "The Arnold Palmer"
Up All Night	Director, 2 episodes
2013	How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)	Director, episode "How to Not Screw Up Your Kid"
Trophy Wife	Director, episode "Cold File"
Welcome to the Family	Director, episode "Junior Takes a Stand"
2013-2014	The Neighbors	Director, 2 episodes
2014	Bad Teacher	Director, episode "Fieldtrippers"
2015	Sin City Saints	Creator and executive producer, 8 episodes; Director, 6 episodes
Grace and Frankie	Director, episode "The Dinner"
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Acting

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	The Edge of Night	Ewell	Unknown episode
1979	The Seeding of Sarah Burns	Roger Deems
California Fever	Mel Gaines	Episode "The Underground Jock"
1980	Seeds of Innocence	Dr. Beyers
1985	Amazing Stories	Father	Episode "Fine Tuning"
1994	Corrina, Corrina	Business Associate
1998	Sour Grapes	Doug
::

References

References

1. Cingari, Jennifer. (November 12, 2012). "Front & Center: Comedy director Bryan Gordon on directing 30 for 30 short film, The Arnold Palmer". ESPN.
2. Cormier, Ryan. (October 30, 2009). "'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' Delaware-style".
3. "University of Delaware Prominent Alumni".
4. Handler, Rachel. (March 26, 2021). "Molly Gordon Didn't Mean to Steal That Scene".
5. "The Arnold Palmer". ESPN.
6. (March 20, 2013). "The Nominees for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards". The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
7. (2 March 2003). "DGA Announces Winners of 2002 Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards & Recipients of DGA 2003 Special Recognition Awards". [[Directors Guild of America]].
8. "Inductees to the Wall of Fame".

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