Michael Cuesta
Encyclopedia
Michael Cuesta is an American film and television director. Cuesta co-wrote and directed the 2001 independent film, L.I.E.
. He has directed and produced television series including Six Feet Under, Dexter and Blue Bloods.
in 1985. Cuesta co-wrote (with Stephen Ryder and Gerald Cuesta) and directed the 2001 independent film, L.I.E.
which starred Paul Dano
, Brian Cox, Billy Kay
, and Bruce Altman
. L.I.E. received critical acclaim and two Independent Spirit Awards
at the Sundance Film Festival
.
His film L.I.E. led him to become a regular director for the HBO original series, Six Feet Under which aired from 2001–05. According to executive producer Alan Poul
, "During the second season, we had hired a director for the fourth episode, but he fell out one week before the start of pre-production. Alan Ball and I were alarmed, but that night we went to see L.I.E., and it was a revelation. The next morning we booked Michael. He's a fantastic fit for the show." Michael Cuesta became a regular director during the 2002 season of Six Feet Under and directed five episodes of the series including the fourth season premiere, "Falling Into Place".
In addition to Six Feet Under and L.I.E., Cuesta has also directed the film, 12 and Holding, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2005 and was released by IFC Films
theatrically in 2006. Other projects include an adaptation of the novel, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint.
In 2006 Cuesta directed the pilot episode of the Showtime series, Dexter
. The show features Six Feet Under star Michael C. Hall
in the lead role. Cuesta joined the production staff for the first season and also directed further episodes including the season finale. He left the crew at the end of the first season.
He also directed the second season finale for the HBO series True Blood which was created and executive produced by Alan Ball. Ball was the creator and show runner of Six Feet Under.
Cuesta would have executive produced Babylon Fields
, a television series about zombies proposed for the 2007–2008 season. The show was not picked up.
Cuesta directed and executive produced the pilot episode for CBS drama Blue Bloods in 2010. The series was created by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
and focuses on a family of New York police officers. He returned to direct the eighth episode of the first season "Chinatown".
L.I.E.
L.I.E. is a 2001 American independent film about a relationship between Howie, a 15-year-old boy, and a pedophile known as 'Big John'. The title is an acronym for the Long Island Expressway. The film was directed by Michael Cuesta, who has said that the film is about exploring sexuality...
. He has directed and produced television series including Six Feet Under, Dexter and Blue Bloods.
Biography
He received a BFA in photography from the School of Visual ArtsSchool of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
in 1985. Cuesta co-wrote (with Stephen Ryder and Gerald Cuesta) and directed the 2001 independent film, L.I.E.
L.I.E.
L.I.E. is a 2001 American independent film about a relationship between Howie, a 15-year-old boy, and a pedophile known as 'Big John'. The title is an acronym for the Long Island Expressway. The film was directed by Michael Cuesta, who has said that the film is about exploring sexuality...
which starred Paul Dano
Paul Dano
Paul Franklin Dano is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in films such as L.I.E. , The Girl Next Door , Little Miss Sunshine , There Will Be Blood , and Where the Wild Things Are .-Early life:Dano was born in New York City, the son of Gladys and Paul Dano...
, Brian Cox, Billy Kay
Billy Kay (actor)
William Nathan "Billy" Kay is an American film and television actor. He played Lance Norway in 2003's The Battle of Shaker Heights, an independent film made following the Project Greenlight contest...
, and Bruce Altman
Bruce Altman
Bruce Altman is an American film and television actor. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.-Film:*Regarding Henry - Bruce*My New Gun - Irwin Bloom*Glengarry Glen Ross - Larry Spannel...
. L.I.E. received critical acclaim and two Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
.
His film L.I.E. led him to become a regular director for the HBO original series, Six Feet Under which aired from 2001–05. According to executive producer Alan Poul
Alan Poul
Alan Mark Poul is an American film and television producer and director.-Career:Poul served as executive producer for the HBO original series, Six Feet Under, on which he made his directing debut...
, "During the second season, we had hired a director for the fourth episode, but he fell out one week before the start of pre-production. Alan Ball and I were alarmed, but that night we went to see L.I.E., and it was a revelation. The next morning we booked Michael. He's a fantastic fit for the show." Michael Cuesta became a regular director during the 2002 season of Six Feet Under and directed five episodes of the series including the fourth season premiere, "Falling Into Place".
In addition to Six Feet Under and L.I.E., Cuesta has also directed the film, 12 and Holding, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2005 and was released by IFC Films
IFC Films
IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York, owned by AMC Networks. It distributes independent films and documentaries under the IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. It operates the IFC Center....
theatrically in 2006. Other projects include an adaptation of the novel, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint.
