# Paul Aaron
**Paul Aaron** (born 1943) is an American director, producer, and screenwriter who has worked in theater, film, and television[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537). He directed several Broadway productions in the 1970s and early 1980s, then moved into feature films with *A Different Story* (1978) and the [Chuck Norris](https://www.edgepedia.org/chuck-norris) hit *A Force of One* (1979)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/). His 1979 television adaptation of *The Miracle Worker* earned Emmy, Directors Guild, and Golden Globe recognition[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943, Hoosick Falls, New York, USA[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537) |
| Professions | Director, producer, screenwriter in theater, film, and television[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537) |
| Broadway debut | *Paris Is Out!*, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, opened February 2, 1970[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537) |
| Film debut | *A Different Story* (1978), starring Meg Foster and Perry King[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/) |
| Box-office hit | *A Force of One* (1979), Chuck Norris and Jennifer O'Neill, screenplay by Academy Award winner Ernest Tidyman[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/) |
| Emmy-winning TV film | *The Miracle Worker* (1979), NBC; nominated for four Emmys and won three, including Outstanding Dramatic Special of the 1979-1980 season[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/) |
| Later writing work | Story co-writer for *The Octagon* (1980); writer and producer of *In Too Deep* (1998)[3](https://www.offi.fr/artiste/paul-aaron-33651.html) • [4](https://www.miramax.com/profile/paul-aaron/) |
## Theatre career
After graduating from [Bennington College](https://www.edgepedia.org/bennington-college), Aaron moved to Los Angeles to become the Casting and New Programs Director for the Mark Taper Forum. There he founded an actor's workshop and directed several plays, including a critically acclaimed production of *The Three Penny Opera* that earned him the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Award as best director of the year[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/).
His professional career began with directing a national touring company of *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie*, starring the Oscar-winning actress [Kim Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-hunter)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/). He then moved to Broadway, where he directed the comedy *Paris Is Out!* with Sam Levene and Molly Picon, becoming the youngest director in Broadway history, according to his IMDb biography[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/).
His Broadway credits, as recorded by the Internet Broadway Database, span five productions:
- *Paris Is Out!* (February 2, 1970 to April 18, 1970), play, original production[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537)
- *70, Girls, 70* (April 15, 1971 to May 15, 1971), [Kander and Ebb](https://www.edgepedia.org/kander-and-ebb) musical, original production[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537)
- *That's Entertainment* (April 14, 1972 to April 16, 1972), musical revue[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537)
- *Molly* (November 1, 1973 to December 29, 1973), musical, as replacement director[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537)
- *A Talent for Murder* (October 1, 1981 to December 6, 1981), play, original production[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537)
## Film and television
Aaron's film directorial debut was *A Different Story* (1978), starring [Meg Foster](https://www.edgepedia.org/meg-foster) and [Perry King](https://www.edgepedia.org/perry-king); the film has run regularly in revival houses and on cable and has become a cult classic[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/). His second feature, *A Force of One* (1979), an action-thriller with Chuck Norris and [Jennifer O'Neill](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-oneill) written by Ernest Tidyman, was a considerable commercial success[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/).
**The Miracle Worker.** In 1979 Aaron directed [William Gibson](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-gibson)'s classic play as an NBC Special Event, starring [Patty Duke](https://www.edgepedia.org/patty-duke) and [Melissa Gilbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/melissa-gilbert). The production drew some of the network's highest ratings for the season and won Aaron several awards, including a Directors Guild nomination, the Director's prize from the Monte Carlo Film Festival, a Golden Globe nomination, and the Christopher Award. The program was nominated for four Emmys and won three, including Patty Duke as Lead Actress in a Dramatic Special and the Emmy for Outstanding Dramatic Special of the 1979-1980 season[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/).
His subsequent feature and television movie credits as director include *Thin Ice* (1981), *Maid in America* (1982), *Deadly Force* (1983), *When She Says No* (1984), *Maxie* (1985), *In Love and War* (1987), *Save the Dog!* (1988), and *Untamed Love* (1994)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_aaron) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/). *Maxie*, a comedy starring [Glenn Close](https://www.edgepedia.org/glenn-close) and [Mandy Patinkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/mandy-patinkin), is listed among his theatrical features[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_aaron). For *Morgan Stewart's Coming Home* (1987) he is credited as director under the pseudonym **Alan Smithee**, the name traditionally used when a director disowns a film[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/).
## Writing and producing
Aaron also worked behind the camera as a writer. The French film database L'Officiel des spectacles credits him with the screenplay of *The Octagon* (1980), another Chuck Norris martial-arts film, and with the scenario for *In Too Deep* (released in France as *Gangsta Cop*), the 1998 police thriller directed by Michael Rymer[3](https://www.offi.fr/artiste/paul-aaron-33651.html). Miramax lists him as writer and producer of *In Too Deep*, which starred [Omar Epps](https://www.edgepedia.org/omar-epps), LL Cool J, and [Stanley Tucci](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-tucci)[4](https://www.miramax.com/profile/paul-aaron/).
In television, Aaron co-created and co-wrote *Under One Roof* (1995), a one-hour dramatic series for CBS that he executive-produced with Michael Henry Brown and Thomas Carter[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/). His IMDb biography also records later rewrite work for [Jerry Bruckheimer Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-bruckheimer-films) and Robert De Niro's Tribeca Films, and two 2000 projects written with his former partner Michael Henry Brown for New Line Pictures, *Land of Opportunity* and *Shadowman*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/).
## Place in his era
Aaron's career bridges two forms that shaped American entertainment of the 1970s: the Broadway theater, where he directed five productions between 1970 and 1981[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537), and the commercial genre film market of the late 1970s and 1980s, in which action and thriller features such as *A Force of One* and *Deadly Force* formed the bulk of his directing output[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_aaron). His Emmy-winning *The Miracle Worker* belongs to the prestige television-movie tradition of the same period, and his later credits, including the 1998 theatrical release *In Too Deep*, show a shift toward producing and screenwriting[4](https://www.miramax.com/profile/paul-aaron/).
## References
1. [Paul Aaron, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB (Internet Broadway Database)](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-aaron-1537)
2. [Paul Aaron, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007477/)
3. [Paul Aaron au cinéma, L'Officiel des spectacles](https://www.offi.fr/artiste/paul-aaron-33651.html)
4. [Paul Aaron, Miramax profile](https://www.miramax.com/profile/paul-aaron/)
5. [Paul Aaron Movies List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_aaron)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Film and television directors › Directors of the United States and Canada › New Hollywood era directors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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