---
name: "Jean de Segonzac"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jean-de-segonzac"
fi1m_id: "jean-de-segonzac"
imdb_id: "nm0211523"
tmdb_id: 36185
wikidata_id: "Q6171778"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "1 January 1950"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_as: "director"
average_over: 8
updated: "2026-10-07T04:05:47.672265+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."
---

# Jean de Segonzac

## Identity

Jean de Segonzac

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jean-de-segonzac
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jean-de-segonzac
- **IMDb ID:** nm0211523
- **TMDB ID:** 36185
- **Wikidata ID:** Q6171778
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_de_Segonzac, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6171778, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211523/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/36185

Director. Born 1 January 1950 in New York City.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 1 January 1950, New York City
- **Active:** 1990–2014
- **Also known as:** Jean De Segonzac, Jean deSegonzac, Jean de Segoznac, Jean DeSegonzac
- **Frequently works with:** [Nick Gomez](https://film.one/person/nick-gomez.md), [Bethany Rooney](https://film.one/person/bethany-rooney.md), [Darnell Martin](https://film.one/person/darnell-martin.md), [Adam Bernstein](https://film.one/person/adam-bernstein.md), [Constantine Makris](https://film.one/person/constantine-makris.md), [David Platt](https://film.one/person/david-platt.md), [Jace Alexander](https://film.one/person/jace-alexander.md), [Karen Gaviola](https://film.one/person/karen-gaviola.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as director, over 8 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 80 (3), 2000s 80 (2), 2010s 76 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 78 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Crime 6, Mystery 3, Action & Adventure 1, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_de_Segonzac, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6171778, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211523/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/36185

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*The Americans*](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md) (91), [*Damages*](https://film.one/tv/damages.md) (78)
- **Paramount+:** [*Battlestar Galactica*](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md) (83)
- **HBO Max:** [*Oz*](https://film.one/tv/oz.md) (80)
- **Pluto TV:** [*Nashville*](https://film.one/tv/nashville-2012.md) (74)
- **Hulu:** [*Law & Order*](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md) (72)
- **Netflix:** [*The Blacklist*](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md) (63)

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

## Fi1m on Jean de Segonzac

> Jean de Segonzac brings a documentary cameraman’s alertness to television drama, keeping dialogue-heavy scenes moving. We value that practical skill, though his long service in police procedurals leaves fewer chances to judge what he might do elsewhere.

Jean de Segonzac keeps the camera moving while people talk. In a procedural, where much of the business is exchanging information, that can be a useful way of keeping a scene urgent. We rate the alertness he brings to this work, particularly his attention to detail. His documentary cinematography began in the mid-1980s; *Laws of Gravity* (1992) brought that handheld approach into independent drama and brought him wider notice.

His move into directing came through *Homicide: Life on the Street*, where he also worked as cinematographer and helped develop the free-flowing visual style with Barry Levinson. He directed the pilot of *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999) and more than 50 subsequent episodes. *Mimic 2* (2001) was his feature directing debut, but police drama became the recurring assignment. Our reservation is about those assignments: they give us fewer chances to see him work outside familiar territory.

*Battlestar Galactica* (2004) offers one such departure: he directed the episode ‘Torn’ in 2006. Its tense storytelling and ensemble make the darkness worth sitting through, with Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell leading performances that justify the programme’s seriousness. We felt worn down at times by its persistent gloom, even while the storytelling kept us engaged. There is enough substance in the drama to make that discomfort worthwhile, but we would not prescribe the programme as a way to unwind.

With *Battlestar Galactica*, we would be wary of crediting one episode’s director with the virtues of the whole series. It is a useful example of de Segonzac working beyond police drama, but it tells us less about his individual choices than *Homicide: Life on the Street* does. There, his contribution to the programme’s visual style is clearer, and the connection between his work as cameraman and director easier to follow. Start with *Homicide* for the clearest view of what he brings to a scene.

## Biography

Jean de Segonzac is an American director, screenwriter and cinematographer. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1975.

