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Gary S. Halvorson (born unknown date and year) is an American director of television shows, stage and film, best known for directing and producing the NBC show, Friends .
Halvorson was trained as a classical pianist at but least. He primarily noted as the director of sitcoms such as Friends (of which he directed 56 episodes) and The Drew Carey Show . [1] In 1999, he also made his directorial film debut The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland , a children's film based on Sesame Street.
While working at the New York Metropolitan Opera in four years, [2] [3] he directed high-definition theater simulcasts of The Magic Flute (12/30/2006), I Puritani (1/6/2007), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (3/24/2007), Il Tabarro (4/28/2007), Roméo et Juliette (12/15/2007), Macbeth (1/11/2008), Peter Grimes (3/15/2008), La Bohème (4/5/2008), La fille du régiment (4/26/2008), the 2008-09 gala night opening with Renée Fleming (9/22/2008), Doctor Atomic (1/8/2008), Aida (10/23/2008), Thaïs (12/20/2008), Lucia di Lammermoor (2/7/2009), Madama Butterfly (3/7/2009), La Cenerentola (5/9/2009), Tosca (10/10/2009), Turandot (11/7/2009), Les Contes d'Hoffmann (12/19/2009), Carmen (1/16/2010), Armida (5/1/2010), Das Rheingold (10/9/2010), Don Pasquale (11/13/2010) and Don Carlo (12/11/2010).
Halvorson also directed Paul Simon's "You're The One" live concert in Paris, Europe, which aired on PBS and is available on DVD.
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Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1984 | The Quintessential Peggy Lee | Direct-to-Video |
1999 | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | |
2018 | The King and I |
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1976 | Standing Room Only | — "Vanities" |
1980 | Broadway on Showtime | — "Little Johnny Jones" |
1981 | Jules Feiffer's Hold Me | TV movie |
1982 | The Country Girl | TV movie |
1984 | Hizzoner! | TV movie |
1985–93 | Kids Incorporated | Director (7 episodes) |
1986 | Solid Gold | Director (13 episodes) |
1987–2008 | Great Performances | Director (11 episodes) |
1989 | A Conversation with... | — "Betty White" |
1991 | Riders in the Sky | Director (11 episodes) |
1991 | On the Television | Director (38 episodes) |
1992 | Roundhouse | — "TV on Trial" |
1992–94 | Adventures in Wonderland | Director (14 episodes) |
1993 | Xuxa | Director (65 episodes) |
1994 | Herman's Head | — "You Say Tomato" |
1994 | Growing Up Funny | TV movie |
1995 | Muscle | Director (13 episodes) |
1995–96 | Minor Adjustments | Director (6 episodes) |
1995–96 | The Drew Carey Show | Director (2 episodes) — "Drew Gets Motivated" (1996) — "Isomers Have Distinct Characteristics" (1995) |
1996 | The Wayans Bros. | Director (2 episodes) — "Goin' to the Net" — "The Return of the Temptones" |
1996–97 | Roseanne | Director (8 episodes) |
1996–97 | Muppets Tonight | Director (11 episodes) |
1996–98 | Grace Under Fire | Director (3 episodes) |
1996–99 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Director (28 episodes) Producer (13 episodes) |
1997 | Bouncers | TV movie |
1997 | Teen Angel | Director (3 episodes) |
1997–2001 | The Metropolitan Opera Presents | Director (3 episodes) |
1997–2004 | Friends | Director (55 episodes) |
1997–2005 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Director (61 episodes) |
1999 | Whole World Comedy | — "Pilot" |
1999 | Norm | — "Norm vs. Norm" |
1999–2000 | Jesse | Director (7 episodes) |
2000 | Don Giovanni | TV movie |
2001 | Grounded for Life | — "Lily B. Goode" |
2001 | Everything But the Girl | TV movie |
2001 | The Back Page | TV movie |
2001 | Bliss | TV movie (Executive Producer) |
2002 | True West | TV movie |
2002 | Faith Hill: When the Lights Go Down | TV movie (also Producer) |
2002 | B.S. | TV movie |
2002–2004 | What I Like About You | Director (7 episodes) |
2003 | Regular Joe | Director (1 Episode) (also Executive Producer) |
2003 | These Guys | TV movie |
2003–04 | The Tracy Morgan Show | Director (3 episodes) |
2004 | Eddie's Father | TV movie |
2004–05 | Complete Savages | Director (2 episodes) — "The Complete Savages in... 'Hot Water' " (2005) — "Nick Kicks Butt" (2004) |
2004–06 | Joey | Director (9 episodes) |
2004–07 | Two and a Half Men | Director (34 episodes) |
2005 | Committed | Director (5 episodes) |
2005 | Kenny Chesney: Somewhere in the Sun | TV special |
2005 | Lies and the Wives We Tell Them To | TV movie |
2005 | Blue Skies | TV movie |
2006 | Grand Union | TV movie |
2006 | Lucky Louie | — "Pilot" |
2007 | Rules of Engagement | Director (4 episodes) |
2007 | 'Til Death | — "No More Mr. Vice Guy" |
2007 | Elmo's Christmas Countdown | TV movie |
2007 | Making It Legal | TV movie |
2008 | Do Not Disturb | Director (2 episodes) — "Dosing" — "Birdcage" |
2009 | Canned | TV movie |
2009–2011 | True Jackson, VP | Director (16 episodes) Producer (26 episodes) |
2010 | Telepathetic | TV movie |
2010–11 | Better with You | Director (11 episodes) |
2012 | How to Be a Gentleman | Director (2 episodes) — "How to Be Shallow" — "How to Get Along with Your Boss's New Girlfriend" |
2012 | Duets | Director (8 episodes) |
2012 | Yo Gabba Gabba! | — "Gooble" |
2012 | Michael Buble: Home for the Holidays | TV special |
2012–13 | Marvin Marvin | Director (3 episodes) |
2012–13 | Work It | Director (3 episodes) |
2013 | Mom | Directors (2 episodes) — "A Small Nervous Breakdown and a Misplaced Fork" — "A Pee Stick and an Asian Raccoon" |
2015 | Your Family or Mine | — "The Couch" |
2015 | The Dunes Club | TV movie |
In 1996, Halvorson was awarded a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series" for Disney's Adventures in Wonderland . In 2004, he was awarded an Emmy [4] for "Outstanding Special Class Directing" for the 78th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He has also been nominated for "Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series", for his work on Everybody Loves Raymond , shown on CBS.