Michelle MacLaren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michelle MacLaren
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| Occupation | Director, producer |
| Years active | 1989–present |
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Notable work
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Game of Thrones The Walking Dead Breaking Bad Harsh Realm The X-Files Westworld Booker Better Call Saul |
| Relatives | Ashleigh Banfield (cousin) |
Michelle Maxwell MacLaren is a Canadian television director and producer. She has directed episodes for many popular TV shows. These include The X-Files, Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Westworld.
Michelle MacLaren won two Primetime Emmy Awards in a row. She won them for producing the TV show Breaking Bad in 2013 and 2014.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Michelle MacLaren grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She went to Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Michelle is also a cousin of the well-known TV news anchor Ashleigh Banfield.
Michelle MacLaren's Career in TV and Film
"I don't see myself as a female director, I see myself as a director who happens to be a woman."
Starting as a Director
MacLaren first directed an episode of The X-Files. This episode was called "John Doe" and aired in season nine. The writer of this episode, Vince Gilligan, later worked with her on Breaking Bad. When she films action scenes, she thinks of it like solving a math problem. She often uses several cameras and wide lenses to capture the action.
Awards and Recognition
Michelle MacLaren has been nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards for her work on Breaking Bad. She was nominated twice for directing episodes: "One Minute" in 2010 and "Gliding Over All" in 2013. She was also nominated four times for Outstanding Drama Series as an executive producer. She won this award in 2013 and 2014.
She also won two Producers Guild of America Award for Best Episodic Drama awards for Breaking Bad in 2014 and 2015. On the tenth anniversary of Breaking Bad, a website called io9 called MacLaren the "MVP" (Most Valuable Player) among the show's directors. She directed 11 episodes, more than any other director on the series.
Working with HBO and Other Projects
In 2014, MacLaren signed a special two-year deal with HBO. This meant she would work on new projects for them first.
In November 2014, it was announced that MacLaren would direct the movie Wonder Woman. This was going to be the first solo movie for the famous superhero. However, in April 2015, she left the project because of "creative differences." This means she and the studio had different ideas about how the movie should be made.
She was also an executive producer and directed the first episode of David Simon's HBO show The Deuce. She was the first director hired and helped set the overall style of the show, which was set in the 1970s.
In August 2016, it was announced that MacLaren would direct a movie based on the book The Nightingale. She was interested in this project because it was a "muscular" story. She liked that the female characters were unexpected heroes.
In the same year, she directed an episode of the HBO series Westworld. When the directors for the final season of Game of Thrones were announced, many news sites were disappointed. Michelle MacLaren was the only woman to direct on the series, but she was not included in the final season.
In December 2017, MacLaren visited the Dubai International Film Festival. She was a special guest of OSN, a TV network.
In January 2018, it was confirmed that MacLaren would direct the film Cowboy Ninja Viking. She is also working on a miniseries for HBO with Vince Gilligan. It is called Raven and is based on the Jonestown massacre.
Film and TV Work
Michelle MacLaren has directed and produced many films and TV series.
Films
- Population 436 (2006)
TV Series
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer |
Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2002 | The X-Files | Yes | Co-Executive | "John Doe" |
| 2002 | Without a Trace | Yes | No | "Midnight Sun" |
| 2003 | John Doe | Yes | No | "John D.O.A." |
| 2005 | Night Stalker | No | Yes | "Pilot" |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Yes | No | "Infected" |
| Kyle XY | Yes | No | "Blame it on the Rain" | |
| 2009–2013 | Breaking Bad | Yes | Yes | "To'hajiilee" |
| "Buried" | ||||
| "Gliding Over All" | ||||
| "Madrigal" | ||||
| "Salud" | ||||
| "Shotgun" | ||||
| "Thirty-Eight Snub" | ||||
| "Abiquiu" | ||||
| "One Minute" | ||||
| "I.F.T." | ||||
| "4 Days Out" | ||||
| 2010 | Memphis Beat | Yes | No | "Suspicious Minds" |
| Lie to Me | Yes | No | "Dirty Loyal" | |
| The Event | Yes | No | "Your World to Take" | |
| 2010–2014 | The Walking Dead | Yes | No | "A" |
| "Pretty Much Dead Already" | ||||
| "Guts" | ||||
| 2011 | Camelot | Yes | No | "Igraine" |
| Hell on Wheels | Yes | No | "Revelations" | |
| 2012 | NCIS | Yes | No | "Need to Know" |
| The River | Yes | No | "Doctor Emmet Cole" | |
| 2013 | Chicks 'n' Guns | Yes | Yes | Breaking Bad bonus scene |
| 2013–2014 | Game of Thrones | Yes | No | "First of His Name" |
| "Oathkeeper" | ||||
| "Second Sons" | ||||
| "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" | ||||
| 2014 | The Leftovers | Yes | No | "Cairo" |
| 2015–2022 | Better Call Saul | Yes | No | "Nippy" |
| "Breathe" | ||||
| "Mijo" | ||||
| 2016 | Westworld | Yes | No | "The Well-Tempered Clavier" |
| 2017 | Modern Family | Yes | No | "All Things Being Equal" |
| 2017–2019 | The Deuce | Yes | Yes | "My Name Is Ruby" |
| "Pilot" | ||||
| 2019 | The Morning Show | Yes | No | "Lonely at the Top" |
| 2021 | Coyote | Yes | No | "Silver or Lead" |
| Yes | No | "Call of the Void" | ||
| 2024 | Constellation | Yes | Yes | "Live and Let Die" |
| Yes | Yes | "The Wounded Angel" |
TV Movies
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Shame | No | Yes |
| 1993 | For the Love of My Child: The Anissa Ayala Story | No | Yes |
| Moment of Truth: A Child Too Many | No | Yes | |
| 1994 | Moment of Truth: To Walk Again | No | Yes |
| Moment of Truth: Broken Pledges | No | Yes | |
| Heart of a Child | No | Yes | |
| Moment of Truth: A Mother's Deception | No | Yes | |
| 1995 | The Other Mother: A Moment of Truth Movie | No | Yes |
| 1997 | A Child's Wish | No | Yes |
| 1998 | Beauty | No | Yes |
| 1999 | A Song from the Heart | Yes | Executive |
Awards and Nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Episode | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Outstanding Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Won | |||
| 2014 | Won | |||
| 2010 | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | "One Minute" | Nominated | |
| 2013 | "Gliding Over All" | Nominated |
Producers Guild of America Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Best Episodic Drama | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| 2013 | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Won | ||
| 2015 | Won |
See also
In Spanish: Michelle MacLaren para niños
