Born
Alan Taylor (born 1955)
Biography
A former history major who switched to film after losing faith in the academic life, Alan Taylor scored critical approval with his first feature, "Palookaville" (1995), about three young men in Jersey City, NJ, mired in great-rich-quick schemes. Made in association with American Playhouse, the film, which won the Kodak Award at the Venice Film Festival, owed its inspiration to short stories by Italian writer Italo Calvini as well as several classic films, notably "Big Deal on Madonna Street" (1958). Taylor demonstrated his helming skills by negotiating the fine line between absurdist deadpan humor and realism, evoking fine performances from his cast. Eschewing showy camerawork and focusing on the story, the director created a film that featured believable characters, working-class men frustrated by their situations and the strong, independent females in their lives. Taylor first won notice as a filmmaker with his NYU graduate thesis, the short "The Burning Question" (1990), which was inspired by a sequence in Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (1960), and focused on three people who take the subway to see if a rejected lover is really going to set himself afire. Shown at numerous film festivals, and the winner of the Mobil Award for best graduate film of 1990, "The Burning Question" was seen by director Barry Levinson, who hired Taylor to direct an episode of "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC) in 1993. (He subsequently directed a second episode in 1995.) Taylor has also directed episodes of the Canadian TV series "Catwalk" (shown in the USA on MTV) and "Traders" (shown in the USA on Lifetime) as well as music videos, including two featuring his sister, singer Anna Domino.
Also Credited As
Alan Jamieson Taylor
Job Titles
Director
Family
Sister
Anna Domino. Taylor directed music videos featuring Domino
Education
New York University, New York, NY, film, MFA, 1990
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, history, BA
Columbia University, New York, NY, history, MA
Milestones
1990 Made first short, The Burning Question to fulfill requirements of graduation from NYU Film School
1993 Directed episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC)
1995 Feature directorial debut, Palookaville ; screened at the Venice Film Festival
1997 Helmed episodes of the HBO prison drama, Oz
1999 Directed several episodes of the hit HBO series, Sex and the City
1999 Helmed episodes of the critically acclaimed series, The Sopranos ; including the episode Kennedy And Heidi in the final Season, which earned him an Emmy for Directing
1999 Directed episodes of the NBC political drama, The West Wing
2001 Directed Ian Holm in The Emperor s New Clothes ; also penned screenplay
2005 Directed an episode of ABC s Lost in the second season
2007 Directed the pilot episode of the AMC drama series, Mad Men ; eanred an Emmy (2008) nomination for directing the pilot episode Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
At age seven, moved with mother and sister to Italy after parents divorced
Continued to direct several other HBO primetime shows, such as Carnivāle , Deadwood , Rome and Big Love
Directed music videos, including two featuring his sister Anna Domino
Helmed episodes of the Canadian series Catwalk and Traders
Returned to USA at age nine
The Burning Question was screened at various film festivals, including the New York Film Festival and Sundance
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