Rob Epstein

He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film for End Game (2018). He also directed the documentaries Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (1977), The AIDS Show (1986), The Celluloid Closet (1996), and Paragraph 175 (2000). He made his narrative directorial film debut with the historical drama Howl (2010) followed by Lovelace (2013).

• Born — 6 April 1955 • Birthplace — New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. • Years Active — 1978–present • Birth Name — Robert P. Epstein • Occupation — Film director and producer Robert P. Epstein (born April 6, 1955), is an American director, producer, writer, and editor. He is known for directing numerous documentaries, several of them focusing on the LGBTQ community and has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Epstein won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature twice for the films The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film for End Game (2018). He also directed the documentaries Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (1977), The AIDS Show (1986), The Celluloid Closet (1996), and Paragraph 175 (2000). He made his narrative directorial film debut with the historical drama Howl (2010) followed by Lovelace (2013).

In 1987, Epstein and his filmmaking partner Jeffrey Friedman founded Telling Pictures, a production company that focused on feature documentaries. Epstein's works also include scripted narratives such as Howl, his award-winning film about Allen Ginsberg's controversial poem by the same name (starring James Franco), and Lovelace, the story about the life and trials of pornographic superstar Linda Lovelace (starring Amanda Seyfried).

Epstein co-founded the Film Program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, California. He also serves as a visiting professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. In 2025, he received an honorary doctorate from CCA recognizing his groundbreaking work as a filmmaker and educator over many decades. He is gay.

• Year — |Title — Director — Producer — Editor — Notes • 1977 — Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives • 1984 — The Times of Harvey Milk • 1986 — The AIDS Show • 1989 — Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt • 1989 — Where Are We? Our Trip Through America • 1995 — The Celluloid Closet • 2000 — Paragraph 175 • 2005 — An Evening with Eddie Gomez • 2014 — And the Oscar Goes to... • 2018 — End Game — Short film • 2019 — State of Pride • 2019 — Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice • 2023 — Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music

• Year — Title — Notes — Ref. • 2002 — Underground Zero — Segment: "Isiah's Rap" • 2002-2004 — Crime & Punishment — TV series • 2006 — 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America — Episode: "Gold Rush"