From the tick-tock anxiousness of a courtroom drama to the taut suspense of a psychological thriller, GARY FLEDER (Director/Producer)is consistently able to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Fleder has made his mark in Hollywood as a craftsman of thrillers, and his expertise ranges from crime and action dramas to science fiction and dark comedies.
Before the lawyers in RUNAWAY JURY, Fleder was dealing with cops. In 2002, he was at the helm of an episode of the FX show "The Shield." The breakout hit helped redefine FX and garnered three Emmy and two Golden Globe awards, including best television series. The same year, Fleder helmed the futuristic sci-fi thriller "Impostor" for Dimension Films. Based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, the film starred Gary Sinise as a man suspected of being an alien android during a war between humans and aliens.
In 2001, Fleder teamed up with Academy Award winner Michael Douglas and then-rising starlet Brittany Murphy for the Regency Enterprises action thriller "Don’t Say a Word." The story of a psychologist, a kidnapper and a disturbed young woman who harbors a secret that can solve the case, "Don’t Say aWord" offered Fleder a unique challenge because its action unfolds over the course of a single day.
In 1997, another young actress saw her career skyrocket as the result of her work with Fleder. With Fleder in the director's chair, Ashley Judd starred along with Morgan Freeman in the screen adaptation of the James Patterson novel "Kiss the Girls." The film launched Judd to stardom and was the first of her two successful pairings with Freeman.
The same year saw Fleder at the helm of two television projects. First, he directed the memorable episode of "Homicide: Life on the Street" entitled "The Subway." Guest star Vincent D’Onofrio won a Peabody award for his portrayal of a commuter who is pushed into a moving subway train and is mortally wounded when he becomes trapped between the train and the platform. The episode also inspired a PBS documentary on the making of the series. Fleder also worked with producer Tom Hanks in 1997 to direct an episode of the Emmy-award-winning mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon."
Fleder's first foray into feature films was the Miramax dark comedy "Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead." Andy Garcia starred as one of five criminals who botch a job and end up with contracts on their heads. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995 and garnered Fleder two awards from the police drama film festival Cognac Festival du Film Policier.
In 1993, Fleder's work on the small screen brought him accolades. His episode of the HBO series "Tales from the Crypt" earned him a Cable Ace Award. Also in 1993, Fleder made his second appearance at the Sundance Film Festival with a 30-minute documentary showcasing three years in the life of Brooklyn boxer Philip Paolina. One year prior, his USC thesis project "Air Time," a thriller about an ex-con threatening a late-night radio talk show psychologist, also made it to Sundance, and in 1988 his short film "Terminal Round" debuted at the Mill Valley Film Festival in California.
A graduate of USC School of Cinema and Television, Fleder is a member of the Directors Guild's Special Projects Committee. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
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