Sharron Miller is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 television

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 film director

Film director

A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

, producer

Film producer

A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

, and screenwriter

Screenwriter

Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...

. She has also worked as a sound editor and film editor

Film editing

Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...

. Miller was the first woman ever to win the coveted Directors Guild of America Award

Directors Guild of America Awards

The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D.W. Griffith....

 for directing drama

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

.

In 1984, she won the DGA Award, two Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award

Peabody Award

The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...

 and the Christopher Award

Christopher Award

The Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...

 for her afterschool special, The Woman Who Willed a Miracle

The Woman Who Willed a Miracle

The Woman Who Willed a Miracle , is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy....

. This true-life drama is about Leslie Lemke

Leslie Lemke

Leslie Lemke is a blind American autistic savant who is most notable for his work as a musician.Leslie Lemke was born prematurely in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1952. At birth, he was diagnosed with glaucoma, cerebral palsy, and brain damage. Doctors were forced to remove his eyes...

, the blind and mentally retarded boy with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....

 who became world-famous as a savant

Savant syndrome

Savant syndrome , sometimes referred to as savantism, is a rare condition in which people with developmental disorders have one or more areas of expertise, ability, or brilliance that are in contrast with the individual's overall limitations...

 pianist.

Career

A native of Enid, Oklahoma

Enid, Oklahoma

Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...

, Miller began writing and directing short films as a teenager. After graduating from Oklahoma State University in 1971 she attended graduate school at Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

, majoring in film. In 1972, she went to Hollywood and worked as a script supervisor and film editor before becoming a professional director, producer and screenwriter in 1976. She has written and directed several short films

Short subject

A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...

, but the majority of her work has been in television, where she has had a long and prolific career directing television movies and series

Television program

A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

. She is known for her ability to elicit strong performances from actors. Sharon Gless

Sharon Gless

Sharon Marguerite Gless is an American character actress of stage, film and television, who is best known for her roles as Maggie Philbin on Switch , as Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey and as Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer...

, Cloris Leachman

Cloris Leachman

Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award...

 and Peggy McCay

Peggy McCay

Peggy McCay is a long-time American actress with a career lasting over sixty years in film and television...

 all won Emmy Awards under her direction and James Stacy

James Stacy

James Stacy is an American actor. A motorcycle crash left him a multiple amputee and took the life of his girlfriend in 1973. After his recovery, he returned to acting in 1975 before retiring in 1991.-Early life and career:...

 received an Emmy nomination.

In 1988, Miller was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award

Directors Guild of America Awards

The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D.W. Griffith....

 and an Emmy Award

Emmy Award

An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

 for directing two different episodes of the series, Cagney & Lacey

Cagney & Lacey

Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...

.

Selected filmography

Film
Year	Film	Notes
1971	Felice Felice Felice is a 1971 short film that explores the difficult but passionate relationship between a younger man and older woman through a cascading crescendo of non-linear, interwoven scenes and sequences. Running time: seven minutes. Winner of the 1972 Oklahoma State University Film Festival...	Director, Producer, Writer, Editor
1976	Deportee	Director, Producer, Writer, Editor
1978	House of the Dead	Director
1981	Cradle Song	Director, Producer, Writer, Editor
Television
Year	Title	Notes
1976-78	The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams	Director, multiple episodes
1980	In Search of. . .	Producer, Director, Writer, Editor
1983	The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle , is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy....	Producer, Director, ABC Afterschool Special
1984	Maximum Security	Director, Editor, multiple episodes
1984	The Paper Chase The Paper Chase (TV series) The Paper Chase is a television series based on a 1970 novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr., as well as a 1973 film based on the novel. It follows the lives of law student James T. Hart and his classmates at Harvard Law School.-Production:...	Director
1984–1988	Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...	Director, multiple episodes
1986	Pleasures Pleasures Pleasures is a two hour American television film written by Jill Gordon and directed by Sharron Miller. Its cast includes Joanna Cassidy, Barry Bostwick, Linda Purl, Rick Moses and Tracy Nelson.-Plot Summary:...	Director, TV movie
1986–1987	L.A. Law L.A. Law L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...	Director, multiple episodes
1987	Pigeon Feathers Pigeon Feathers Pigeon Feathers is an early collection of short stories by John Updike, published in 1962. It includes the stories Wife-Wooing and A&P, which have both been anthologized.- List of stories :* "Walter Briggs"* "The Persistence of Desire"* "Still Life"...	Director, PBS American Playhouse Drama
1988	Little Girl Lost Little Girl Lost (TV movie) Little Girl Lost is a two hour U.S. Television movie starring Tess Harper and Frederic Forrest. It tells the true story of a six-year-old girl who is removed from the loving care of her foster parents and returned to her abusive biological father. Her foster parents endure a long struggle to...	Director, TV movie
1989	China Beach China Beach China Beach is an American dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" by unknown foreigners, most likely Americans...	Director
1990	The Outsiders The Outsiders (TV series) The Outsiders is an American drama series that aired in 1990 on Fox. Based on the characters from the 1967 novel of the same title by S. E. Hinton, the series was executive produced by the 1983 film's director Francis Ford Coppola.-Synopsis:...	Director, the pilot
1990–1992	The Trials of Rosie O'Neill The Trials of Rosie O'Neill The Trials of Rosie O'Neill is an American television drama series, which aired on CBS from 1990 to 1992. The show starred Sharon Gless as Fiona Rose "Rosie" O'Neill, a lawyer working in the public defender's office for the City of Los Angeles...	Director, multiple episodes
1991	Father Dowling Mysteries Father Dowling Mysteries Father Dowling Mysteries is an American television mystery series that appeared between November 30, 1987 and May 2, 1991. For its first season, the show was on NBC; it moved to ABC network for its last two seasons...	Director
1993	Sisters Sisters (TV series) Sisters is a television drama which aired on NBC for six seasons, from 1991 to 1996. The series was created by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, who also created the Showtime series Queer as Folk and wrote the acclaimed Emmy and Peabody Award winning drama An Early Frost, also for NBC...	Director
1992–1993	Homefront	Director, multiple episodes
1993	Second Chances Second Chances Second Chances may refer to:* "Second Chances" , an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation* "Second Chances," an episode of Melrose Place* "Second Chances," an episode of 21 Jump Street...	Director, the pilot
1994	Hotel Malibu Hotel Malibu Hotel Malibu is an American television series that was created and written by producers Bernard Lechowick and Lynn Marie Latham. Its cast includes Jennifer Lopez, Joanna Cassidy, Harry Reilly, and John Dye. The pilot episode was directed by Sharron Miller. It was a spin-off of the show Second...	Director, the pilot
1995	Christy Christy (TV series) Christy is an American drama series which aired on CBS from April 1994 to August 1995, for twenty episodes.Christy was based on the novel Christy by Catherine Marshall, the widow of Senate chaplain Peter Marshall...	Director
1996	The Client The Client The Client is a legal thriller written by American author John Grisham, set mostly in Memphis, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana...	Director
1996	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	Director
1997	Fame L.A. Fame L.A. Fame L.A. was an MGM U.S. television series from 1997-1998. It told the story of a drama/dance school in Los Angeles where students honed their talents while overcoming various personal problems. It starred Christian Kane, Rosalyn Sanchez, and William R. Moses. Its producers included Patricia...	Director, multiple episodes
1998	Any Day Now	Director
1999	Hyperion Bay Hyperion Bay Hyperion Bay is an American drama series that ran for one season on The WB Television Network from September 1998 to March 1999.-Synopsis:...	Director, multiple episodes
2001–2002	That's Life That's Life (2000 TV series) That's Life is an American dramedy series created by Diane Ruggiero, that was broadcast on CBS from October 1, 2000 to January 26, 2002.-Synopsis:...	Director, multiple episodes
2002	The District The District The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department .-Premise:...	Director