In 2006 Cuesta directed the pilot episode of the Showtime series, Dexter
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
. The show features Six Feet Under star Michael C. Hall
Michael C. Hall
Michael Carlyle Hall is an American actor whose television roles include David Fisher on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter. In 2009, Hall won a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Dexter.-Early life:Hall was born in...
in the lead role. Cuesta joined the production staff for the first season and also directed further episodes including the season finale. He left the crew at the end of the first season.
He also directed the second season finale for the HBO series True Blood which was created and executive produced by Alan Ball. Ball was the creator and show runner of Six Feet Under.
Cuesta would have executive produced Babylon Fields
Babylon Fields
Babylon Fields was a proposed television series that featured reanimated zombies as characters. Rather than being portrayed as malevolent monsters, however, the recently deceased return to their homes and attempt to pick up their lives. The pilot had elements of black comedy as well as drama...
, a television series about zombies proposed for the 2007–2008 season. The show was not picked up.
Cuesta directed and executive produced the pilot episode for CBS drama Blue Bloods in 2010. The series was created by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
Mitchell Burgess
Mitchell Burgess is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. He worked extensively on the HBO hit-series The Sopranos. He was a creator and executive producer for Blue Bloods. He frequently works with his wife Robin Green.-Career:...
and focuses on a family of New York police officers. He returned to direct the eighth episode of the first season "Chinatown".
Producer
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Blue Bloods | Executive producer | Pilot only |
| 2008 | The Oaks | Executive producer | Pilot only |
| 2007 | Babylon Fields | Executive producer | Pilot only |
| 2006 | Dexter | Co-executive producer | Season 1 |
Director
| Year | Show | Season | Episode title | Episode | Original airdate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Blue Bloods Blue Bloods (TV series) Blue Bloods is an American police procedural/drama series on CBS, filmed on location in New York City. The show premiered on September 24, 2010, with episodes airing on Fridays at 10:00 pm Eastern and Pacific/9:00 PM Central and Mountain.... |
1 | "Chinatown" | 8 | 12 November 2010 | |
| "Pilot" | 1 | 24 September 2010 | ||||
| 2009 | True Blood | 2 True Blood (season 2) The second season of the television series True Blood commenced airing in the United States on June 14, 2009, concluded on September 13, 2009, and contains 12 episodes.... |
"Beyond Here Lies Nothin' Beyond Here Lies Nothin' (True Blood) "Beyond Here Lies Nothin" is the 12th and final episode of the second season of True Blood and the show's 24th overall. The episode, which was written by Alexander Woo and directed by Michael Cuesta, originally aired in the United States on HBO on September 13, 2009... " |
12 | 13 September 2009 | Season finale |
| 2008 | The Oaks The Oaks (TV series) The Oaks was an American Supernatural drama television pilot, created by David Schulner for the Fox network's 2008/2009 season. The addition to the Fox line up was speculated to be a much needed high concept drama, purportedly to compete in ratings with ABC's Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's... |
1 | "Amelia" | 1 | October 2008 | Pilot episode |
| 2007 | Babylon Fields | 1 | "Pilot" | 1 | Unaired | |
| 2006 | Dexter Dexter (TV series) Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer... |
1 Dexter (season 1) The first season of Dexter is an adaptation of Jeff Lindsay's first novel in the Dexter series, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Subsequent seasons have featured original storylines. This season aired from October 1, 2006 to December 17, 2006, and follows Dexter's investigation of "The Ice Truck Killer"... |
"Born Free" | 12 | 17 December 2006 | Season finale |
| "Seeing Red" | 10 | 3 December 2006 | ||||
| "Popping Cherry" | 3 | 15 October 2006 | ||||
| "Crocodile" | 2 | 8 October 2006 | ||||
| "Dexter Dexter (episode) "Dexter", or "Pilot", is the pilot and first episode of the first season of American television drama series Dexter, which premiered on October 1, 2006 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by developer James Manos, Jr. and directed by Michael Cuesta. It was based on the opening... " |
1 | 1 October 2006 | Pilot episode | |||
| 2005 | Six Feet Under | 5 | "Static" | 11 | 14 August 2005 | |
| 2004 | 4 | "Falling into Place" | 1 | 13 June 2004 | ||
| 2003 | 3 | "You Never Know" | 2 | 9 March 2003 | ||
| 2002 | 2 | "Someone Else's Eyes" | 9 | 28 April 2002 | ||
| "Driving Mr. Mossback" | 4 | 24 March 2002 | ||||