| Birth name | Gregory King Hoblit |
|---|---|
| Birth date | November 27, 1944 (age 81) |
| Birth place | Abilene, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1974–present[citation needed] |
| Spouse | Debrah Farentino (m. 1994; div. 2009)[citation needed] |
Gregory Hoblit (born November 27, 1944) is an American film director, television director and television producer.[1] He is known for directing the feature films Primal Fear (1996), Fallen (1998), Frequency (2000), Hart's War (2002), Fracture (2007), and Untraceable (2008).[1] He has won nine Emmy Awards for directing and producing,[1] an accolade which includes work on the television series Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, L.A. Law, and Hooperman, and the television film Roe vs. Wade.[1]
Early life and education
Hoblit was born Gregory King Hoblit in Abilene, Texas, on November 27, 1944, the son of Elizabeth Hubbard King and Harold Foster Hoblit, an FBI agent.[2][1] Hoblit studied at both the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Los Angeles, obtaining bachelor's degrees in history and political science.[2]
Career
Hoblit was "[a] longtime associate of Steven Bochco,[1] the late, celebrated writer and producer of television police and courtroom dramas.[3] Much of Hoblit's work is oriented towards police, attorneys, and legal cases.[citation needed] An element of career that has been noted by the entertainment media is the casting of young talent into serious roles that have elevated them to stardom (e.g., for Edward Norton and Ryan Gosling).[4]
Hoblit is known for directing the feature films Primal Fear (1996), Fallen (1998), Frequency (2000), Hart's War (2002), Fracture (2007), and Untraceable (2008).[1]
As described by Jerry Roberts in the 2009 edition of his Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors, Hoblit's directing included episodes of Bay City Blues, Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, Cop Rock, L.A. Law, among other television series.[1] His credits also include having directed the science fiction police drama, NYPD 2069 (2004), which was described as "unaired" as of that date.[1][5] He also wrote an episode of Hill Street Blues.[citation needed]
Personal life
Hoblit married actress Debrah Farentino on September 10, 1994.[2] The couple have two children, Molly and Sophie.[2]
Awards and recognition
Hoblit has won nine Emmy Awards for directing and producing,[1] an accolade which includes six for producing episodes of the television series Hill Street Blues (1981-1984), L.A. Law (1987), Hooperman (1988), and NYPD Blue (1995);[1] the Emmy for L.A. Law was for the pilot episode.[1][6] The 1981 Emmy for his work on Hill Street Blues was for Outstanding Drama Series, and his fellow awardees were Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll.[7]
He was further recognized as a producer with an Emmy for the television film Roe vs. Wade (1989).[1]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Goodnight Jackie | ||
| 1996 | Primal Fear | ||
| 1998 | Fallen | ||
| 2000 | Frequency | ||
| 2002 | Hart's War | ||
| 2007 | Fracture | ||
| 2008 | Untraceable |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Loose Change | ||
| Dr. Strange | |||
| 1979 | Vampiro | ||
| 1981 | Every Stray Dog and Kid | ||
| 1989 | Roe vs. Wade | ||
| 1993 | Class of '61 |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | What Really Happened to the Class of '65? | 1 episode | |||
| 1979 | Paris | ||||
| 1981–1985 | Hill Street Blues | 45 episodes | |||
| 1983 | Bay City Blues | 1 episode | |||
| 1986–1988 | L.A. Law | 35 episodes | |||
| 1987 | Hooperman | 2 episodes | |||
| 1990 | Equal Justice | 1 episode | |||
| Cop Rock | 2 episodes | ||||
| 1993–1994 | NYPD Blue | 9 episodes | |||
| 2004 | NYPD 2069 | 1 episode | |||
| 2009 | Solving Charlie | 1 episode | |||
| 2013 | Monday Mornings | 1 episode | |||
| 2014 | The Americans | 1 episode | |||
| 2015 | The Strain | 1 episode |
Further reading
- Roberts, Jerry (2009). "Gregory Hoblit". Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press-Rowman & Littlefield. p. 254. ISBN 9780810863781. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
References
- ^ Roberts, Jerry (2009). "Gregory Hoblit". Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press-Rowman & Littlefield. p. 254. ISBN 9780810863781. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ Riggs, Thomas (ed.) (August 5, 2011). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 111. Gale. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-4144-7185-3. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ Haag, Matthew & Mele, Christopher (April 2, 2018). "Steven Bochco, Producer of 'Hill Street Blues' and 'NYPD Blue,' Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Stevens, Dana (April 19, 2007). "Hello, Mr. Gosling: A Mainstream Star is Born in Fracture". Slate.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
Fracture (New Line Cinema) may be remembered as the movie that brought Ryan Gosling into the mainstream (just as Primal Fear, director Gregory Hoblit’s 1996 feature debut, introduced audiences to a young Edward Norton)... casting Gosling opposite Hopkins in a big-budget legal thriller is clearly Hollywood’s way of saying, 'Here he is folks: the next big thing.'
- ^ Gregory Hoblit at IMDb
- ^ The Emmy for the Hooperman has also been stated as being for the pilot episode.[citation needed]
- ^ ATAS Staff (June 10, 2022). "Outstanding Drama Series Nominees—Winners 1981". Emmys.com. Los Angeles, CA: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Retrieved June 10, 2022.
External links
- Gregory Hoblit at IMDb