---
name: "Joel Oliansky"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/joel-oliansky"
roles: ["Director","Writer"]
born: "11 October 1935"
died: "29 July 2002"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 80
updated: "2026-09-16T20:12:09.572294+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."
---

# Joel Oliansky

Director and writer. Born 11 October 1935 in New York City. Died 29 July 2002.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer
- **Born:** 11 October 1935, New York City
- **Died:** 29 July 2002
- **Active:** 1973–1982
- **Works often with:** Charles S. Dubin, Leo Penn, Nicholas Sgarro

## Biography

Joel Oliansky (1935–2002) was an American screenwriter and director who worked extensively in film and television. He wrote and directed episodes of the series *Kojak* and directed episodes of *Cagney & Lacey* and *Quincy, M.E.*.

Oliansky graduated from Hofstra University in 1959 and earned a master's degree from Yale, where he served as playwright-in-residence. He moved to Hollywood in 1964. His screenplay for the 1988 film *Bird* and his work on the 1980 film *The Competition*, which he also directed, are among his best-known contributions. He wrote the miniseries *Masada* (1981) and *The Law* (1975).

Oliansky won a Primetime Emmy Award for writing *The Senator* (1970) and received a Writers Guild of America Award for *Masada*. He was married to Patricia Godfrey; they later divorced.

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

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Cagney & Lacey* (1982), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/cagney-and-lacey.md)
- *Kojak* (1973), Fi1m 80, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md)

## Also known for

- *Bird* (1988), Writer
- *Quincy, M.E.* (1976), Writer
- *Masada* (1981), Writer, Teleplay

---
© 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/joel-oliansky