---
name: "John Fortenberry"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-fortenberry"
fi1m_id: "john-fortenberry"
imdb_id: "nm0287198"
tmdb_id: 58316
wikidata_id: "Q3181522"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "1 January 1927"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "director"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-24T09:00:45.512280+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."
---

# John Fortenberry

## Identity

John Fortenberry

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/john-fortenberry
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** john-fortenberry
- **IMDb ID:** nm0287198
- **TMDB ID:** 58316
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3181522
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fortenberry, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3181522, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287198/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/58316

Director. Born 1 January 1927 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 1 January 1927, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
- **Active:** 2003–2018
- **Frequently works with:** [Eric Falconer](https://film.one/person/eric-falconer.md), [Fred Savage](https://film.one/person/fred-savage.md), [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://film.one/person/jay-chandrasekhar.md), [Jeff Melman](https://film.one/person/jeff-melman.md), [Jessica Yu](https://film.one/person/jessica-yu.md), [Jon Huertas](https://film.one/person/jon-huertas.md), [Lev L. Spiro](https://film.one/person/lev-l-spiro.md), [Rebecca Asher](https://film.one/person/rebecca-asher.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as director, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 82 (2), 2010s 76 (1)
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 2, Comedy 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fortenberry, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3181522, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287198/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/58316

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Rescue Me*](https://film.one/tv/rescue-me.md) (77), [*This Is Us*](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md) (76)
- **Netflix:** [*Arrested Development*](https://film.one/tv/arrested-development.md) (87)

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

## Biography

John Fortenberry is an American film and television director. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, he graduated from the University of Mississippi and began his career as an editor at Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video before moving into directing.

He directed the feature film *A Night at the Roxbury* (1998) and episodes of numerous television series, including three episodes of *Arrested Development* (2003). Other credits include *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia* (2005), *Everybody Loves Raymond* (1996), *Galavant* (2015) and *The Rookie* (2018). He has also worked as a producer on several projects.

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

## On Fi1m (3)

- *This Is Us* (2016), Fi1m 76, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md)
- *Rescue Me* (2004), Fi1m 77, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/rescue-me.md)
- *Arrested Development* (2003), Fi1m 87, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/arrested-development.md)

## Complete filmography (80)

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

- *The Rookie* (2018), series, Director
- *The Mayor* (2017), series, Director
- *Rhett & Link's Buddy System* (2016), series, Director
- *American Housewife* (2016), series, Director
- *This Is Us* (2016), series, Director — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md)
- *Kevin from Work* (2015), series, Director
- *Ballers* (2015), series, Director
- *Galavant* (2015), series, Executive Producer, Director
- *black-ish* (2014), series, Director
- *Sirens* (2014), series, Director
- *Instant Mom* (2013), series, Director
- *The Michael J. Fox Show* (2013), series, Director
- *The Neighbors* (2012), series, Director
- *Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred* (2011), Director
- *Man Up!* (2011), series, Director
- *Pan Am* (2011), series, Director
- *Whitney* (2011), series, Director
- *2 Broke Girls* (2011), series, Director
- *Necessary Roughness* (2011), series, Director
- *Running Wilde* (2010), series, Director
- *Whitney Cummings: Money Shot* (2010), Director
- *Memphis Beat* (2010), series, Director
- *Blue Mountain State* (2010), series, Director
- *Sonny with a Chance* (2009), series, Director
- *In Plain Sight* (2008), series, Director
- *Aliens in America* (2007), series, Director
- *Reaper* (2007), series, Director
- *American Family* (2007), Director
- *Dirt* (2007), series, Director
- *3 lbs* (2006), series, Director
- *Underfunded* (2006), Director
- *Ugly Betty* (2006), series, Director
- *Six Degrees* (2006), series, Director
- *Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip* (2006), series, Director
- *Love Monkey* (2006), series, Director
- *Love, Inc.* (2005), series, Director
- *Louis C.K.: One Night Stand* (2005), Director
- *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia* (2005), series, Director, Executive Producer
- *Comedy Central Roast of Jeff Foxworthy* (2005), Director
- *Rescue Me* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/rescue-me.md)
- *Arrested Development* (2003), series, Director — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/tv/arrested-development.md)
- *I'm with Her* (2003), series, Director
- *Las Vegas* (2003), series, Director
- *Like Family* (2003), series, Director
- *Rock Me Baby* (2003), series, Director
- *Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary* (2003), Director, Co-Executive Producer
- *Lucky* (2003), series, Director
- *Sick in the Head* (2003), Director
- *Greg the Bunny* (2002), series, Director
- *Andy Richter Controls the Universe* (2002), series, Director
- *Baby Bob* (2002), series, Director
- *The Bernie Mac Show* (2001), series, Director
- *Go Fish* (2001), series, Director
- *DAG* (2000), series, Director
- *The Michael Richards Show* (2000), series, Director
- *Madigan Men* (2000), series, Director
- *Action* (1999), series, Director
- *Comedy Central Presents: Mitch Hedberg* (1999), Director
- *A Night at the Roxbury* (1998), Director
- *The King of Queens* (1998), series, Director
- *Two Guys and a Girl* (1998), series, Director
- *Just Shoot Me!* (1997), series, Director
- *Clueless* (1996), series, Director
- *Spin City* (1996), series, Director
- *Everybody Loves Raymond* (1996), series, Director
- *Arli$$* (1996), series, Director
- *Robert Klein: It All Started Here* (1995), Director
- *Jury Duty* (1995), Director
- *The Second Half* (1993), series, Director
- *The Trouble with Larry* (1993), series, Director
- *Carol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue* (1992), Director
- *Gilbert Gottfried: Command Performance* (1992), Director
- *The Ben Stiller Show* (1992), series, Director
- *Susie Essman: One Night Stand* (1992), Director
- *Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful* (1991), Director
- *Bill Hicks: One Night Stand* (1991), Director
- *Jimmy Tingle: One Night Stand* (1991), Director
- *Get a Life* (1990), series, Director
- *One Night Stand* (1989), series, Director
- *Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway* (1985), Editor

---
© 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/john-fortenberry