---
name: "Dan Attias"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/dan-attias"
fi1m_id: "dan-attias"
imdb_id: "nm0003733"
tmdb_id: 1223735
wikidata_id: "Q2527608"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "4 December 1951"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 31
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_as: "director"
average_over: 29
updated: "2026-10-07T15:22:45.774015+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."
---

# Dan Attias

## Identity

Dan Attias

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/dan-attias
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** dan-attias
- **IMDb ID:** nm0003733
- **TMDB ID:** 1223735
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2527608
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Attias, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2527608, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003733/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1223735

Director. Born 4 December 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 4 December 1951, Los Angeles, California, USA
- **Active:** 1982–2019
- **Also known as:** Daniel Attias, Дэниэл Эттиэс
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 31: 29 directing, 2 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [Adam Davidson](https://film.one/person/adam-davidson.md), [Tucker Gates](https://film.one/person/tucker-gates.md), [David Semel](https://film.one/person/david-semel.md), [Lesli Linka Glatter](https://film.one/person/lesli-linka-glatter.md), [Daniel Minahan](https://film.one/person/daniel-minahan.md), [Greg Yaitanes](https://film.one/person/greg-yaitanes.md), [Matt Shakman](https://film.one/person/matt-shakman.md), [Seith Mann](https://film.one/person/seith-mann.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as director, over 29 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 78 (3), 1990s 77 (5), 2000s 77 (13), 2010s 76 (10)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 78 to 75 across 23 titles
- **Score spread:** 11 at 80+, 18 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 27, Crime 8, Comedy 6, Mystery 5, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 5, Action & Adventure 4
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Attias, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2527608, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003733/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1223735

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Sopranos*](https://film.one/tv/the-sopranos.md) (94), [*Deadwood*](https://film.one/tv/deadwood.md) (91), [*The Wire*](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md) (90), [*Six Feet Under*](https://film.one/tv/six-feet-under.md) (86), [*Treme*](https://film.one/tv/treme.md) (82), [*True Detective*](https://film.one/tv/true-detective.md) (80), [*Big Love*](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md) (79)
- **Disney+:** [*The Americans*](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md) (91), [*Lost*](https://film.one/tv/lost.md) (81), [*New Girl*](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md) (80), [*Buffy the Vampire Slayer*](https://film.one/tv/buffy-the-vampire-slayer.md) (80)
- **Tubi:** [*Miami Vice*](https://film.one/tv/miami-vice.md) (81)

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

## Fi1m on Dan Attias

> Dan Attias directs for the actors, giving pauses and small details room to register. His work on *The Wire* and *The Sopranos* gives us good reason to value that patience.

Beer cans scattered through a scene in *The Wire* (2002) are a useful place to start with Dan Attias. His attention to these ordinary objects helps make the surroundings credible, rather than somewhere freshly prepared for actors to deliver dialogue. It is a small contribution to a programme we recommend even to people who avoid police dramas. We found its departmental wrangling exhausting at times, because the programme gives it the weight usually reserved for gunfire. That attention also helps us understand the pressures on the people doing the work.

*Silver Bullet* (1985), a Stephen King adaptation, remains his only theatrical feature. He moved into episodic television in the mid-1980s, working on network series before becoming a frequent director of cable drama. *Six Feet Under* (2001) and *Deadwood* (2004) belong to that later stretch, alongside the two programmes that most inform our view of him. We would not treat the lack of further features as an artistic shortcoming; his interest in actors has ample use in a continuing ensemble.

Attias directed ‘46 Long’, the second episode of *The Sopranos* (1999), and returned for later instalments. In David Chase’s series, James Gandolfini makes Tony recognisable enough for the humour and the menace to work together. Attias’s work on what actors leave unsaid makes him well suited to that material. We recommend the programme without hesitation, although its indulgence of Tony’s grievances sometimes goes on too long. An attentive director can make those complaints convincing without making us need quite so much of them.

Neither series belongs to one of its episode directors, and we would not credit Attias with everything we admire in them. What we value in his approach is the practical attention to performance, from the length of a silence to the pace at which a scene develops. He works to serve the showrunner’s vision while finding something personally meaningful in the material, without insisting on an overtly recognisable style. Start with *The Wire* or *The Sopranos*, but watch the actors before looking for a directorial flourish.

## Biography

Dan Attias is an American television director and producer. Born in Los Angeles in 1951, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley, studied acting in Los Angeles and earned an MFA in film production from UCLA. He completed the Directors Guild of America's assistant directors training programme and worked as an assistant director on feature films including *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* (1982).

Attias began directing in the mid-1980s. His credits include episodes of *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* (1997), *The Sopranos* (1999), *Six Feet Under* (2001), *The Wire* (2002), *Deadwood* (2004) and many other series. He also directed the feature film *Silver Bullet* (1985). He has received a Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of a dramatic series for an episode of *The Wire* and Emmy Award nominations for directing episodes of *Entourage*.

