---
name: "Michael Schultz"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/michael-schultz"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "10 November 1938"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T18:09:30.278982+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."
---

# Michael Schultz

Director. Born 10 November 1938 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 10 November 1938, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- **Active:** 1974–2007
- **Also known as:**  Michael A. Schultz
- **Works often with:** Gail Mancuso, Ken Whittingham, Peter Lauer

## Fi1m on Michael Schultz

> Michael Schultz's strength is getting people to feel at home together on screen, particularly in comedies about Black American life. We recommend starting with those ensembles, rather than assuming his long list of credits promises consistent results.

James Garner makes *The Rockford Files* (1974) pleasant company even when the mystery is routine. We enjoyed it because its humour comes from people we wanted to spend time with. Schultz's directing credit belongs in that recommendation, though it would be unreasonable to credit him with everything that makes the series work. His actor-focused approach to television offers a useful way into his work. We value him most when the people are interesting enough that the plot need not do all the persuading.

The feature films give that preference a clearer setting: Black American lives observed through comedy and coming-of-age stories. *Cooley High* (1975), his breakthrough, places adolescence in 1960s Chicago; *Car Wash* (1976) brings music, humour and character drama into an ensemble comedy. The appeal is the attention to a group rather than the insistence that one star must carry everything. These are the films that give us the clearest reason to seek out Schultz by name, rather than merely encounter him in the credits.

Four films with Richard Pryor suggest the value of a returning performer; *Carbon Copy* (1981), Denzel Washington's first feature role, belongs to Schultz's record of giving emerging actors an early opportunity. We put more weight on that attention to performers than on the mere size of a filmography. There are reasons to choose carefully, including the critically unsuccessful *Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band* (1978), rather than assume the ease of the ensemble comedies travelled everywhere.

From the 1990s, Schultz worked primarily in television, continuing to direct episodes into the 2020s. His emphasis on efficient decisions and work with actors is a sensible response to the tight schedules of episodic directing. We do not need a director to advertise himself in every scene. We do need people who remain interesting between the demands of the plot, the quality that makes *The Rockford Files* so agreeable. For Schultz's feature work, start with *Cooley High*.

## Biography

Michael Schultz (born 10 November 1938) is an American director of film and television. After undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Marquette University, he attended Princeton University, where he directed his first play, a production of *Waiting for Godot*, in 1966. He joined the Negro Ensemble Company in 1968 and made his Broadway debut the following year directing *Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?*.

His early feature films include *Cooley High* (1975), *Car Wash* (1976) and *Which Way Is Up?* (1977). He also directed *Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band* (1978). Schultz has directed episodes of many television series, including *The Rockford Files* (1974), *Arrow* (2012–2017), *Once Upon a Time* (2011), *New Girl* (2011), *Gilmore Girls* (2000), *Chuck* (2007), *Black Lightning* (2018), *The O.C.* (2003), *All American* (2018) and *Cold Case* (2003). He was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1991.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, pro.imdb.com, today.marquette.edu.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Rockford Files* (1974), Fi1m 83, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md)

## Also credited on (not yet reviewed)

- *Chuck* (2007), Director
- *Gilmore Girls* (2000), Director

## Also known for

- *Arrow* (2012), Director
- *Charmed* (1998), Director
- *Once Upon a Time* (2011), Director
- *New Girl* (2011), Director
- *Black Lightning* (2018), Director
- *The O.C.* (2003), Director
- *All American* (2018), Director
- *Cold Case* (2003), Director

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© 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/michael-schultz