Mimi Leder
Miriam Leder (born January 26, 1952) is an American film and television director and producer; she is noted for her action films and use of special effects. She has directed the films The Peacemaker (1997), Deep Impact (1998), Pay It Forward (2000), and On the Basis of Sex (2018). She was the first female graduate of the AFI Conservatory, in 1973.
Also recorded as Miriam Leder
Mimi Leder

Photo/Sarah E. Freeman/Grady College, freemans@uga.edu in New York City, Georgia, on Saturday, May 21, 2016 · The Leftovers · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- Mimi Leder
- Born
- 26 January 1952
- Birthplace
- New York City, U.S.
- Education
- AFI Conservatory
- Birth Name
- Miriam Leder
- Spouse
- Gary Werntz
- Occupation
- Film director, film producer, script supervisor
- Full name
- Miriam Leder.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Fields
- film.
- Known for
- Pay It Forward.
- Honours
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Dorothy Arzner Directors Award.
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Miriam Leder (born January 26, 1952) is an American film and television director and producer; she is noted for her action films and use of special effects. She has directed the films The Peacemaker (1997), Deep Impact (1998), Pay It Forward (2000), and On the Basis of Sex (2018). She was the first female graduate of the AFI Conservatory, in 1973.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q268881 · wikipedia · Mimi Leder
In this article
Biography
Biography
She has been nominated for ten Emmy Awards, winning two.
Mimi Leder studied at AFI Conservatory. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is film. Works named in the authority record are Pay It Forward. Distinctions recorded are Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Dorothy Arzner Directors Award.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mimi Leder • Born — 26 January 1952 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Education — AFI Conservatory • Birth Name — Miriam Leder • Spouse — Gary Werntz • Children — Hannah Leder • Occupation — Film director, film producer, script supervisor • Years Active — 1976–present
Early life
Early life
Miriam Leder was born in New York City in 1952, the daughter of Etyl, a classical pianist, and Paul Leder, a director, producer, actor, writer, and editor of films including My Friends Need Killing, A*P*E, and I Dismember Mama. Leder grew up in Los Angeles in a Jewish household. Her mother is a Holocaust survivor (Auschwitz concentration camp) from Brussels, Belgium. During childhood, her father, a low-budget independent filmmaker, introduced Mimi and her siblings to film production. Her father often dropped her off at the cinema to watch the latest films. Leder said that one of the early films which had an impact on her was Federico Fellini's 8½. She was the first woman accepted into the AFI Conservatory, where she studied cinematography.
Film career
Film career
Leder began her career as a second unit director on her father's 1976 film A*P*E, then as a script supervisor on a string of films, including Spawn of the Slithis (1978), Dummy (1979), The Boy Who Drank Too Much (1980), and A Long Way Home (1980) and then moved to the TV series Hill Street Blues (1981). After making the short film Short Order Dreams, written and funded by her father Paul, she screened it for Steven Bochco, creator of Hill Street Blues, and his friend Gregory Hoblit who hired her to direct an episode of L.A. Law. In 1988, Leder directed episodes of Crime Story, The Bronx Zoo, Midnight Caller, then directed several episodes of China Beach (1988–91) for which she was nominated for four Emmys. She made the made-for-TV films Woman with a Past (1992), House of Secrets (1993), and Baby Brokers (1994), then became one of the core directors for ER (1994–2009). The show earned her Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 1995 and 1996. She returned to direct an episode of the series during its final season in 2009. She soon received a job offer from Steven Spielberg to direct the film The Peacemaker (1997). Continuing to work for DreamWorks, she directed Deep Impact (1998) and Pay It Forward (2000) while simultaneously creating Sentimental Journey (1999), a personal love story about her parents. When asked for a reaction about her film Deep Impact (1998) vs. a rival movie release at the same time Armageddon (1998), she responded: "Michael Bay did come to my premiere, which really shocked me. And I can tell you that after—after [seeing] my film—he went and reshot the end of his." After making Pay It Forward Leder went through a period where she wasn't hired to direct any feature films. "Most women who don't have commercial success are not asked back to the party. It did not hurt me in television, but it did in features." Leder felt as though she had been put into a "movie jail" by Hollywood for the lack of success of Pay It Forward. Leder's dry spell of feature films after the release of Pay It Forward drove her to other pursuits in television and film. She shot nine pilots and produced six series, including The Beast (2001), John Doe (2002), Johnny Zero (2005), and Vanished (2006). Leder also made many made-for-TV movies such as Thick as Thieves (2009), U.S. Attorney (2009), and Heavenly (2011). In 2015, Leder was brought by HBO to direct a first-season episode of The Leftovers and later hired as a co-showrunner. Leder's feature film On the Basis of Sex, the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's path to become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, was released in December 2018. It was Leder's first theatrical feature in 18 years.