Awards

Year	Award	Result	Category	Series
1983	Film Advisory Board Film Advisory Board The Film Advisory Board, Inc. is a member-supported organization founded in 1975 by Elayne Blythe . The FAB's "Award of Excellence" was developed to award quality family-oriented and children's entertainment in both print and electronic media.The second division of FAB is the FAB Ratings System...  Award of Excellence	Won	Television Special	ABC Afterschool Special ABC Afterschool Special The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were... "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle , is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy.... "
1983	Peabody Award Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...		Television Special	ABC Afterschool Special ABC Afterschool Special The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were... "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle , is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy.... "
1983	Daytime Emmy Award Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...		Outstanding Individual Direction in Children's Programming	ABC Afterschool Special ABC Afterschool Special The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were... "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle , is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy.... "
			Outstanding Children's Entertainment Special	ABC Afterschool Special ABC Afterschool Special The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were... "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle , is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy.... "
1983	New York International Film and TV Festival		Gold Medal	This Is the Life This is the Life (TV series) This Is the Life is an American Christian television dramatic series. This anthology series aired in syndication from the 1950s through 1980s. The series was originally produced by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and distributed by the International Lutheran Laymen's League.-Format:This Is... (Episode "Bon Voyage and Shalom")
1984	Directors Guild of America Award		Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Shows - Daytime	ABC Afterschool Special ABC Afterschool Special The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were... "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle , is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy.... "
1984	Christopher Award Christopher Award The Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...		Television Special	ABC Afterschool Special ABC Afterschool Special The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were... "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle The Woman Who Willed a Miracle , is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy.... "
1984	New York International Film and TV Festival		Gold Medal	This Is the Life This is the Life (TV series) This Is the Life is an American Christian television dramatic series. This anthology series aired in syndication from the 1950s through 1980s. The series was originally produced by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and distributed by the International Lutheran Laymen's League.-Format:This Is... (Episode "Reprise for the Lord")
1985	New York International Film and TV Festival		Gold Medal	This Is the Life This is the Life (TV series) This Is the Life is an American Christian television dramatic series. This anthology series aired in syndication from the 1950s through 1980s. The series was originally produced by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and distributed by the International Lutheran Laymen's League.-Format:This Is... (Episode "The Face of Gabriel Ortiz")
1986	Los Angeles Project With Industry Award		Outstanding Contribution to Awareness of Disabled Issues	Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988... (Episode "The Gimp")
1987	Viewers for Quality Television Award		Best Director in a Quality Drama Series	Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988... (Episode "Turn, Turn, Turn", part 2)
1987	State of California Media Access Award			Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988... (Episodes "Turn, Turn, Turn", parts 1 & 2)
1987	Scott Newman Drug Prevention Awareness Award			Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988... (Episodes "Turn, Turn, Turn", parts 1 & 2)
1988	Los Angeles Women in Film Festival		Lillian Gish Lillian Gish Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....  Award for Excellence in Episodic Directing	Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988... (Episode "Don't I Know You?")
1988	Humanitas Prize Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...		Certificate for Humanizing Achievement in Television	Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...   (Episode "Don't I Know You?")
1988	Humanitas Prize Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...		Certificate for Humanizing Achievement in Television	Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988... (Episode "Turn, Turn, Turn", part 2)

External links