---
name: "Michael Spiller"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/michael-spiller"
fi1m_id: "michael-spiller"
imdb_id: "nm0818785"
tmdb_id: 65506
wikidata_id: "Q3308532"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "1 August 1961"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "director"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-09-30T20:33:53.825868+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 Spiller

## Identity

Michael Spiller

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/michael-spiller
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** michael-spiller
- **IMDb ID:** nm0818785
- **TMDB ID:** 65506
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3308532
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Spiller, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3308532, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818785/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/65506

Director. Born 1 August 1961 in New Jersey.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 1 August 1961, New Jersey
- **Active:** 1990–2013
- **Also known as:** Michael Alan Spiller, Michael A. Spiller, Mike Spiller
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 9: 7 directing, 2 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [Ken Whittingham](https://film.one/person/ken-whittingham.md), [Reginald Hudlin](https://film.one/person/reginald-hudlin.md), [Alex Hardcastle](https://film.one/person/alex-hardcastle.md), [Claire Scanlon](https://film.one/person/claire-scanlon.md), [Gail Mancuso](https://film.one/person/gail-mancuso.md), [Alex Reid](https://film.one/person/alex-reid-1224235.md), [Beth McCarthy-Miller](https://film.one/person/beth-mccarthy-miller.md), [Charles McDougall](https://film.one/person/charles-mcdougall.md)
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 1 Emmy (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as director, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 78 (2), 2000s 78 (4), 2010s 77 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 78 to 74 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 6, Crime 1, Drama 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Spiller, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3308532, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818785/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/65506

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*New Girl*](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md) (80), [*Modern Family*](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md) (77), [*The Mindy Project*](https://film.one/tv/the-mindy-project.md) (72)
- **HBO Max:** [*Big Love*](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md) (79)
- **Netflix:** [*Brooklyn Nine-Nine*](https://film.one/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine.md) (78)
- **Peacock:** [*The Office*](https://film.one/tv/the-office-2005.md) (77)

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

## Biography

Michael Spiller is an American television director and cinematographer. Born on 1 August 1961 in New Jersey and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he studied film at Purchase College. He began his career as a cinematographer, frequently collaborating with director Hal Hartley on independent films including *The Unbelievable Truth* (1989).

Spiller served as director of photography on the first four seasons of *Sex and the City* (1998–2002) and directed seven episodes of the series. He later directed episodes of numerous comedy series, including more than twenty each of *Scrubs* (2002–2010) and *Modern Family* (2009–2019), as well as *The Office* (2005), *New Girl* (2011), *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013) and *black-ish* (2014). He won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Directors Guild of America Award for directing the *Modern Family* episode 'Halloween' (2011) and served as executive producer and director on *The Mindy Project* (2012–2017).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, televisionacademy.com, purchase.edu.*

## On Fi1m (9)

### Directed (7) — the average rests on these

- *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013), Fi1m 78, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine.md)
- *The Mindy Project* (2012), Fi1m 72, Executive Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mindy-project.md)
- *New Girl* (2011), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md)
- *Better Off Ted* (2009), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/better-off-ted.md)
- *Modern Family* (2009), Fi1m 77, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md)
- *Big Love* (2006), Fi1m 79, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md)
- *The Office* (2005), Fi1m 77, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-office-2005.md)

### Crew (2)

- *The Unbelievable Truth* (1990), Fi1m 76, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-unbelievable-truth.md)
- *Trust* (1990), Fi1m 79, Director of Photography, Cinematography, Camera Operator — [page](https://film.one/film/trust.md)

## Complete filmography (80)

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

- *Scrubs* (2026), series, Director
- *So Help Me Todd* (2022), series, Executive Producer, Director
- *The Sex Lives of College Girls* (2021), series, Director
- *The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers* (2021), series, Executive Producer, Director
- *AJ and the Queen* (2020), series, Director
- *mixed-ish* (2019), series, Director
- *Whiskey Cavalier* (2019), series, Director
- *I Feel Bad* (2018), series, Director
- *Champions* (2018), series, Director
- *Good Girls* (2018), series, Director
- *Fresh Off the Boat* (2015), series, Director
- *black-ish* (2014), series, Director
- *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013), series, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine.md)
- *The Mindy Project* (2012), series, Executive Producer, Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mindy-project.md)
- *Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23* (2012), series, Director
- *New Girl* (2011), series, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md)
- *The Middle* (2009), series, Director
- *Modern Family* (2009), series, Director — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md)
- *Cougar Town* (2009), series, Director
- *Better Off Ted* (2009), series, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/better-off-ted.md)
- *Samantha Who?* (2007), series, Director
- *Aliens in America* (2007), series, Director
- *Big Shots* (2007), series, Director
- *The Riches* (2007), series, Director
- *Big Day* (2006), series, Director
- *Ugly Betty* (2006), series, Director
- *Big Love* (2006), series, Director — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md)
- *Kitchen Confidential* (2005), series, Director
- *The Office* (2005), series, Director — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-office-2005.md)
- *Jake in Progress* (2005), series, Director
- *Life As We Know It* (2004), series, Director
- *Cracking Up* (2004), series, Director
- *Lucky* (2003), series, Director
- *Oliver Beene* (2003), series, Director
- *Do Over* (2002), series, Director
- *Monk* (2002), series, Director
- *No Such Thing* (2002), Director of Photography
- *Greg the Bunny* (2002), series, Director
- *Leap of Faith* (2002), series, Director
- *The Bernie Mac Show* (2001), series, Director
- *Scrubs* (2001), series, as The Balloon Guy · Director
- *Drop Dead Gorgeous* (1999), Director of Photography
- *Hell's Kitchen* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Henry Fool* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Sex and the City* (1998), series, as Slick Guy · Director, Director of Photography
- *Niagara, Niagara* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Significant Others* (1998), series, Actor
- *Hanson: Tulsa, Tokyo & the Middle of Nowhere* (1997), Director of Photography
- *The House of Yes* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Flirt* (1996), Director of Photography
- *Walking and Talking* (1996), Director of Photography
- *Search and Destroy* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Hand Gun* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Amateur* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Opera No. 1* (1994), Director of Photography
- *The Adventures of Pete & Pete* (1993), series, Director of Photography
- *Flirt* (1993), Director of Photography
- *The Dark Half* (1993), Second Unit Director of Photography, Additional Camera
- *Lincoln and the War Within* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Simple Men* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Wadeck's Mother's Friend's Son* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Ambition* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Surviving Desire* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Fishing with John* (1991), series, Director of Photography
- *Theory of Achievement* (1991), Director of Photography
- *Age Isn't Everything* (1991), Director of Photography
- *My Birthday Cake* (1991), Director of Photography
- *Angry* (1991), Director of Photography
- *Trust* (1990), Director of Photography, Camera Operator — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/trust.md)
- *The Unbelievable Truth* (1990), Director of Photography — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-unbelievable-truth.md)
- *No Picnic* (1990), Second Unit Cinematographer
- *The Green Flash* (1988), Assistant Camera, Additional Photography
- *She Must Be Seeing Things* (1988), Assistant Camera
- *Campus Man* (1987), as Undercover Cop
- *Working Girls* (1987), Gaffer
- *The Cartographer's Girlfriend* (1987), Director of Photography
- *Streetwalkin'* (1985), Electrician
- *Tommy's* (1985), Director of Photography
- *Kid* (1984), Director of Photography
- *Mr. Ed*, series, Director

## Awards

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 2011: Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (won), for *Modern Family*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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-spiller