Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special

This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.

Chronology of categories

Over the years, the scope of this award has evolved and the name with which it has been presented reflects those changes.

• 1975-1975 Director Of The Year – Special
• 1976-1976 Outstanding Directing in a Special Program – Drama Or Comedy
• 1977-1977 Outstanding Directing in a Special Program
• 1978-1979 Outstanding Directing in a Special Program 19 Drama Or Comedy
• 1980-1986 Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series Or A Special
• 1987-1992 Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries Or A Special
• 1993-1996 Outstanding Individual Achievement In Directing for a Miniseries Or A Special
• 1997-1998 Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries Or A Special
• 1999-2000 Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries Or A Movie
• 2001-2002 Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie Or A Special
• 2003-2007 Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special

Award winners

1970s

• 1976: Daniel Petrie – Eleanor and Franklin
• 1977: Daniel Petrie – Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years
• 1978: David Lowell Rich – The Defection of Simas Kudirka
• 1979: David Greene – Friendly Fire

1980s

• 1980: Marvin J. Chomsky – Attica
  • John Erman - Moviola
  • William A. Graham - Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
  • Delbert Mann - All Quiet on the Western Front
  • Joseph Sargent - Amber Waves

• 1981: James Goldstone – Kent State
  • Jerry London - Shogun
  • Paul Newman - The Shadow Box
  • Boris Sagal - Masada
  • Roger Young - Bitter Harvest

• 1982: Marvin J. Chomsky – Inside the Third Reich
  • Michael Lindsay-Hogg and Charles Sturridge - Brideshead Revisited
  • Lee Philips - Mae West
  • Herbert Wise - Skokie

• 1983: John Erman – Who Will Love My Children?
  • Dan Curtis - The Winds of War
  • Daryl Duke - The Thorn Birds
  • Simon Langton - Smiley's People
  • Edward Zwick - Special Bulletin

• 1984: Jeff Bleckner – Concealed Enemies
  • John Erman - A Streetcar Named Desire
  • Randa Haines - Something About Amelia
  • Lamont Johnson - Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter
  • Nicholas Meyer - The Day After

• 1985: Lamont Johnson – Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
  • Jeff Bleckner - Do You Remember Love?
  • Gilbert Cates - Consenting Adult
  • David Greene - Fatal Vision
  • Robert Greenwald - The Burning Bed
  • Christopher Morahan - The Jewel in the Crown

• 1986: Joseph Sargent – Love is Never Silent
  • John Erman - An Early Frost
  • John Korty - Resting Place
  • Daniel Petrie - The Execution of Raymond Graham
  • Volker Schlordoff - Death of a Salesman

• 1987: Glenn Jordan – Promise
  • Paul Bogart - Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder
  • Jack Gold - Escape from Sobibor
  • Lamont Johnson - Unnatural Causes
  • Peter Werner - LBJ: The Early Years

• 1988: Lamont Johnson – Gore Vidal's Lincoln
  • Marvin J. Chomsky - Billionaire Boys Club
  • John Erman - The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank
  • Glenn Jordan - Echoes in the Darkness
  • Paul Wendkos - The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story

• 1989: Simon Wincer – Lonesome Dove
  • Dan Curtis - War and Remembrance
  • Larry Elikann - I Know My First Name is Steven
  • Gregory Hoblit - Roe vs. Wade
  • Daniel Petrie - My Name is Bill W.

1990s

• 1990: Joseph Sargent – Caroline?
  • Gilbert Cates - Do You Know the Muffin Man?
  • Stephen Gyllenhaal - A Killing in a Small Town
  • Lamont Johnson - The Kennedys of Massachusetts
  • Richard Pearce - The Final Days

• 1991: Brian Gibson – The Josephine Baker Story
  • Gilbert Cates - Absolute Strangers
  • Glenn Jordan - Sarah, Plain and Tall
  • Robert Markowitz - Decoration Day

• 1992: Joseph Sargent – Miss Rose White
  • Paul Bogart - Broadway Bound
  • Joshua Brand - I'll Fly Away (Pilot)
  • Lamont Johnson - Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232
  • Ron Lagomarsino - Homefront (Pilot)
  • Daniel Petrie - Mark Twain and Me

• 1993: James Sadwith – Sinatra
  • Glenn Jordan - Barbarians at the Gate
  • Daniel Petrie - A Town Torn Apart
  • Frank Pierson - Citizen Cohn
  • Michael Ritchie - The Positively True Adventures...