Personal life
Personal life
Leder has a daughter, Hannah, with her husband actor Gary Werntz. Mimi Leder has said she "was raised a feminist" and "was an anti-war protester all during the Vietnam War."
Filmography
Filmography
Film • The Peacemaker (1997) • Deep Impact (1998) • Sentimental Journey (1999) (Short film) • Pay It Forward (2000) • Thick as Thieves (2009) • On the Basis of Sex (2018) Ref.: TV movies • Year — Title — Notes • 1988 — Nightingales — Pilot for the 1989 TV series • 1990 — Sisters — Pilot for the 1991 TV series • 1991 — A Little Piece of Heaven • 1992 — Woman with a Past • 1993 — Marked for Murder • There Was a Little Boy • Rio Shannon • House of Secrets • 1994 — Baby Brokers • The Innocent • 2009 — U.S. Attorney — Also executive producer • 2010 — The Quinn-tuplets • 2011 — Heavenly TV series • Year — Title — Director — Producer — Notes • 1987 — L.A. Law — Episodes "Fifty Ways to Floss Your Lover" and "Oy Vey! Wilderness!" • 1988 — A Year in the Life — Episode "The Little Disturbance of Man" and "Glory Days" • Crime Story — Episode "The Hearings" • The Bronx Zoo — Episode "On the Land, on the Sea and in the Halls" • Midnight Caller — Episode "After It Happened" • 1988–1991 — China Beach — Director (13 episodes) Producer (22 episodes) Supervising producer (16 episodes) • 2001 — The Beast — Executive — Episode "The Price" • 2002–2003 — John Doe — Executive — Directed 5 episodes • 2005 — Jonny Zero — Executive — Directed 4 episodes • 2006 — The West Wing — Episode "Election Day Part I" • Related • Vanished — Executive — Directed 4 episodes • 1994–2009 — ER — Director (11 episodes) Supervising producer (14 episodes) Co-executive producer (11 episodes) • 2010 — Human Target — "The Wife's Tale" • 2011–2012 — Shameless — 6 episodes • 2012 — Smash — Episodes "The Workshop" and "The Dress Rehearsal" • Luck — "Episode Nine" • 2014–2017 — The Leftovers — Executive — Directed 10 episodes • 2019–present — The Morning Show — Executive — Directed 11 episodes
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Mimi Leder was recorded at birth as Miriam Leder. The authorities additionally record the heading Miriam Leder. Her recorded language was English. She was the child of Paul Leder. She married Gary Werntz. One child is recorded: Hannah Werntz.
Identity
Identity
Mimi Leder is recorded as having received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Dorothy Arzner Directors Award. Recognition and collections. Leder received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Dorothy Arzner Directors Award.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1952
Mimi Leder born at New York City.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q268881: Mimi Leder
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Mimi Leder”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
- GENDER INEQUALITY BEFORE THE LAWS AS SEEN IN ON THE BASIS OF SEX FILM BY MIMI LEDER, Nazharat: Jurnal Kebudayaan, 2022
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2022
authority file
Awards and nominations
• Year — Award — Category — Nominated work — Result — Notes • |1990 — Primetime Emmy Awards — Outstanding Drama Series — China Beach • 1991 — American Film Institute — Franklin J. Schaffner Award • Primetime Emmy Awards — Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series — China Beach • Outstanding Drama Series • 1992 — Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series • 1995 — ER • Outstanding Drama Series • Directors Guild of America Awards — Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series • 1996 • Primetime Emmy Awards — Outstanding Drama Series • Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series • 1997 — Directors Guild of America Awards • 2000 — Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards — Dorothy Arzner Award • 2006 — Primetime Emmy Awards — Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series — The West Wing • 2020 — The Morning Show • 2024 — Outstanding Drama Series • Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
GENDER INEQUALITY BEFORE THE LAWS AS SEEN IN ON THE BASIS OF SEX FILM BY MIMI LEDER, Nazharat: Jurnal Kebudayaan, 2022Crossref registry
Verifiedauthority file
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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