Rob Epstein

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title: "Rob Epstein" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1955-births", "living-people", "film-directors-from-new-jersey", "film-producers-from-new-jersey", "directors-of-best-documentary-feature-academy-award-winners", "glaad-media-awards-winners", "grammy-award-winners", "news-&-documentary-emmy-award-winners", "lgbtq-people-from-new-jersey", "american-lgbtq-film-directors", "people-from-new-brunswick,-new-jersey", "sundance-film-festival-award-winners"] description: "American film director, producer, writer and editor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Epstein" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American film director, producer, writer and editor ::

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

Field	Value
image	File:Rob Epstein (cropped).jpg
caption	Epstein in 2013
birth_date
birth_place	New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
years_active	1978–present
birth_name	Robert P. Epstein
occupation	Film director and producer
::

| image = File:Rob Epstein (cropped).jpg | caption = Epstein in 2013 | birth_date = | birth_place = New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. | years_active = 1978–present | birth_name = Robert P. Epstein | occupation = Film director and producer | spouse = | awards =

Robert P. Epstein (born April 6, 1955), is an American director, producer, writer, and editor. He is known for directing numerous documentaries, several of them focusing on the LGBTQ community and has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award.

Epstein won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature twice for the films The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film for End Game (2018). He also directed the documentaries Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (1977), The AIDS Show (1986), The Celluloid Closet (1996), and Paragraph 175 (2000). He made his narrative directorial film debut with the historical drama Howl (2010) followed by Lovelace (2013).

Career

In 1987, Epstein and his filmmaking partner Jeffrey Friedman founded Telling Pictures, a production company that focused on feature documentaries. Epstein's works also include scripted narratives such as Howl, his award-winning film about Allen Ginsberg's controversial poem by the same name (starring James Franco), and Lovelace, the story about the life and trials of pornographic superstar Linda Lovelace (starring Amanda Seyfried).

Personal life

Epstein is the co-chair of the Film Program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco and Oakland, California. He is gay.

Filmography

Narrative films

::data[format=table] | Year | |Title | Director | Producer | Write | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2010 | Howl | | | | | | 2013 | Lovelace | | | | | ::

Documentaries

::data[format=table] | Year | |Title | Director | Producer | Editor | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1977 | Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives | | | | | | 1984 | The Times of Harvey Milk | | | | | | 1986 | The AIDS Show | | | | | | 1989 | Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt | | | | | | 1989 | Where Are We? Our Trip Through America | | | | | | 1995 | The Celluloid Closet | | | | | | 2000 | Paragraph 175 | | | | | | 2005 | An Evening with Eddie Gomez | | | | | | 2014 | And the Oscar Goes to... | | | | | | 2018 | End Game | | | | Short film | | 2019 | State of Pride | | | | | | 2019 | Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice | | | | | | 2023 | Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music | | | | | ::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Notes	Ref.
2002	Underground Zero	Segment: "Isiah's Rap"
2002-2004	Crime & Punishment	TV series
2006	10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America	Episode: "Gold Rush"
::

Awards and nominations

::data[format=table]

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1984	Academy Award	Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature	The Times of Harvey Milk
News & Documentary Emmy Awards	Interview/Interviewer - Programs
1989	Academy Award	Best Documentary Feature	Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
1995	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Informational Special	The Celluloid Closet
News & Documentary Emmy Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Directors
2000	News & Documentary Emmy Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Direction	Paragraph 175
Outstanding Historical Documentary - Long Form
2001	GLAAD Media Award	Davidson/Valentini Award	Himself
2018	Academy Award	Best Documentary Short Film	End Game
2019	Grammy Award	Best Music Film	Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
::

References

References

1. . (August 18, 2018). ["Epstein, Robert P., 1955-"](http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no99064633.html). *Library of Congress*.
2. "Rob Epstein Biography". California College of the Arts.
3. "Rob Epstein Biography". Sony Classic Pictures.
4. "-About".
5. Epstein, Rob. (March 3, 2016). "Pioneering Gay Oscar Winner Offers Sam Smith a History Lesson (Guest Column)".
6. [https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/908308 And the Oscar Goes To...-TCM.com]

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::