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Rick Rosenthal
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Rick Rosenthal

Rick Rosenthal made his feature film debut with Halloween II, and now, 20 years later, he is returning to the series.

Rick Rosenthal has directed eight features including the critically acclaimed Bad Boys starring Sean Penn, Esai Morales and Ally Sheedy; American Dreamer starring Jo Beth Williams and Tom Conti; the pre-Glasnot film Russkies starring Whip Hubley and introducing a young Joaquin Phoenix; Distant Thunder, starring John Lithgow and Ralph Macchio; and last year's indie Just a Little Harmless Sex starring Alison Eastwood, Rachel Hunter, Lauren Hutton, Michael Ontkean, Jonathan Silverman and Kimberly Williams.

Rosenthal has also worked extensively in television serving as director on such diverse popular shows as Law & Order, The District, Providence, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Crossing Jordan, and The Practice. In 1989 Rosenthal directed the pilot of the ground-breaking Emmy winning ABC series Life Goes On, starring Patti LuPone, Chris Burke and Kellie Martin, and stayed on as co-executive producer for the first two seasons.

Rosenthal began his filmmaking career as a documentary director/cameraman for the New Hampshire Network (a PBS affiliate) after graduating cum laude from Harvard with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies. Before going on to study at the American Film Institute, he worked as a metal sculptor, a cabdriver, a carpenter, and assistant to U.S. senator, a deckhand on an 82-foot ketch and a tennis pro on the French Riviera. Rosenthal's AFI thesis film, Moonface, based on the Jack London short story, aired on PBS and jump-started his directing career.

Having recently served as Chair of the Directing Program at AFI's Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies, Rosenthal is committed to helping new filmmakers find a voice and has formed a production company, Whitewater Films, which he and filmmaker Susan Johnson run, with that overriding goal.

Rosenthal has studied acting with Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, taught directing at the International Film and Television Workshops in Maine and has been a adjunct Associate Professor at USC. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, three kids and a Golden Retriever named Elle.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Rick Rosenthal Facts

OccupationDirector
BirthdayJune 15, 1949 (74)
SignGemini
BirthplaceNew York, New York, USA

Selected Filmography

Not available.