Biography

Paris Barclay is one of television’s most successful and honored directors, having directed nearly 200 episodes of television, including episodes of NYPD BLUE, ER, THE WEST WING, LOST, THE GOOD WIFE, CSI, SONS OF ANARCHY, HOUSE, GLEE, IN TREATMENT, SCANDAL, EMPIRE, PITCH and STATION 19. He won two Emmy Awards for his direction of NYPD BLUE and has received eight additional Emmy nominations for producing and directing, including three for directing episodes of GLEE, one for THE WEST WING, and one for MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY. Paris is one of only a handful of directors in Emmy history to receive nominations in every directing category: drama, comedy, and limited series.

Paris has also garnered ten Directors Guild nominations (for shows as diverse as IN TREATMENT, WEEDS, HOUSE, as well as GLEE and THE WEST WING), winning once for NYPD BLUE. He also became the first Director in the history of the Guild to receive a comedy and drama nomination in the same year, two years in a row (2008 & 2009). He’s received three NAACP Image Awards, for producing, co-creating, and directing CITY OF ANGELS, and for directing COLD CASE and SMASH. In 2014, the NAACP inducted Paris into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame, joining such luminaries as Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, and Gordon Parks.

He directed the feature film (and cult favorite) DON’T BE A MENACE TO SOUTH CENTRAL WHILE DRINKING YOUR JUICE IN THE HOOD, as well as telefilms THE CHEROKEE KID (a western for HBO starring Sinbad, James Coburn and Burt Reynolds) and THE BIG TIME (a drama for TNT with Christina Hendricks, Molly Ringwald, and Christopher Lloyd.)

Paris has been recognized as a writer as well, receiving a WGA and Humanitas Prize nomination for his MTV telefilm (with Dustin Lance Black) PEDRO. He’s shared two other Humanitas Prizes, and four prestigious Peabody Awards. He co-created and wrote for the series CITY OF ANGELS (which ran for 2 years on CBS), as well as co-wrote and directed the pilot HATE for Showtime.

Along with all this, Paris directed the pilot and served as executive producer for the first four seasons of STATION 19. Then in 2021, Paris directed two episodes of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY. He also reteamed with Ryan Murphy on the following shows: THE WATCHER, AMERICAN HORROR STORY, AMERICAN SPORTS STORY: AARON HERNANDEZ, MONSTERS: THE ERIK AND LYLE MENENDEZ STORY, and DOCTOR ODYSSEY, directing the pilot of the latter and executive producing.

In 2025, Paris shot two episodes of Season 3 of Shawn Ryan’s hit Netflix series, THE NIGHT AGENT, and followed that up by directing the twisty drama BRILLIANT MINDS for NBC. In January of 2026, Paris helmed an episode of Dan Fogelman’s THE LAND, starring Chris Meloni, William H. Macy, and Mandy Moore, before directing two episodes of the final season of PARADISE, starring Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden.

Paris’s first feature documentary BILLY PRESTON: THAT’S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT recently opened in theaters. Paris co-wrote (with Cheo Hodari Coker) and directed the film which explores the life of the iconic keyboard and recording artist Billy Preston. The documentary debuted at the New York City Film Forum and is currently playing in theaters across the US.

Paris got his start in advertising, working as a copywriter and creative director, and then segued into directing music videos for some of music’s biggest stars, such as: Bob Dylan, Janet Jackson, and LL Cool J. He directed the iconic music video "Mama Said Knock You Out," winning awards from MTV and Billboard, as well as a Grammy for LL Cool J.

A DGA member since 1992, Barclay was the first African-American and the first openly gay President in the Guild’s history. In addition to his two terms as President of the Guild, he was named an Honorary Life Member of the DGA in 2021, one of the Guild’s highest honors, recognizing his career achievements and leadership in the industry.

Paris has said: "What’s the point of any success if you don’t give back?"
- IMDb mini biography by: Paris Barclay