Brad Falchuk
Encyclopedia
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director
and producer
. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck
, Glee
, and American Horror Story
.
, where he attended Beaver Country Day School
. In high school, he tried to stand out from his classmates by wearing a tie to school each day and declaring himself a Republican
. He said, "I was always trying to look smart because I didn't feel smart"; he actually suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia
. He claims to have been a jock in high school, having played baseball, basketball and lacrosse. He later attended the American Film Institute
. He also graduated from Hobart College
in 1993.
(2001), Earth: Final Conflict
(2001–2002) and Veritas: The Quest
(2003) before he was hired to work on the first season of Nip/Tuck
in 2003. There he formed a close bond and partnership with the show's creator, Ryan Murphy. Falchuk and Murphy went on to write a television pilot
called Pretty/Handsome
about a transsexual gynecologist—which the FX network bought in 2008 but did not pick up as a series.
As Nip/Tuck neared its sixth and final season, Falchuk and Murphy began to look for their next project and decided to focus on a lighter subject. They teamed up with Ian Brennan
, who had written a screenplay about high school show choir
s, to pitch a one-hour comedy about a glee club
to the Fox Broadcasting Company
. Their pitch was successful and turned into the television show Glee
, which premiered in 2009. Falchuk, Murphy and Brennan received two Writers Guild of America Award
nominations for Best Comedy Series and Best New Series. After the early success of Glee, Falchuk signed a two-year, seven-figure deal with 20th Century Fox Television
which will involve further work on Glee as well as the development of other projects for the studio.
In 2011, Falchuk, along with Murphy, co-created the FX horror drama American Horror Story
. It premiered October 5, 2011.
. He has called Ryan Murphy his closest friend.
In 2008, Falchuk was diagnosed by his father and brother's medical consulting firm to have a serious problem with his spinal cord
. After undergoing emergency spinal surgery, he recovered fully, but his experience inspired parts of the Glee episode "Wheels
".
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
, Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, and American Horror Story
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
.
Early life
Falchuk grew up in Newton, MassachusettsNewton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, where he attended Beaver Country Day School
Beaver Country Day School
Beaver Country Day School is an independent, college preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12 founded in 1920. The school is located on a campus in the village of Chestnut Hill, in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA, near Boston. Beaver is a member of the Cum Laude Society, the...
. In high school, he tried to stand out from his classmates by wearing a tie to school each day and declaring himself a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He said, "I was always trying to look smart because I didn't feel smart"; he actually suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
. He claims to have been a jock in high school, having played baseball, basketball and lacrosse. He later attended the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
. He also graduated from Hobart College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
in 1993.
Career
Falchuk's career in television began as a writer for Mutant XMutant X (TV series)
Mutant X is a science fiction television series that debuted on October 6, 2001. The show was created by Marvel Studios, and it centers around Mutant X, a team of "New Mutants" who possess extraordinary powers as a result of genetic engineering. The members of Mutant X were used as test subjects...
(2001), Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
(2001–2002) and Veritas: The Quest
Veritas: The Quest
Veritas: The Quest is a television program that aired in 2003. It follows a rebellious but intelligent teenager, Nikko Zond, discovering that his father Solomon's profession is much more mystical and adventurous than he previously thought...
(2003) before he was hired to work on the first season of Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
in 2003. There he formed a close bond and partnership with the show's creator, Ryan Murphy. Falchuk and Murphy went on to write a television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
called Pretty/Handsome
Pretty/Handsome
Pretty/Handsome is a 2008 television production by Nip/Tuck director–writer Ryan Murphy that was not picked up by FX, the television network which broadcasts Nip/Tuck.- Cast :* Joseph Fiennes as Bob Fitzpayne...
about a transsexual gynecologist—which the FX network bought in 2008 but did not pick up as a series.
As Nip/Tuck neared its sixth and final season, Falchuk and Murphy began to look for their next project and decided to focus on a lighter subject. They teamed up with Ian Brennan
Ian Brennan
Ian G. Brennan is the official sculptor to the Most Noble Order of the Garter and Honourable Order of the Bath. Brennan has received over ninety-five commissions for the Royal Household, these include over seventy-five carved and painted crowns, coronets and crests. Those of the Garter knights...
, who had written a screenplay about high school show choir
Show choir
A show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.-History:...
s, to pitch a one-hour comedy about a glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
to the Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. Their pitch was successful and turned into the television show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, which premiered in 2009. Falchuk, Murphy and Brennan received two Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
nominations for Best Comedy Series and Best New Series. After the early success of Glee, Falchuk signed a two-year, seven-figure deal with 20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...
which will involve further work on Glee as well as the development of other projects for the studio.
In 2011, Falchuk, along with Murphy, co-created the FX horror drama American Horror Story
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
. It premiered October 5, 2011.
Personal life
Falchuk's brother is Evan Falchuk, the president of Best Doctors, Inc. Falchuk is the son of Nancy Falchuk, the national president of the American Jewish women's organization HadassahHadassah
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America is an American Jewish volunteer women's organization. Founded in 1912 by Henrietta Szold, it is one of the largest international Jewish organizations, with around...
. He has called Ryan Murphy his closest friend.
In 2008, Falchuk was diagnosed by his father and brother's medical consulting firm to have a serious problem with his spinal cord
Spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system...
. After undergoing emergency spinal surgery, he recovered fully, but his experience inspired parts of the Glee episode "Wheels
Wheels (Glee)
"Wheels" is the ninth episode of the American television series Glee. Written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Paris Barclay, the episode premiered on the Fox network on November 11, 2009...
".