Hank Steinberg

{{Infobox person | name = Hank Steinberg | image = Hank Steinberg by Gage Skidmore.jpg | caption = Hank Steinberg in 2016. | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|11|19}} | birth_place = Manhasset, New York | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Director, producer and writer | years_active = 1996–present | spouse = {{marriage|Kara Dors|June 10, 2007}} | children = | alma_mater = }}

'''Hank Steinberg''' (born November 19, 1969) is an American television and film writer, producer and director.

==Personal life== Hank Steinberg was born in Manhasset, New York, and raised in nearby Great Neck, both on Long Island.<ref name=newsday>{{cite news|url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/hank-steinberg-for-life-abc-great-neck-u86104|title=Meet Hank Steinberg, the LIer Who Created 'For Life,' a New ABC Legal Drama|first=Frank|last=Lovece|date=February 6, 2020|access-date=February 6, 2020|newspaper=Newsday|location= New York City / Long Island|archive-date=February 7, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200207003413/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/hank-steinberg-for-life-abc-great-neck-1.41496531|url-status=live}}</ref> The son of Judy Hiller and attorney Howard E. Steinberg, former chairman of the New York State Thruway Authority and the Long Island Power Authority, he attended Great Neck North High School, graduating in 1987.<ref name=newsday /> He went on to the University of Pennsylvania, where he and was a sportswriter for the student-run newspaper ''The Daily Pennsylvanian'' and graduated in 1991 with a degree in English literature.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Daily Pennsylvanian | location = University of Pennsylvania|url= http://www.thedp.com/article/2001/09/from_penn_to_hollywood_steinberg_hits_a_home_run_with_hbo| title=From Penn to Hollywood: Steinberg hits a home run with HBO|first=Dave|last=Zeitlin|date=September 6, 2001}}</ref> Hank Steinberg is Jewish.

==Career== In 1997, Steinberg successfully sold the cable network HBO on ''61*'', a biographical drama about the legendary home-run race between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle of the 1961 Yankees. A lifetime Yankees fan, Steinberg got the idea for the film while strolling through Monument Park at the old Yankee Stadium. The following year, Billy Crystal came aboard as a producer on the project and subsequently directed the film, starring Thomas Jane and Barry Pepper. ''61*'' garnered 12 Emmy nominations, including Best Motion Picture for Television and Best Writing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/61|title=61* - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins|publisher=Television Academy|website=emmys.com|accessdate=September 29, 2024}}</ref> Steinberg was also nominated for a WGA Award for the film.

Steinberg next wrote the Robert F. Kennedy biographical drama ''RFK'' for the cable network FX. Premiering August 25, 2002, it detailed Kennedy's life following the assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, in 1963.

Steinberg then created the CBS show ''Without a Trace'',<ref>Writers Guild of America http://www.wga.org/writtenby/writtenbysub.aspx?id=840 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203053250/http://www.wga.org/writtenby/writtenbysub.aspx?id=840 |date=2014-02-03 }}</ref> which aired from September 26, 2002, to May 19, 2009. ''Without a Trace'' follows the cases of a missing persons unit of the FBI in New York City. During his tenure as executive producer and show-runner, the show won several Emmy awards and a Golden Globe for lead actor Anthony LaPaglia, as well as earning a SAG and Humanitas nomination. Steinberg was executive producer and show-runner of ''Without a Trace'' for the first three-and-a-half seasons.

Afterward, Steinberg created and was executive producer of the ABC series ''The Nine'', which he wrote with his sister, KJ Steinberg. It ran seven episodes.

