Ryan Murphy (born November 30, 1965) is a 49-year-old American screenwriter, film and television director and producer.
He created Glee along with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Famous television shows besides Glee include, American Horror Story, The New Normal, Nip/Tuck and Popular. Murphy also produced and directed the film 'Eat, Pray, Love'. He has currently written 23 episodes of Glee.
Ryan Murphy won his first Emmy for directing the Pilot episode of Glee.
Personal Life
Murphy grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, to an Irish Catholic family. He continues to attend church.
Murphy is openly gay - he came out to his parents when he was 15 years old. On June 7, 2011; he announced his engagement to a man he's known for 15 years. It is believed that he has married his partner, judging by the gold ring he now wears, as seen in the second season of The Glee Project.
Murphy and Miller have two sons, via surrogacy, Logan Phineas (born on 24 December 2012)[1] and Ford (born on 3 October 2014).[2]
Career
Glee
Creation
The original concept of Glee was inspired by Ian Brennan's own experience as a member of the Prospect High School's show choir. It was supposed to be a film instead of a television series, but Murphy and Falchuk suggested that Glee should be produced as a television show. Therefore, the three joined together and rewrote the script. The rewritten script was sent to FOX, and picked up immediately.
The three decided to write all of the episodes by themselves. Murphy and Falchuk became executive producers and directors of the show, while Brennan became a co-executive producer.
Casting
In casting Glee, Murphy sought out actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, Murphy spent three months on Broadway, searching singers for Glee. Auditioning actors with no theatrical experience were required to demonstrate their ability to sing and dance.
Episodes Written
Season One
- Pilot †
- Showmance †
- Acafellas
- Vitamin D
- Wheels
- Mattress
- The Power of Madonna
- Laryngitis
- Theatricality
Season Two
- Britney/Brittany
- The Rocky Horror Glee Show
- Story by: Ryan Murphy and Tim Wollaston; Teleplay by: Ryan Murphy
- Furt
- Silly Love Songs
- Comeback
- Original Song
- Rumours
- Funeral
Season Three
Season Four
Season Five
Season Six
† denotes episodes written with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
Episodes Directed
Season One
- Pilot
- With Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
- Showmance
- With Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
- The Power of Madonna
- Theatricality
Season Two
Other Works
Ryan has been involved in many shows, as a creator, writer or director through the years.
Television
- Popular (1999 - 2001) - Creator, Show Runner, Writer and Director - The WB (Currently known as the CW Network)
- Nip/Tuck (2003 - 2010) - Creator, Show Runner, Writer and Director - FX
- Glee (2009 - Present) - Co-Creator (With Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk), Show Runner, Writer and Director - FOX
- The Glee Project (2011- 2012) - Creator and Judge - Oxygen
- American Horror Story (2011 - Present) - Co-Creator (With Brad Falchuk), Show Runner, Writer and Director - FX
- The New Normal (2012 - 2013) - Co-Creator (With Allison Adler), Show Runner, Writer and Director - NBC
- My Youth High Eight Degrees (2014) - Co-Creator (With Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk) - Zhejiang Satellite Television
- Open (2014) - Creator, Show Runner, Writer and Director - HBO
- Scream Queens (2015) - FOX
Failed Pilots
- The Furies (1999)
- St. Sass (2002) - The CW
- Pretty/Handsome (2008) - FX
Movies
- Running With Scissors (2006) - Director
- Eat, Pray, Love (2010) - Director
- Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011) - Producer
- The Normal Heart (2014) - Director (TV Movie on HBO)
Other Possible Projects/In Development
- Dirty Tricks (Development)
- Face (Development)
- Need (Development)
Trivia
- When he was 5 years old he asked for a subscription to Vogue magazine.
- Ryan's first script was called Why Can't I Be Audrey Hepburn? which was bought by Steven Spielberg, but it was never made.
- He uses certain lines from his past in what Kurt says or does, an example: he once asked his dad for a pair of 'sensible heels'.
- He serves on the National Advisory Board of the Young Storytellers Foundation.
- His favorite slushie flavor is 'Cherry Aspic.'
- He adopted the puppy from 'The New Normal' after it's Pilot episode. Source
- On July 30, 2012, Murphy joined Twitter. Here he constantly answers questions from fans and leaks spoilers and pictures of Glee, The New Normal and American Horror Story. Sometimes, he takes fan suggestions.
- He joined YouTube under the username of MrRPMurphyExclusive where deleted scenes and new performances from Glee are released.
- His father worked in the newspaper industry.
- He describes his mother as: "beauty queen who left it all to stay at home and take care of her two sons."
