# Max Winkler (director)
**Max Winkler** (full name Max Daniel Winkler) is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer, born in 1983 in Los Angeles, California, and known for the features *Ceremony* (2010), *Flower* (2017), and *Jungleland* (2019) and for directing extensively within Ryan Murphy's television operation since 2021.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935253/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/max-winkler/) He is the son of actor [Henry Winkler](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-winkler), best known as the Fonz on *Happy Days*.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983, Los Angeles, California; son of Henry and Stacey Winkler[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935253/bio/) |
| Education | Graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in May 2006[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935253/bio/) |
| Feature debut | *Ceremony* (2010), which he wrote and directed; premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and released by Magnolia Pictures[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html) |
| Features directed | *Ceremony* (2010), *Flower* (2017), *Jungleland* (2019)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/max_winkler) |
| Sitcom era | Directed episodes of *New Girl* (7 episodes, 2013–2014), *Brooklyn Nine-Nine*, *Fresh Off the Boat*, *The New Normal*, *Casual*, and *Lady Dynamite*[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8083/max-winkler) |
| Ryan Murphy era | Since 2021 has directed episodes of numerous Murphy productions, including *Grotesquerie* (5 of 10 episodes) and *Monster: The Ed Gein Story* as director and executive producer[6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/monsters-grotesquerie-director-max-winker-200222979.html) |
| Family | Married to actress Jessica Barden since March 2021; they have two children[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935253/bio/) |
## Early life and education
Winkler grew up in Los Angeles as the son of Henry Winkler and Stacey Winkler. He has said that having a celebrity father was less exciting than people imagine, and that when he made his first feature he insisted on no help from his father.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html) He attended the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california)'s School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in May 2006, and gained early industry attention with the short film *The King of Central Park* (2006), made with classmates, including David Gelb, through a filmmakers' grant from USC; the short played international festivals.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935253/bio/) • [7](https://lbbonline.com/news/rsa-films-signs-director-max-winkler-2)
After graduating, he found breaking into the industry difficult. He and writing partner Matt Spicer spent months working at the [Museum of Jurassic Technology](https://www.edgepedia.org/museum-of-jurassic-technology) in Culver City, where they wrote *The Ornate Anatomy of Living Things*, the first script they ever sold, which went into development at Fox Searchlight.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html) The project drew the interest of filmmaker [Jason Reitman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-reitman), a longtime family friend, who went on to executive produce Winkler's debut feature.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html)
## Ceremony and the sitcom years
**Ceremony.** Winkler's feature directorial debut, *Ceremony* (2010), a comedy he also wrote, stars [Michael Angarano](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-angarano) as a young man who rushes to the wedding of an older woman, played by [Uma Thurman](https://www.edgepedia.org/uma-thurman), to try to steal her from her betrothed, played by [Lee Pace](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-pace). It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it found a distributor in Magnolia Pictures, and reached theaters in 2011 after a video-on-demand release.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html) Winkler edited the film in his boyhood bedroom, and described the story as a personal account of the most selfish parts of someone who thinks he is older and more original than he is.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html)
**Television comedy.** Through the 2010s Winkler built a career directing single-camera comedies. His television directing credits include seven episodes of *New Girl* (2013–2014), two episodes of *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2014–2016), episodes of *The New Normal* (2012–2013), *Fresh Off the Boat* (2015), *The Grinder* (2015), *Casual* (2015), *Lady Dynamite* (2016), and *Crazy Ex-Girlfriend* (2017).[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8083/max-winkler) He also directed and produced a season of the mockumentary web series *Clark and Michael*, produced by CBS and starring [Michael Cera](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-cera) and [Clark Duke](https://www.edgepedia.org/clark-duke).[7](https://lbbonline.com/news/rsa-films-signs-director-max-winkler-2)
## Flower and Jungleland
In 2017 Winkler wrote and directed *Flower*, a coming-of-age dark comedy that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released in 2018 by The Orchard. That June, Ridley Scott Associates (RSA Films) signed him for commercial representation.[7](https://lbbonline.com/news/rsa-films-signs-director-max-winkler-2)
