---
name: "Alan Poul"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/alan-poul"
fi1m_id: "alan-poul"
imdb_id: "nm0693561"
tmdb_id: 113225
wikidata_id: "Q461913"
roles: ["Director","Producer"]
born: "1 May 1954"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_as: "director"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-10-04T20:56:08.758833+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Alan Poul

## Identity

Alan Poul

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/alan-poul
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** alan-poul
- **IMDb ID:** nm0693561
- **TMDB ID:** 113225
- **Wikidata ID:** Q461913
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Poul, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q461913, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0693561/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/113225

Director and producer. Born 1 May 1954 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer
- **Born:** 1 May 1954, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Active:** 1985–2006
- **Also known as:** Alan Mark Poul 
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 7: 1 acting, 3 directing, 3 producing
- **Frequently works with:** [Adam Davidson](https://film.one/person/adam-davidson.md), [Alan Taylor](https://film.one/person/alan-taylor.md), [Allen Coulter](https://film.one/person/allen-coulter.md), [Dan Attias](https://film.one/person/dan-attias.md), [Daniel Minahan](https://film.one/person/daniel-minahan.md), [Jeremy Podeswa](https://film.one/person/jeremy-podeswa.md), [Julian Farino](https://film.one/person/julian-farino.md), [Mary Harron](https://film.one/person/mary-harron.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as director, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 74 (2), 1990s 84 (2), 2000s 82 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 77 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Action & Adventure 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Poul, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q461913, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0693561/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/113225

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Six Feet Under*](https://film.one/tv/six-feet-under.md) (86), [*Rome*](https://film.one/tv/rome.md) (82), [*Big Love*](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md) (79)
- **Peacock:** [*Candyman*](https://film.one/film/candyman.md) (81)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Alan Poul

> Alan Poul’s television work puts actors and the tone of an ensemble first. We value that care, especially in *Six Feet Under*, without mistaking a shared achievement for the work of a single director.

In *Six Feet Under* (2001), the Fishers remain exhausting even when they are funny. We laughed without feeling that their grief had been belittled, because the ensemble gives the comedy as much care as the pain. Poul’s contribution deserves recognition, with some care over the credit: he made his directing debut on the series, directed four episodes and served as executive producer across all five seasons. We recommend it for the performances and the humour, while admitting that its stretches of brooding sometimes ask for more patience than they earn.

His route to that work ran through producing, including *Tales of the City* (1993), the adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s writing. On *Six Feet Under*, he helped bring in directors from independent cinema, a useful reminder that his influence extended beyond the episodes he directed. His preference for character-led ensembles makes the continuity of tone between episodes a particular responsibility. Returning to direct three episodes of *Tales of the City* (2019) also continued a sustained involvement with stories featuring LGBTQ+ characters.

*The Newsroom* (2012), written and run by Aaron Sorkin, gave Poul long, dialogue-heavy scenes to handle across seven episodes. He used multiple cameras and roving shots while keeping the performances central. The useful skill here is letting us follow a complicated exchange without making the actors seem secondary to the machinery. That suits a director whose chief interest is the people speaking, though it leaves him dependent on what the writers give them to say.

His feature debut, *The Back-Up Plan* (2010), a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, received largely negative reviews. His later television credits include *The Eddy* (2020) and *Tokyo Vice* (2022). On the latter, a Japan-set crime drama, his fluency in Japanese also informs his work. Start with *Six Feet Under*, accepting that its patience with troubled people sometimes outlasts ours.

## Biography

Alan Mark Poul (born 1 May 1954) is an American film and television producer and director. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in Japanese language and literature.

Poul began his career as a producer on films including *Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters* (1985) and *Black Rain* (1989). He later moved into television, serving as executive producer on *Tales of the City* (1993) and its sequels, and on *Six Feet Under* (2001–2005), where he also directed four episodes. He has directed episodes of *Rome* (2005), *Big Love* (2006), *The Newsroom* (2012), *Tokyo Vice* (2022) and other series, and made his feature directorial debut with *The Back-Up Plan* (2010).

