Michael Lange
Encyclopedia
Michael Lange is an American
television director
and record producer
.
, in Mamaroneck, New York and attending Mamaroneck High School where he was heavily involved in music and a bit in drama, Michael Lange first developed a taste for drama in college, where he served as both an actor and director in a number of productions. Although pressured by his parents to become a doctor, he went on to study theatre at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
. After college, he started his own regional theatre in Teaneck, New Jersey
, and was also active in a number of musical groups. He produced and directed several plays at the theatre before moving onto advertising. He then worked at an advertising company, Cunningham & Walsh, for five years as a producer, before he moved to Creamer Advertising in New York
for which he served as head of television and radio production. In 1980, he quit after eight years in the advertising business and moved to California
aspiring to become a film and television director.
in 1982 as a post production assistant and after a year he was promoted to second unit director, in which role he shot almost thirty episodes (second unit only) for the show. He then moved on to Riptide
and later, in his self-described leap to "quality television", Life Goes On
in 1993. Since then, he has garnered directorial credits from two hundred and forty television episodes, including amongst many others The O.C.
, Beverly Hills, 90210
, The Larry Sanders Show
, Northern Exposure
, Eureka
, The Pretender
, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files
, and "Eli Stone" Brothers & Sisters, One Tree Hill
, Dirty Sexy Money
,Eli Stone (Finale- Season One), Dawson's Creek
, Point Pleasant
, Miss Match
, Everwood
, Diagnosis: Murder
, Jake and the Fatman
and Greek
. He has directed one feature film, Intern, and the Disney Channel
television movie
Jumping Ship
. He has recently been working on the ABC Family series, "Greek" as a Co-Executive Producer/Director. Additionally, he's the Co-Executive Producer/Director on Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva". He's about to begin working on a new ABC Family series called "Jane By Design" as Co-Executive Producer/Director.
Having been in a number of bands growing up, Lange's other business is in music. He and his colleague and room mate from college days, Peter Gorin, run Silly Music Corporation, a record company that produces song parodies of Broadway musicals with a Jewish spin. Their music arranger/composer is Michael's High School friend, Marc Ellis.
Most recently, Lange has created Flashbang Productions, LLC, a partnership with Shannon Murphy. Flashbang is in development on several projects involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; a one hour drama, tentatively titled "ATF", a documentary/reality show about the dogs of the ATF called "AtThe Frontline: ATF", in partnership with MPH Productions, and a reality show about Search and Rescue dogs.
in which he played a rabbi.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television director
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 record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Early life
Born and raised just outside New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in Mamaroneck, New York and attending Mamaroneck High School where he was heavily involved in music and a bit in drama, Michael Lange first developed a taste for drama in college, where he served as both an actor and director in a number of productions. Although pressured by his parents to become a doctor, he went on to study theatre at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. After college, he started his own regional theatre in Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, and was also active in a number of musical groups. He produced and directed several plays at the theatre before moving onto advertising. He then worked at an advertising company, Cunningham & Walsh, for five years as a producer, before he moved to Creamer Advertising in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for which he served as head of television and radio production. In 1980, he quit after eight years in the advertising business and moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
aspiring to become a film and television director.
Career
Lange's first job was on The Fall GuyThe Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
in 1982 as a post production assistant and after a year he was promoted to second unit director, in which role he shot almost thirty episodes (second unit only) for the show. He then moved on to Riptide
Riptide (TV series)
Riptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter...
and later, in his self-described leap to "quality television", Life Goes On
Life Goes On (TV series)
Life Goes On is a television series that aired on ABC from September 12, 1989 to May 23, 1993. The show centers on the Thacher family living in suburban Chicago: Drew, his wife Elizabeth, and their children Paige, Rebecca, and Charles, who is known as Corky...
in 1993. Since then, he has garnered directorial credits from two hundred and forty television episodes, including amongst many others The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
, Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
, Eureka
Eureka (TV series)
Eureka is an American science fiction television series that premiered on Syfy on July 18, 2006. Since then four seasons have aired, and a fifth is currently being filmed. The second half of season 4 began on SyFy on July 11, 2011 and ended on September 19, 2011...
, The Pretender
The Pretender (TV series)
The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work...
, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, and "Eli Stone" Brothers & Sisters, One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
, Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment...
,Eli Stone (Finale- Season One), Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
, Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant (TV series)
Point Pleasant is a television series that first aired on the Fox Network in January 2005. It was cancelled in March 2005 due to poor ratings....
, Miss Match
Miss Match
Miss Match is a 2003 American television series created by Jeff Rake and Darren Star and produced by Twentieth Century Fox, Darren Star Productions and Imagine Entertainment. It aired in the U.S. on NBC, Australia on Network Seven, Arena and FOX8, and in the UK on Living, Channel 4 and is currently...
, Everwood
Everwood
Everwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,...
, Diagnosis: Murder
Diagnosis: Murder
Diagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...
, Jake and the Fatman
Jake and the Fatman
Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series...
and Greek
Greek (TV series)
Greek is an American comedy-drama television series, which follows students of the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University , located in Ohio, who participate in the school's Greek system...
. He has directed one feature film, Intern, and the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Jumping Ship
Jumping Ship
Jumping Ship is the 2001 sequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie, Horse Sense. It stars brothers Joey Lawrence, Andrew Lawrence and Matthew Lawrence...
. He has recently been working on the ABC Family series, "Greek" as a Co-Executive Producer/Director. Additionally, he's the Co-Executive Producer/Director on Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva". He's about to begin working on a new ABC Family series called "Jane By Design" as Co-Executive Producer/Director.
Having been in a number of bands growing up, Lange's other business is in music. He and his colleague and room mate from college days, Peter Gorin, run Silly Music Corporation, a record company that produces song parodies of Broadway musicals with a Jewish spin. Their music arranger/composer is Michael's High School friend, Marc Ellis.
Most recently, Lange has created Flashbang Productions, LLC, a partnership with Shannon Murphy. Flashbang is in development on several projects involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; a one hour drama, tentatively titled "ATF", a documentary/reality show about the dogs of the ATF called "AtThe Frontline: ATF", in partnership with MPH Productions, and a reality show about Search and Rescue dogs.
Personal life
Lange is Jewish, a background that has given him inspiration for Kosher Christmas Carols, a collection of musical parodies written by Peter Gorin and himself, and also landed him a minor role in an episode of The O.C.The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
in which he played a rabbi.