In 2010, HarperCollins purchased the rights to Steinberg's forthcoming novel, ''Out of Range'', making a two-book deal for a potential franchise for the publisher. The book rights were subsequently sold to Paramount Pictures, where Steinberg adapted the book into a screenplay.<ref>Variety http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118025587</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Deadline Hollywood|title=Paramount Buy Book Proposal by 'Without a Trace' Creator|url=http://m.deadline.com/2010/10/paramount-buys-book-proposal-by-without-a-trace-creator/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121130805/http://m.deadline.com/2010/10/paramount-buys-book-proposal-by-without-a-trace-creator/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 21, 2012}}</ref>

In May 2016, Hulu ordered a prehistoric-drama pilot, ''Dawn'', from Steinberg and Ken Nolan.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Deadline Hollywood|title=Hulu Orders Prehistoric Drama Pilot 'Dawn' From Hank Steinberg & Ken Nolan|first=Nellie|last= Andreeva|date=May 5, 2016|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/hulu-dawn-prehistoric-drama-pilot-hank-steinberg-ken-nolan-mgm-1201750030/}}</ref> ''Dawn'' follows a tribe of Neanderthals as they struggle to survive and hold on to their way of life after coming into contact with a family of Homo sapiens.

Steinberg co-created and was executive producer of TNT's ''The Last Ship'',<ref>Deadline.com https://deadline.com/2012/05/tnt-tbs-announce-development-slates-2-272977/</ref><ref>Hollywood Reporter http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tnt-renews-last-ship-season-926683</ref> in 2014, which ran for five seasons and 56 episodes through 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/the-last-ship-final-season-tnt-1202800213/|title='The Last Ship' to End With Season 5 at TNT|date=May 16, 2018|access-date=May 17, 2018|publisher=Variety}}</ref> The series, starring Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, Adam Baldwin, Charles Parnell, Travis Van Winkle, Marissa Neitling, Jocko Sims, Kevin Michael Martin, and Christina Elmore, follows a naval destroyer crew, after a pandemic kills most of Earth's population.

Steinberg went on to create and serve as an executive producer of the ABC American legal drama ''For Life'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/hank-steinberg-50-cent-drama-for-life-united-we-fall-comedy-abc-series-orders-1202612536/|title=Hank Steinberg/50 Cent Drama 'For Life' & 'United We Fall' Comedy Get ABC Series Orders|first1=Nellie |last1=Andreeva|first2= Denise|last2= Petski|date=May 11, 2019|access-date=February 6, 2020|work=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref> which premiered February 11, 2020.<ref name=newsday /> The series is a fictional legal and family drama inspired by the life of convict turned attorney Isaac Wright Jr. The success of the show led his Channel Road Productions company to an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=2020-08-12|title='For Life' Creator Hank Steinberg Inks 5-Year Overall Deal With Sony Pictures TV, Taps WME Agent Joe Austin As SVP At His Channel Road Productions|url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/for-life-creator-hank-steinberg-5-year-overall-deal-sony-pictures-television-joe-austin-wme-agent-svp-channel-road-productions-1203010628/|access-date=2020-08-13|website=Deadline|language=en}}</ref>

Sony acquired the rights to the Italian drama ''Doc – Nelle tue mani'' for Steinberg who sought to adapt the drama for an American audience. In 2021 Steinberg hired Barbie Kligman to help develop and serve as show-runner. Steinberg and Kligman sold the rights to Fox in 2023, and cast Molly Parker in the titular role. Following a massively successful first season, Fox announced it had renewed Doc for a 22 episode second season in February 2025. The high ratings and critical acclaim continued in Doc's sophomore season, and season one reached the Netflix Top Ten upon its debut on the streamer. On March 9th, 2026 Fox announced the show will return for a third season in Fall 2026.

Following the success of Doc, Fox Entertainment signed Steinberg to a broadcast direct deal to develop new dramas for the network. Fox President Michael Thorn said, “Hank is an invaluable creative partner and collaborator, already delivering the intense new medical procedural ‘Doc’ to the network. Expanding this relationship builds on Hank’s proven track record for creating undeniable, broad-appeal franchises, and with his incomparable voice, will bring even more incredible, unexpected entertainment to Fox’s audiences worldwide.”

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0825757}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinberg, Hank}} Category:Living people Category:American businesspeople in the entertainment industry  Category:American television writers Category:American male television writers Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni Category:American showrunners   Category:The Daily Pennsylvanian people Category:Screenwriters from New York (state) Category:1969 births