He began his career as a cinematographer on documentaries including *Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt* (1989) and co-directed *Road Scholar* (1993), which received a Peabody Award. Since the mid-1990s he has directed episodes of television series such as *Homicide: Life on the Street*, *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (more than 50 episodes), *Battlestar Galactica* (2006), *The Blacklist* and *Chicago P.D.*.

His feature directorial credits include *Mimic 2* (2001) and *Lost City Raiders* (2008).

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

## On Fi1m (8)

- *The Americans* (2013), Fi1m 91, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md)
- *The Blacklist* (2013), Fi1m 63, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md)
- *Nashville* (2012), Fi1m 74, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/nashville-2012.md)
- *Damages* (2007), Fi1m 78, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/damages.md)
- *Battlestar Galactica* (2004), Fi1m 83, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md)
- *Oz* (1997), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/oz.md)
- *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1993), Fi1m 89, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/homicide-life-on-the-street.md)
- *Law & Order* (1990), Fi1m 72, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)

## Complete filmography (72)

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

- *CIA* (2026), series, Director
- *Law & Order: Organized Crime* (2021), series, Director
- *FBI: Most Wanted* (2020), series, Director
- *FBI* (2018), series, Director, Director of Photography
- *Manifest* (2018), series, Director
- *Chicago Med* (2015), series, Director
- *Blindspot* (2015), series, Director
- *Bloodline* (2015), series, Director
- *The Royals* (2015), series, Director
- *Chicago P.D.* (2014), series, Director
- *The Blacklist* (2013), series, Director — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md)
- *Zero Hour* (2013), series, Director
- *The Americans* (2013), series, Director — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md)
- *Chicago Fire* (2012), series, Director
- *Nashville* (2012), series, Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/nashville-2012.md)
- *Elementary* (2012), series, Director
- *Boss* (2011), series, Director
- *Unforgettable* (2011), series, Director
- *Ringer* (2011), series, Director
- *The Chicago Code* (2011), series, Director
- *Lights Out* (2011), series, Director
- *Detroit 1-8-7* (2010), series, Director
- *Trauma* (2009), series, Director
- *Lost City Raiders* (2008), Director, Teleplay
- *Life on Mars* (2008), series, Director
- *In Treatment* (2008), series, Director
- *Gossip Girl* (2007), series, Director
- *Damages* (2007), series, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/damages.md)
- *Brotherhood* (2006), series, Director
- *The Unit* (2006), series, Director
- *Surface* (2005), series, Director
- *Law & Order: Trial by Jury* (2005), series, Director
- *Battlestar Galactica* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md)
- *The Mountain* (2004), series, Writer
- *Then and Now: 1981-2004* (2004), Camera Operator
- *The Handler* (2003), series, Director
- *Code 11-14* (2003), Director
- *Peacemakers* (2003), series, Director
- *L.A. Dragnet* (2003), series, Director
- *The Twilight Zone* (2002), series, Director
- *Glory Days* (2002), series, Director
- *Law & Order: Criminal Intent* (2001), series, Director
- *UC: Undercover* (2001), series, Director
- *Mimic 2* (2001), Director
- *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation* (2000), series, Director
- *Homicide: The Movie* (2000), Director, Director of Photography
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, Director
- *To Serve and Protect* (1999), Director
- *To Serve and Protect* (1999), series, Director
- *Exiled* (1998), Director
- *Ice* (1998), Director
- *Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story* (1998), Director
- *Brooklyn South* (1997), series, Director
- *Oz* (1997), series, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/oz.md)
- *Normal Life* (1996), Director of Photography
- *Confessions of Sorority Girls* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Shake, Rattle and Rock!* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Girls in Prison* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Rebel Highway* (1994), series, Director of Photography
- *The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Touch Base* (1994), Director of Photography
- *The Debt* (1993), Director of Photography
- *The Hurricane of '38* (1993), Director of Photography
- *Road Scholar* (1993), Director of Photography
- *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1993), series, Director — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/tv/homicide-life-on-the-street.md)
- *Laws of Gravity* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Where Are We? Our Trip Through America* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt* (1989), Director of Photography
- *Crack USA: County Under Siege* (1989), Director of Photography
- *Mark and Naomi* (1977), Director
- *Portrait of a Legendary Man*, Director of Photography

---
© 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/jean-de-segonzac