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

## On Fi1m (31)

### Directed (29) — the average rests on these

- *The Boys* (2019), Fi1m 72, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-boys.md)
- *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel* (2017), Fi1m 76, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-marvelous-mrs-maisel.md)
- *True Detective* (2014), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/true-detective.md)
- *Masters of Sex* (2013), Fi1m 74, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/masters-of-sex.md)
- *The Americans* (2013), Fi1m 91, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md)
- *Homeland* (2011), Fi1m 78, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/homeland.md)
- *New Girl* (2011), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md)
- *The Killing* (2011), Fi1m 62, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-killing-2011.md)
- *The Walking Dead* (2010), Fi1m 68, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-walking-dead.md)
- *Treme* (2010), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/treme.md)
- *True Blood* (2008), Fi1m 71, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/true-blood.md)
- *Damages* (2007), Fi1m 78, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/damages.md)
- *Big Love* (2006), Fi1m 79, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md)
- *Heroes* (2006), Fi1m 68, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/heroes.md)
- *Grey's Anatomy* (2005), Fi1m 68, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md)
- *Boston Legal* (2004), Fi1m 76, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/boston-legal.md)
- *Deadwood* (2004), Fi1m 91, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/deadwood.md)
- *Entourage* (2004), Fi1m 63, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/entourage.md)
- *House* (2004), Fi1m 78, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/house-2004.md)
- *Lost* (2004), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/lost.md)
- *The Wire* (2002), Fi1m 90, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md)
- *Alias* (2001), Fi1m 74, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/alias.md)
- *Six Feet Under* (2001), Fi1m 86, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/six-feet-under.md)
- *The Sopranos* (1999), Fi1m 94, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-sopranos.md)
- *Ally McBeal* (1997), Fi1m 63, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/ally-mcbeal.md)
- *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* (1997), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/buffy-the-vampire-slayer.md)
- *Party of Five* (1994), Fi1m 73, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/party-of-five.md)
- *Beverly Hills, 90210* (1990), Fi1m 74, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/beverly-hills-90210.md)
- *Miami Vice* (1984), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/miami-vice.md)

### Crew (2)

- *Twilight Zone: The Movie* (1983), Fi1m 63, Second Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/twilight-zone-the-movie.md)
- *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* (1982), Fi1m 91, Second Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial.md)

## Complete filmography (71)

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

- *Rabbit Hole* (2023), series, Director
- *Lucky Hank* (2023), series, Director
- *The Consultant* (2023), series, Director
- *Barkskins* (2020), series, Director
- *Penny Dreadful: City of Angels* (2020), series, Director
- *The Boys* (2019), series, Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-boys.md)
- *Castle Rock* (2018), series, Director
- *Seven Seconds* (2018), series, Director
- *Get Shorty* (2017), series, Director
- *Snowfall* (2017), series, Director
- *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel* (2017), series, Director — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-marvelous-mrs-maisel.md)
- *Feed the Beast* (2016), series, Director
- *Billions* (2016), series, Director
- *Good Girls Revolt* (2015), series, Director
- *Bloodline* (2015), series, Director
- *Battle Creek* (2015), series, Director
- *Manhattan* (2014), series, Director
- *Extant* (2014), series, Director
- *Crossbones* (2014), series, Director
- *True Detective* (2014), series, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/true-detective.md)
- *Masters of Sex* (2013), series, Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/masters-of-sex.md)
- *Ray Donovan* (2013), series, Director
- *The Americans* (2013), series, Director — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md)
- *Smash* (2012), series, Director
- *Homeland* (2011), series, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/homeland.md)
- *New Girl* (2011), series, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md)
- *The Killing* (2011), series, Director — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-killing-2011.md)
- *The Walking Dead* (2010), series, Director — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-walking-dead.md)
- *Undercovers* (2010), series, Director
- *Raising Hope* (2010), series, Director
- *Treme* (2010), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/treme.md)
- *Hung* (2009), series, Director
- *True Blood* (2008), series, Director — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/tv/true-blood.md)
- *Damages* (2007), series, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/damages.md)
- *Heroes* (2006), series, Director — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/heroes.md)
- *Big Love* (2006), series, Director — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md)
- *Commander in Chief* (2005), series, Director
- *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia* (2005), series, Director
- *Grey's Anatomy* (2005), series, Director — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md)
- *House* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/house-2004.md)
- *Huff* (2004), series, Director
- *Boston Legal* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/boston-legal.md)
- *Lost* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/lost.md)
- *Entourage* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/entourage.md)
- *Deadwood* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/deadwood.md)
- *The O.C.* (2003), series, Director
- *CSI: Miami* (2002), series, Director
- *The Wire* (2002), series, Director — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md)
- *Alias* (2001), series, Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/alias.md)
- *Six Feet Under* (2001), series, Director — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/six-feet-under.md)
- *The Sopranos* (1999), series, Director — Fi1m 94, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-sopranos.md)
- *Ally McBeal* (1997), series, Director — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/ally-mcbeal.md)
- *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* (1997), series, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/buffy-the-vampire-slayer.md)
- *The Practice* (1997), series, Director
- *The Client* (1995), series, Director
- *Party of Five* (1994), series, Director — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/tv/party-of-five.md)
- *Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman* (1993), series, Director
- *Melrose Place* (1992), series, Director
- *Beverly Hills, 90210* (1990), series, Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/beverly-hills-90210.md)
- *Beauty and the Beast* (1987), series, Director
- *Silver Bullet* (1985), Director
- *Miami Vice* (1984), series, Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/miami-vice.md)
- *Twilight Zone: The Movie* (1983), Second Assistant Director — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/twilight-zone-the-movie.md)
- *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* (1982), Second Assistant Director — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial.md)
- *Hammett* (1982), Second Assistant Director
- *One from the Heart* (1982), Second Assistant Director
- *Leon's Case* (1982), Producer, Director
- *The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper* (1981), Second Assistant Director
- *Skyward* (1980), Second Assistant Director
- *Resurrection* (1980), Assistant Director
- *Night Shift* (1980), as Punk

---
© 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/dan-attias