Michael Pressman


Michael Pressman is an American film and television producer and director whose credits include the television series , Chicago Med, Blue Bloods, Picket Fences, Elementary, and the Emmy nominated as well as the feature films Doctor Detroit, Boulevard Nights, and Some Kind of Hero''.

Early life

Pressman was born in 1950 to actors David Pressman and Sasha Pressman. After graduating from Manhattan's High School of Music and Art, he earned a drama degree from Carnegie-Mellon University. After relocating to Los Angeles, Pressmen received a B.F.A. in film from the California Institute of the Arts where he serves as an active member on their Board of Trustees. Additionally, Pressman studied under Alexander Mackendrick, the director of such films as Sweet Smell of Success and The Ladykillers.

Career

Pressman directed his first feature film, The Great Texas Dynamite Chase, with fellow Cal Arts graduates Sean Daniel and David Kirkpatrick. Pressman went on to direct the cult classic Boulevard Nights, which was selected as one of twenty-five films for preservation by the Library of Congress, Those Lips, Those Eyes starring Frank Langella, Doctor Detroit starring Dan Aykroyd, and Some Kind of Hero starring Richard Pryor, among others.
His television credits include multiple episodes of the Emmy Award-winning series and Blue Bloods. He distinguished himself early in his career as a director with popular classic series including Picket Fences and Chicago Hope. He directed the final two hours of the TV mini-series , starring Edie Falco and Heather Graham.
Pressman is currently in Los Angeles directing the critically acclaimed play Finks, which debuts in early November at The Electric Lodge and features performances from The Rogue Machine Company. Finks, which premiered to rave reviews in NYC in 2013 and was a New York Times “Critics Pick”, is writer Joe Gilford’s fictionalized account of his parent’s ensnarement in the 1950s blacklist.

Awards and nominations

Pressman won two Emmys for executive producing and show running the series Picket Fences. He earned an Emmy nomination and a DGA nomination for his work on the hospital drama Chicago Hope.