Robert P. Epstein (born April 6, 1955), is an American director, producer, writer, and editor. He is known for directing numerous documentaries, several of them focusing on the LGBTQ community and has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award.
Epstein won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature twice for the films The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film for End Game (2018). He also directed the documentaries Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (1977), The AIDS Show (1986), The Celluloid Closet (1996), and Paragraph 175 (2000). He made his narrative directorial film debut with the historical drama Howl (2010) followed by Lovelace (2013).
Career In 1987, Epstein and his filmmaking partner Jeffrey Friedman founded Telling Pictures, a production company that focused on feature documentaries. Epstein's works also include scripted narratives such as Howl, his award-winning film about Allen Ginsberg's controversial poem by the same name (starring James Franco), and Lovelace, the story about the life and trials of pornographic superstar Linda Lovelace (starring Amanda Seyfried).
Personal life Epstein co-founded the Film Program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, California. He also serves as a visiting professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. In 2025, he received an honorary doctorate from CCA recognizing his groundbreaking work as a filmmaker and educator over many decades. He is gay.
Filmography Narrative films YearTitleDirectorProducer Write Notes 2010 Howl 2013 Lovelace
Documentaries YearTitleDirectorProducer Editor Notes 1977Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives 1984The Times of Harvey Milk 1986 The AIDS Show 1989Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt1989Where Are We? Our Trip Through America 1995The Celluloid Closet2000Paragraph 175 2005An Evening with Eddie Gomez 2014 And the Oscar Goes to...And the Oscar Goes To...-TCM.com2018End GameShort film 2019State of Pride 2019Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice 2023Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music
Television Year Title Notes Ref. 2002 Underground Zero Segment: "Isiah's Rap" 2002-2004 Crime & Punishment TV series 2006 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America Episode: "Gold Rush"
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work ResultRef.1984 Academy Award Academy Award for Best Documentary FeatureThe Times of Harvey Milk News & Documentary Emmy Awards Interview/Interviewer - Programs 1989 Academy Award Best Documentary Feature Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt 1995 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Informational Special The Celluloid Closet News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Directors 2000News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: DirectionParagraph 175 Outstanding Historical Documentary - Long Form 2001 GLAAD Media Award Davidson/Valentini Award Himself 2018 Academy Award Best Documentary Short FilmEnd Game 2019 Grammy Award Best Music Film Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
References
External links