Biography
Joseph Stern is an experienced professional in film, television, and theater. He has produced more than 250 television episodes, along with numerous long-form specials and films. Throughout his career, he has held several overall deals and worked with four studios and six networks. His development efforts include over twenty pilot scripts, eleven of which were filmed, and six that progressed to series. Stern produced the pilot for the long-running hit series Law & Order (1990) and served as Executive Producer for its first three seasons, earning him two of his six Emmy nominations and two additional Golden Globes. His pioneering CBS special Other Mothers (1993), which explored alternative lifestyles, received seven Emmy nominations and won three awards. More recently, Stern produced Our America (2002) for Showtime; it was selected for Sundance, won the prestigious Humanitas Award, and received four Emmy nominations. During this period, he also produced Judging Amy (1999) and acted as Executive Producer for its pilot and entire six-year run. Stern's film credits include Dad (1989), directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Academy Award winners Jack Lemmon, Olympia Dukakis, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Spacey, as well as the cult classic No Man's Land (1987) featuring Charlie Sheen. In Los Angeles theater, no producer has received as many honors as he has. With over 200 awards, including 40 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards—the highest number in history—he has produced more than 45 plays. Stern has been honored with several lifetime achievement awards, including one from the LADCC and the James A. Doolittle Award for leadership, which he shared with August Wilson. His landmark production of Orphans transitioned from his Matrix Theatre, where he serves as Producing Artistic Director, to The Steppenwolf Theatre, then to Broadway, before being adapted into a feature film.