Poul has received multiple Emmy nominations and other industry awards, including a News & Documentary Emmy for *The Pacific Century*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (7)

### Performed in (1)

- *Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters* (1985), Fi1m 86, as American Reporter — [page](https://film.one/film/mishima-a-life-in-four-chapters.md)

### Directed (3) — the average rests on these

- *Big Love* (2006), Fi1m 79, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md)
- *Rome* (2005), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/rome.md)
- *Six Feet Under* (2001), Fi1m 86, Director, Co-Executive Producer, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/six-feet-under.md)

### Produced (3)

- *My So-Called Life* (1994), Fi1m 87, Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/my-so-called-life.md)
- *Candyman* (1992), Fi1m 81, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/candyman.md)
- *Black Rain* (1989), Fi1m 62, Associate Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/black-rain.md)

## Complete filmography (38)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Tokyo Vice* (2022), series, Executive Producer, Director
- *The Eddy* (2020), series, Executive Producer, Director
- *Tales of the City* (2019), series, Director, Executive Producer
- *MotherFatherSon* (2019), series, Producer
- *The Art of Television: les réalisateurs de séries* (2018), series, Actor
- *Westworld* (2016), series, Consulting Producer — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/westworld-2016.md)
- *Grace and Frankie* (2015), series, Director
- *Perception* (2012), series, Director, Producer
- *The Newsroom* (2012), series, Director, Producer, Executive Producer
- *GCB* (2012), series, Director, Producer
- *The Big C* (2010), series, Director
- *The Back-Up Plan* (2010), Director
- *Swingtown* (2008), series, Director
- *Pink Collar* (2006), Director
- *Big Love* (2006), series, Director — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md)
- *Rome* (2005), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/rome.md)
- *Six Feet Under* (2001), series, as Wedding Guest (uncredited) · Director, Co-Executive Producer, Executive Producer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/six-feet-under.md)
- *Further Tales of the City* (2001), series, Executive Producer
- *Woman on Top* (2000), Producer
- *Thursday* (1998), Producer
- *More Tales of the City* (1998), series, Executive Producer
- *'Til There Was You* (1997), Producer
- *Los Locos* (1997), Executive Producer
- *The Interview* (1995), Producer
- *Witch Hunt* (1994), as Senator's Aide
- *My So-Called Life* (1994), series, Producer — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/tv/my-so-called-life.md)
- *Tales of the City* (1993), series, Producer
- *Inside Out 4* (1992), Producer
- *Candyman* (1992), Producer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/candyman.md)
- *The Pacific Century* (1992), series, Producer
- *Inside Out 3* (1992), Producer
- *Inside Out 2* (1992), Producer
- *Inside Out* (1991), Producer
- *Black Rain* (1989), Associate Producer — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/black-rain.md)
- *Light of Day* (1987), as Cashier · Associate Producer
- *Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters* (1985), as American Reporter — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/mishima-a-life-in-four-chapters.md)
- *The Dealer*, series, Executive Producer
- *The Savant*, series, Executive Producer

## Gallery

- ![PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS 62nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel May 19, 2003](https://film.one/media/person/61374/gallery-89cb466210ec.jpg) PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS 62nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel May 19, 2003 — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/2003_Peabody_Awards_%288189396092%29.jpg/1280px-2003_Peabody_Awards_%288189396092%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Alan Poul](https://film.one/media/person/61374/gallery-fd0161f73349.jpg) Alan Poul — iDominick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Alan_Poul_at_PaleyFest_2013.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![62nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel May 19, 2003](https://film.one/media/person/61374/gallery-7306300a3ea8.jpg) 62nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel May 19, 2003 — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Frank_Doelger_and_Alan_Poul%2C_May_2003_%281%29.jpg/1280px-Frank_Doelger_and_Alan_Poul%2C_May_2003_%281%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![62nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel May 19, 2003](https://film.one/media/person/61374/gallery-e80e89c4c8ad.jpg) 62nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel May 19, 2003 — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Frank_Doelger_and_Alan_Poul%2C_May_2003_%282%29.jpg/1280px-Frank_Doelger_and_Alan_Poul%2C_May_2003_%282%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS 62nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel May 19, 2003](https://film.one/media/person/61374/gallery-8f4a59e1fb6c.jpg) PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS 62nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf=Astoria Hotel May 19, 2003 — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Frank_Doelger_and_Alan_Poul%2C_May_2003_%283%29.jpg/1280px-Frank_Doelger_and_Alan_Poul%2C_May_2003_%283%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/alan-poul