{{short description|American film director}} {{For|the New Jersey Congressman|Daniel F. Minahan}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}} {{Infobox person |name = Daniel Minahan |image = Daniel Minahan at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival 2.jpg |caption = Minahan at the Toronto Film Festival in 2024 |birth_date = {{birth year and age|1962}} |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |occupation = Television director, film director, writer |years_active = 1996–present |education = School of Visual Arts (BFA) }} '''Daniel Minahan''' (born 1962) is an American television director and filmmaker.
==Career== Minahan has directed several episodes of the HBO original series ''Six Feet Under'', ''Deadwood'', ''True Blood'', ''The Newsroom'' and ''Game of Thrones''; he has also directed episodes of the Peabody Award-winning miniseries <ref>{{cite web | url=https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/fellow-travelers/ | title=Fellow Travelers }}</ref> ''Fellow Travelers'' and ''The L Word'' on Showtime and ''Grey's Anatomy'' on ABC. He also wrote and directed the independent film ''Series 7: The Contenders''.
He was also the writer (and second unit director) for the 1996 film ''I Shot Andy Warhol''.
Minahan joined the crew of the HBO western drama ''Deadwood'' as a director for the first season in 2004. The series was created by David Milch and focused on a growing town in the American West. Minahan directed the episodes "Suffer the Little Children"<ref name="Suffer the Little Children">{{cite episode|title = Suffer the Little Children|series = Deadwood|series-link = Deadwood (TV series)|credits = Dan Minahan (director), Elizabeth Sarnoff (writer)|network = HBO|airdate = September 5, 2004|season = 1|number = 8}}</ref> and "Mister Wu".<ref name="Mister Wu">{{cite episode|title = Mister Wu|series = Deadwood|credits = Dan Minahan (director), Bryan MacDonald (writer)|network = HBO|airdate = May 23, 2004|season = 1|number = 10}}</ref> He returned as a director for the second season in 2005 with the episode "Advances, None Miraculous".<ref name="Advances, None Miraculous">{{cite episode|title = Advances, None Miraculous|series = Deadwood|credits = Dan Minahan (director), Sara Hess (writer)|network = HBO|airdate = August 5, 2005|season = 2|number = 10}}</ref> For the third and final season in 2006, he directed the episode "A Two-Headed Beast".<ref name="A Two-Headed Beast">{{cite episode|title = A Two-Headed Beast|series = Deadwood|credits = Dan Minahan (director), David Milch (writer)|network = HBO|airdate = September 7, 2006|season = 3|number = 5}}</ref> Minahan directed the 2019 film continuation of ''Deadwood''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2018/07/deadwood-movie-hbo/ |title=Deadwood movie officially a go at HBO |publisher=Consequence of Sound |date=July 25, 2018 |first=Alex |last=Young |access-date=July 25, 2018}}</ref>
The romantic drama ''On Swift Horses'', directed by Minahan and based on the novel by Shannon Pufahl, had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, and was released in the US by Sony Pictures Classics on April 25, 2025.
==Personal life== Minahan majored in Film and Video at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1987.<ref>"What's in Store". ''Visual Arts Journal''. Fall 2011. School of Visual Arts. Page 19</ref> He is gay.<ref>{{cite web |last=David |first=Canfield |date=October 23, 2023 |title=Daniel Minahan Was at the Center of the Prestige TV Revolution—With Fellow Travelers, He's Pushing Boundaries Once Again |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/daniel-minahan-fellow-travelers-profile-awards-insider?srsltid=AfmBOorrDdqG6CLzOLQS5BKYcOLUmnCsuH7raE1G96HGznfo49B25QcD |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124012458/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/daniel-minahan-fellow-travelers-profile-awards-insider |archive-date=November 24, 2023 |access-date=May 29, 2025 |website= |publisher=Vanity Fair}}</ref>
==Filmography== ===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Episode(s) ! Ref. |- |rowspan=4|2003–2005 |rowspan=4|''Six Feet Under'' | "Everyone Leaves" | <ref>{{cite web |author = HBO |author-link = HBO |title = ''Six Feet Under'' episode "Everyone Leaves" synopsis |url = http://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under/episodes/3/36-everyone%20leaves/synopsis.html |access-date = April 12, 2010 |archive-date = February 22, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170222144207/http://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under/episodes/3/36-everyone |url-status = dead }}</ref> |- | "Can I Come Up Now?" | <ref>{{cite web |author = HBO |author-link = HBO |title = ''Six Feet Under'' episode "Can I Come Up Now?" synopsis |url = http://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under/episodes/4/43-can-i-come-up-now/synopsis.html |access-date = April 12, 2010 |archive-date = March 6, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160306141401/http://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under/episodes/4/43-can-i-come-up-now/synopsis.html |url-status = dead }}</ref> |- | "Eat a Peach" | <ref>{{cite web |author = HBO |author-link = HBO |title = ''Six Feet Under'' episode "Eat a Peach" synopsis |url = http://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under/episodes/5/56-eat-a-peach/synopsis.html |access-date = April 12, 2010 |archive-date = August 17, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160817173744/http://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under/episodes/5/56-eat-a-peach/synopsis.html |url-status = dead }}</ref> |- | "Ecotone" | <ref>{{cite web |author = HBO |author-link = HBO |title = ''Six Feet Under'' episode "Ecotone" synopsis |url = http://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under/episodes/5/60-ecotone/synopsis.html |access-date = April 12, 2010 |archive-date = September 5, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170905212925/http://www.hbo.com/six-feet-under/episodes/5/60-ecotone/synopsis.html |url-status = dead }}</ref> |- |rowspan=2|2004–2005 |rowspan=2|''The L Word'' |"Lawfully" | |- |"Life, Loss, Leaving" | |- |rowspan=4|2004–2006 |rowspan=4|''Deadwood'' |"Suffer the Little Children" |<ref name = "Suffer the Little Children"/> |- |"Mister Wu" |<ref name = "Mister Wu"/> |- |"Advances, None Miraculous" |<ref name = "Advances, None Miraculous"/> |- |"A Two-Headed Beast" |<ref name = "A Two-Headed Beast"/> |- | 2005 |''Commander in Chief'' |"First... Do No Harm" | |- |rowspan=5|2005–2007 |rowspan=5|''Grey's Anatomy'' |"Owner of a Lonely Heart" | |- |"17 Seconds" | |- |"Time Has Come Today" | |- |"Where the Boys Are" | |- |"Let the Truth Sting" | |- |rowspan=3|2007 |''The Black Donnellys'' |"The Black Drop" | |- |''Big Love'' |"Damage Control" | |- |''John from Cincinnati'' |"His Visit: Day Nine" | |- |rowspan=2|2008 |''Swingtown'' |"Swingus Interruptus" | |- |''Life on Mars'' |"Tuesday's Dead" | |- |rowspan=7|2008–2012 |rowspan=7|''True Blood'' |"Sparks Fly Out" | |- |"Nothing But the Blood" | |- |"Frenzy" | |- |"Bad Blood" | |- |"Me and the Devil" | |- |"Spellbound" | |- |"Turn! Turn! Turn!" | |- |2009 |''The Good Wife'' |"Fixed" |<ref name = "Fixed">{{cite episode|title = Fixed|series = The Good Wife|series-link = The Good Wife (TV series)|credits = Dan Minahan (director), Todd Ellis Kessler (writer)|network = CBS|airdate = October 13, 2009|season = 1|number = 4}}</ref> |- |rowspan=5|2011–2013 |rowspan=5|''Game of Thrones'' |"A Golden Crown" | |- |"You Win or You Die" | |- |"The Pointy End" | |- |"Valar Dohaeris" | |- |"Dark Wings, Dark Words" | |- | 2012 |''The Newsroom'' |"Amen" | |- |rowspan=2|2013 |''Ray Donovan'' |"Bucky Fuckin' Dent" | |- |rowspan=1|''Homeland'' |"Big Man in Tehran" | |- |rowspan=4|2014–2016 |rowspan=4|''Marco Polo'' |"Hashshashin" | |- |"White Moon" | |- |"Hunter and the Sable Weaver" | |- |"Measure Against the Linchpin" | |- |rowspan=2|2017 |rowspan=2|''House of Cards'' |"Chapter 53" | |- |"Chapter 54" | |- |rowspan=3|2018 |rowspan=3|''American Crime Story'' |"House by the Lake" | |- |"Don't Ask Don't Tell" | |- |"Alone" | |- |rowspan="2"|2020 |''Hollywood'' |"Hooray For Hollywood: Part 2" | |- |''Ratched'' |"Mildred and Edmund" | |- |rowspan="5"|2021 |rowspan="5"|''Halston'' |"Becoming Halston" | |- |"Versailles" | |- |"The Sweet Smell of Success" | |- |"The Party's Over" | |- |"Critics" | |- |2022 |''The Girl from Plainville'' |"Blank Spaces" | |- |rowspan=2|2023 |rowspan=2|''Fellow Travelers'' |"You're Wonderful" |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=2022-07-11 |title='Bridgerton' Star Jonathan Bailey Joins Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers' |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bridgerton-jonathan-bailey-showtime-fellow-travelers-1235313439/ |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> |- |"Bulletproof" | |- |2026 |''Memory of a Killer'' |"Pilot" | |}
'''TV movies''' * ''House Rules'' (2009) * ''Deadwood: The Movie'' (2019)
===Film=== {|class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title ! Director ! Writer |- | 1996 | ''I Shot Andy Warhol'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} |- | 2001 | ''Series 7: The Contenders'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |- | 2024 | ''On Swift Horses'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0590889}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minahan, Dan}} Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:Film directors from Connecticut Category:American television directors Category:American male screenwriters Category:Hugo Award winners Category:American LGBTQ film directors Category:LGBTQ television directors Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people Category:School of Visual Arts alumni