John Dahl

John Dahl (born 1956) is an American film and television director and writer, best known for his work in the neo-noir genre.[1]

John Dahl
Dahl at a screening for You Kill Me in San Francisco, California, June 14, 2007
Born	1956 (age 63–64) Billings, Montana, United States
Alma mater	Montana State University-Bozeman AFI Conservatory
Occupation	Film director, television director, screenwriter
Years active	1989–present

Life and career

John Dahl was born in Billings, Montana, the second of four children (his brother is filmmaker Rick Dahl).[2] Dahl spent his young life in and around Montana all the way up through his college years. His interest in film began at the age of seventeen, when he first saw A Clockwork Orange, as told to Robert K. Elder in an interview for The Film That Changed My Life.

This film captured my imagination so much. It was the first film that I saw that made me realize that somebody has to make this stuff. Somebody has to build those sets. Somebody has to paint those paintings. All of a sudden it became accessible. The movie was so compelling and interesting to me on so many levels. The one thing that struck me was that somebody made a movie, and that it was something that maybe, possibly, I could do.[3]

— John Dahl

He first attended the Montana State University, and then transferred to Montana State University's School of Film and Photography, where he received a degree in film. While at MSU, Dahl was a student of Bill Pullman. His first feature film at MSU was titled The Death Mutants made for $12,000. While at Montana State he played guitar in the punk rock band "The Pugs". He also met his wife, Beth Friedberg at MSU, and after graduation they both left Montana to attend the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles. He entered the directors program and she entered the cinematography program.

Dahl started his career as a storyboard artist and assistant director. He continued through the eighties making short films and directing music videos for Kool & the Gang and Joe Satriani. Dahl's first two films were Kill Me Again and Red Rock West.[4] His third feature film was the crime thriller, The Last Seduction starring Linda Fiorentino.[4] Fiorentino's performance in the film, although critically acclaimed, was not eligible to receive an Oscar nomination because it aired on cable television before its theatrical release. The Last Seduction also starred Dahl's former college professor, Bill Pullman.[4]

Filmography

As Director

Film

Year	Title	Notes
1989	Kill Me Again	Also writer
1993	Red Rock West	Also writer
1994	The Last Seduction
1996	Unforgettable
1998	Rounders
2001	Joy Ride
2005	The Great Raid
2007	You Kill Me

Television

Year	Title	Notes
1995	Fallen Angels	Episode "Tomorrow I Die"
2005	Tilt	Episode "Shuffle Up and Deal"
2007	Life	Episode "Powerless"
2007-2014	Californication	10 episodes
2008-2010	True Blood	4 episodes
2008-2013	Dexter	16 episodes
2009	Fear Itself	Episode "Chance"
	Battlestar Galactica	Episode "The Oath"
	United States of Tara	2 episodes
	Breaking Bad	Episode "Down"
2009-2013	The Vampire Diaries	4 episodes
2010	Terriers	Episode "Agua Caliente"
	Caprica	2 episodes
2010-2011	Hellcats	2 episodes
2010-2015	Justified	6 episodes
2011-2012	Shameless	2 episodes
2012	Falling Skies	Episode "Love and Other Acts of Courage"
	Homeland	Episode "The Clearing"
	Arrow	Episode "Year's End"
2013	Person of Interest	Episode "Dead Reckoning"
2013-2014	The Americans	2 episodes
	The Bridge	3 episodes
2013-2015	Hannibal	2 episodes
2013-2020	Ray Donovan	11 episodes
2014	Outlander	2 episodes
	The Strain	Episode "Loved Ones"
2015	House of Cards	2 episodes
	House of Lies	2 episodes
	Aquarius	Episode "It's Alright Ma. (I'm Only Bleeding.)"
	Jessica Jones	Episode "AKA Sin Bin"
2015-2017	The Affair	5 episodes
2016	Kingdom	2 episodes
2016-2020	Billions	4 episodes
2017	Iron Fist	2 episodes; also executive producer, 1 episode
	The Good Doctor	Episode "Oliver"
2017-2018	SEAL Team	2 episodes
2018	The Looming Tower	2 episodes
2019-2020	Yellowstone	4 episodes
2019	The Walking Dead	Episode "The World Before"
	Evil	Episode "7 Swans a Singin"
	For All Mankind	2 episodes
2020	Servant	Episode "Balloon"

As Writer

Year	Title	Notes
1987	P.I. Private Investigations
1989	Kill Me Again	Also director
1993	Red Rock West	Also director

References

1. "John Dahl". New York Times (online). Retrieved August 6, 2011.
2. "John Dahl Biography (1956-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
3. Dahl, John. Interview by Robert K. Elder. The Film That Changed My Life. By Robert K. Elder. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2011. N. p68. Print.
4. Maslin, Janet (October 26, 1994). "THE LAST SEDUCTION; A Femme Fatale Who Lives Up To the Description". The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2012.

External links

• John Dahl on IMDb