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Jeff McCracken, raised in Chicago and an alumnus of Evanston Township High School, served in the Air Force before studying acting with Sanford Meisner and Bill Alderson at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Throughout his career, he also trained with Stella Adler, Jack Garfein, and Larry Moss. McCracken performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, and at the Circle Repertory Company in New York, originating roles in new plays by Lanford Wilson, Beth Henley, and Lee Kalcheim. While on Broadway, Steven Bochco cast him in the television series Bay City Blues (1983), centered on minor league baseball. After acting alongside Shirley MacLaine and Teri Garr in Waiting for the Light (1990), he helped produce the feature film One Cup Of Coffee, which won the Audience Award at Sundance and was later released by Miramax as Pastime (1990). Following the film's acclaim, McCracken was invited to develop projects at the Walt Disney Company, where he co-produced Quiz Show (1994), directed by Robert Redford, which earned an Academy Award nomination and several honors including the New York Film Critics Award for Best Picture. As a director, he has helmed over seventy television episodes, including Steven Bochco’s NYPD Blue (1993), and developed, produced, and directed numerous series such as Boy Meets World (1993), Dinosaurs (1991), Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane (1999), You Wish, Them Torkelsons, Where I Live, Misery Loves Company, Maybe This Time, and Straight White Male. McCracken holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Goddard College. From 2008 to 2012, he served as an Associate Professor at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts before relocating to the East Coast, where he has taught at NYU Tisch Film School and The Writer’s Workshop. His guild memberships include the DGA, SAG, AEA, and DGC. He is the grandson of jazz clarinetist Bob McCracken, who played with Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, and Kid Ory. Additionally, Jeff is an accomplished painter whose artwork has appeared in The Guide Artists Magazine and various international publications.
