---
name: "Gary Shimokawa"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gary-shimokawa"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "13 February 1942"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:21:03.474742+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."
---

# Gary Shimokawa

Director. Born 13 February 1942 in Los Angeles County, California, U.S..

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 13 February 1942, Los Angeles County, California, U.S.

## Biography

Gary Shimokawa is an American television director and producer. Born on 13 February 1942 in Los Angeles County, California, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Southern California. He began his career in the early 1970s as a stage manager on *All in the Family* before moving into associate directing and directing episodes of sitcoms.

He is known for his work on series including *The Golden Girls* (1985), on which he served as associate director for 39 episodes and director for one; *Night Court* (1984); *Archie Bunker's Place* (1980); *ALF* (1986); *Saved by the Bell* (1989); *The Facts of Life* (1979); *Laverne & Shirley* (1976); *Coach* (1989); *Sister, Sister* (1994); *Reba* (2001); and *Still Standing* (2002). Shimokawa has directed and produced over 600 episodes across more than 35 years, primarily multi-camera comedies.

In 1986 and 1987 he shared two Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for his associate directing on *The Golden Girls*. He has also taught film and television at institutions including the University of Southern California and New York University.

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

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Golden Girls* (1985), Fi1m 88, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-golden-girls.md)

## Also known for

- *ALF* (1986), Director
- *Saved by the Bell* (1989), Director
- *Night Court* (1984), Director, Additional Third Assistant Director
- *Sister, Sister* (1994), Director
- *Reba* (2001), Director
- *The Facts of Life* (1979), Director
- *Laverne & Shirley* (1976), Director
- *Coach* (1989), Director

---
© 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/gary-shimokawa