Michael Lange
Michael Lange (born March 1, 1950) is an American television director and record producer.
Biography
Early life
Born and raised just outside New York City,[1] in Mamaroneck, New York and attending Mamaroneck High School where he was heavily involved in music and a bit in drama, Michael Lange first developed a taste for drama in college, where he served as both an actor and director in a number of productions.[2] Although pressured by his parents to become a doctor, he went on to study theatre at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C..[1] After college, he started his own regional theatre in Teaneck, New Jersey,[2] and was also active in a number of musical groups.[1] He produced and directed several plays at the theatre before moving onto advertising. He then worked at an advertising company, Cunningham & Walsh, for five years as a producer, before he moved to Creamer Advertising in New York for which he served as head of television and radio production.[1] In 1980, he quit after eight years in the advertising business and moved to California aspiring to become a film and television director.
Career
Lange's first job was on The Fall Guy in 1981 as a post production assistant and after a year he was promoted to second unit director, in which role he shot almost thirty episodes (second unit only) for the show.[1] He then moved on to Riptide and later, in his self-described leap to "quality television", Life Goes On in 1993.[2] Since then, he has garnered directorial credits from two hundred television episodes, including amongst many others The O.C., Beverly Hills, 90210, The Larry Sanders Show, Northern Exposure, Eureka, The Pretender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files, and "Eli Stone" Brothers & Sisters, One Tree Hill, Dirty Sexy Money,Eli Stone (Finale- Season One), Dawson's Creek, Point Pleasant, Miss Match, Everwood, Diagnosis: Murder, Jake and the Fatman and Greek.[3] He has directed one feature film, Intern, and the Disney Channel television movie Jumping Ship.[1] He has recently been working on the ABC Family series, "Greek" as a Co-Executive Producer/Director. Additionally, he's the Co-Executive Producer/Director on Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva".
Having been in a number of bands growing up, Lange's other business is in music. He and his colleague and room mate from college days, Peter Gorin, run Silly Music Corporation, a record company that produces song parodies of Broadway musicals with a Jewish spin. Their music arranger/composer is Michael's High School friend, Marc Ellis.[4]
Most recently, Lange has created Flashbang Productions, LLC, a partnership with Shannon Murphy. Flashbang is in development on several projects involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; a one hour drama, tentatively titled "ATF", a documentary/reality show about the dogs of the ATF called "AtThe Frontline: ATF", in partnership with MPH Productions, and a reality show about Search and Rescue dogs.
Personal life
Lange is Jewish, a background that has given him inspiration for Kosher Christmas Carols, a collection of musical parodies written by Peter Gorin and himself, and also landed him a minor role in an episode of The O.C. in which he played a rabbi.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f MICHAEL LANGE: Director, Silly Music biography. Accessed on 2007-12-23.
- ^ a b c Lange, Michael, MICHAEL LANGE: Director, Silly Music autobiography. Accessed on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Lange, Michael, Biography for Michael Lange, Internet Movie Database. Accessed on 2007-12-23.
- ^ a b Elkin, Michael (22 December 2005), We Wish You a Murray …, Jewish Exponent. Accessed on 2007-12-23.