Michael Uppendahl is an American television and film director.

He is well known for his work on the AMC period drama Mad Men; the FX shows American Horror Story, Fargo, and Legion; and the Fox musical/dramedy Glee.

Career

His first television credit came from directing 4 episodes of the CBS sitcom Becker, from 2003 to 2004.^[1][2] He wrote, directed and produced the 2009 short film A Hundred & Forty-Six Questions, starring Jamie Anne Allman.^{[citation needed]}

Since 2008, Uppendahl has directed 7 hours of the AMC drama Mad Men, for which he has received critical acclaim.^[1] In 2011 and 2012, Uppendahl joined the crews of Fox's Glee and FX's American Horror Story, directing 2 episodes of the former and 3 of the latter.^[1]

In 2013, Uppendahl made his feature film directorial debut with Grounded (formerly under the working title, Quad), a drama about a salesman that becomes a quadriplegic. It was co-written by Michael Burke, Mike Young, Robin Veith, and Brett Johnson. Jeff Daniels, Lena Olin, Aaron Paul, and Tom Berenger star.^[1][3] The film was later renamed Adam and released in 2020.

Uppendahl served as co-executive producer and director on the first season of Marvel's Legion; which airs on FX. The series centers on David Haller, possibly the most powerful mutant on the planet.

Filmography

Television credits