• 1994: John Frankenheimer – Against The Wall
  • Emile Ardolino - Gypsy
  • Glenn Jordan - To Dance with the White Dog
  • Roger Spottiswoode - And the Band Played On
  • Betty Thomas - My Breast

• 1995: John Frankenheimer – The Burning Season
  • Jeff Bleckner - Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story
  • Chris Gerolmo - Citizen X
  • Mick Jackson - Indictment: The McMartin Trial
  • Lloyd Richards - The Piano Lesson

• 1996: John Frankenheimer – Andersonville
  • Paul Bogart - The Heidi Chronicles
  • Charles Sturridge - Gulliver's Travels
  • Betty Thomas - The Late Shift
  • Peter Werner - Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story

• 1997: Andrei Konchalovsky – The Odyssey
  • Robert Harmon - Gotti
  • Anjelica Huston - Bastard Out of Carolina
  • Christopher Reeve - In the Gloaming
  • Mark Rydell - Crime of the Century

• 1998: John Frankenheimer – George Wallace
  • Steve Barron - Merlin
  • William Friedkin - 12 Angry Men
  • Tom Hanks - From the Earth to the Moon
  • John Herzfeld - Don King: Only in America

• 1999: Allan Arkush – The Temptations
  • Jane Anderson - The Baby Dance
  • Kathy Bates - Dash and Lilly
  • Christian Duguay - Joan of Arc
  • Joseph Sargent - A Lesson Before Dying

2000s

• 2000: Charles S. Dutton – The Corner
  • Martha Coolidge – Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
  • Stephen Frears and Martin Pasetta – Fail Safe
  • Rob Marshall – Annie
  • Benjamin Ross – RKO 281

• 2001: Mike Nichols – Wit
  • Robert Allan Ackerman – Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
  • Billy Crystal – 61*
  • Robert Dornhelm – Anne Frank
  • Frank Pierson – Conspiracy

• 2002: Phil Alden Robinson, David Frankel, Tom Hanks, David Leland, Richard Loncraine, David Nutter, Mikael Salomon, and Tony To – Band of Brothers
  • John Frankenheimer – Path to War
  • Moisés Kaufman – The Laramie Project
  • Richard Loncraine – The Gathering Storm
  • Mark Rydell – James Dean

• 2003: Steven Schachter – Door To Door
  • Robert Allan Ackerman – The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
  • Mick Jackson – Live from Baghdad
  • Richard Loncraine – My House in Umbria
  • Frank Pierson – Soldier's Girl

• 2004: Mike Nichols – Angels in America
  • Robert Harmon – Ike: Countdown to D-Day
  • Tom Hooper – Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness
  • Andrei Konchalovsky – The Lion in Winter
  • Joseph Sargent – Something the Lord Made

• 2005: Stephen Hopkins – The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
  • Joseph Sargent – Warm Springs
  • Fred Schepisi – Empire Falls
  • George C. Wolfe – Lackawanna Blues

• 2006: Tom Hooper – Elizabeth I
  • Justin Chadwick – Bleak House
  • Peter Markle – Flight 93
  • Phyllis Nagy – Mrs. Harris
  • Kenny Ortega – High School Musical
  • David Yates – The Girl in the Cafe

• 2007: Philip Martin – Prime Suspect: The Final Act
  • Walter Hill – Broken Trail
  • Bharat Nalluri – Tsunami: The Aftermath
  • Yves Simoneau – Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
  • Susanna White – Jane Eyre

• 2008: Jay Roach – Recount
  • Bob Balaban – Bernard and Doris
  • Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant – Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale
  • Tom Hooper – John Adams
  • Mikael Salomon – The Company

• 2009: Dearbhla Walsh – Little Dorrit (Part 1)
  • Ross Katz – Taking Chance
  • Philip Martin – Wallander: One Step Behind
  • Thaddeus O'Sullivan – Into the Storm
  • Michael Sucsy – Grey Gardens
  • Susanna White – Generation Kill ("Bomb in the Garden")

2010s

• 2010: Mick Jackson – Temple Grandin
  • Bob Balaban – Georgia O'Keeffe
  • Barry Levinson – You Don't Know Jack
  • David Nutter and Jeremy Podeswa – The Pacific ("Part Eight")
  • Tim Van Patten – The Pacific ("Part Nine")

• 2011: Brian Percival – Downton Abbey ("Part One")
  • Olivier Assayas – Carlos
  • Curtis Hanson – Too Big to Fail
  • Todd Haynes – Mildred Pierce
  • Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman – Cinema Verite