His follow-up, the boxing drama *Jungleland* (2019), starring [Charlie Hunnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-hunnam) and Jack O'Connell, premiered at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival) to solid reviews and looked like a step up in his feature career. Instead, the film was released in cinemas in the middle of the pandemic as part of what Winkler called a junk deal from the financier to sell to Paramount. He described the outcome as crushing: he had no money, had just bought a house, and his wife was pregnant at the time.[8](https://www.modezone.com/max-winkler-on-going-from-a-broken-indie-debut-to-the-ryan-murphy-machine-i) Out of that experience, he said, came a recalibration: "I stopped pretending like I had to try and be Paul Thomas Anderson, which I'm never gonna be."[8](https://www.modezone.com/max-winkler-on-going-from-a-broken-indie-debut-to-the-ryan-murphy-machine-i)
## The Ryan Murphy years
Winkler first entered Ryan Murphy's television operation in 2021, directing episodes of *American Horror Story* and its spin-off *American Horror Stories*. Over the following years he became one of Murphy's regular directors, helming episodes of *The Watcher* (2022), *Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans* (2024), and five of the ten episodes of FX's *Grotesquerie* (2024), as well as a pivotal episode of *Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story* (2024) for Netflix.[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8083/max-winkler) • [6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/monsters-grotesquerie-director-max-winker-200222979.html)
He then served as director and executive producer on *Monster: The Ed Gein Story* (2025), the third installment of the *Monster* anthology, and was instrumental in casting Charlie Hunnam, who had starred in *Jungleland*, as [Ed Gein](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-gein).[6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/monsters-grotesquerie-director-max-winker-200222979.html) He returned for the fourth season, *Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story* (2026), directing six of its episodes and again serving as executive producer; his wife [Jessica Barden](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-barden) appears in the cast as actress Nance O'Neill.[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8083/max-winkler) • [9](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/charlie-hunnam-netflix-monster-season-4-lizzie-borden-main-cast-begins-filming)
Winkler also directed the pilot and serves as executive producer on *Love Story* (2026), Murphy's FX and Hulu series about [John F. Kennedy Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-f-kennedy-jr) and Carolyn Bessette, and is executive producer on *The Shards* (2026), the FX adaptation of [Bret Easton Ellis](https://www.edgepedia.org/bret-easton-ellis)'s novel.[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8083/max-winkler) • [10](https://cinema.usc.edu/alumni/hotsheet/2025June.pdf) He has described television's appeal after the *Jungleland* experience as volume and repetition, the chance to direct constantly rather than wait years between features.[8](https://www.modezone.com/max-winkler-on-going-from-a-broken-indie-debut-to-the-ryan-murphy-machine-i)
## Writing and acting
As a screenwriter, Winkler's credits include *Ceremony*, *Flower*, *Jungleland*, and the 2020 family comedy *Magic Camp*.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/max-winkler) As an actor, he appeared as the Boy in Bathroom in *Cop & 1/2* (1993) and played Young Barry Zuckerkorn in *Arrested Development*.[11](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/213614/max-winkler/filmography)
## Personal life
Winkler has been married to actress Jessica Barden since March 2021, and they have two children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935253/bio/) He has counted actor Jonah Hill among his best friends since the two met in high school.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html)
## References
1. [Max Winkler Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935253/bio/)
2. [Max Winkler – Director, Writer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/max-winkler/)
3. [Director Max Winkler's persistence pays off, Los Angeles Times (April 12, 2011)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-12-la-et-max-winkler-20110412-story.html)
4. [Max Winkler Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/max_winkler)
5. [Max Winkler, TVmaze credits](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8083/max-winkler)
6. ['Monsters' and 'Grotesquerie' Director Max Winkler Just Wants to Be Part of the Conversation, Yahoo Entertainment (November 4, 2024)](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/monsters-grotesquerie-director-max-winker-200222979.html)
7. [RSA Films Signs Director Max Winkler, Little Black Book (June 27, 2017)](https://lbbonline.com/news/rsa-films-signs-director-max-winkler-2)
8. [Max Winkler on Directing Lizzie Borden and Love Story for Ryan Murphy, ModeZone (September 26, 2026)](https://www.modezone.com/max-winkler-on-going-from-a-broken-indie-debut-to-the-ryan-murphy-machine-i)
9. [Charlie Hunnam Is Back For Netflix's Monster Season 4, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/charlie-hunnam-netflix-monster-season-4-lizzie-borden-main-cast-begins-filming)
10. [USC School of Cinematic Arts Alumni Hot Sheet, April–June 2025](https://cinema.usc.edu/alumni/hotsheet/2025June.pdf)
11. [Filmography Max Winkler, MovieMeter](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/213614/max-winkler/filmography)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters › Film directors by country and region › North and South American directors › Contemporary American directors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license