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Liza Johnson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liza Johnson
Born (1970-12-13) December 13, 1970 (age 55)
Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materWilliams College
OccupationsFilm director, producer, writer
Years active1997–present

Liza Johnson (born December 13, 1970) is an American film director, producer, and writer.[1]

Biography

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Johnson was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1970.[2] She attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, graduating with a B.A. in Visual Arts in 1992.[3] She then went to the University of California, San Diego, where she received her MFA[4] in 1995.[3]

Her narrative films and experimental videos[5] have screened in Berlin,[6][7][8] Rotterdam Film Festival,[9] at the Cannes Film Festival,[10][11] and many other international festivals,[9] the Museum of Modern Art in New York City,[12] and other fine arts venues.[13]

Her video installations have been shown in Artists Space in New York,[14][15] the Institute of Contemportary Art (ICA) in Philadelphia,[16] Cineboords in Rotterdam,[17] Mass MoCA[13] and WCMA in Massachusetts.[18]

Johnson has also published academic[19] and critical writing on art[20] and film,[19] and has curated a number of museum exhibitions and festival programs, including a Mix NYC Queer Experimental Film and Video Festival at Anthology Film Archives and Through Afghan Eyes: Culture in Conflict 1987-1992 at the Asia Society Museum in New York City.[3]

Along with her collection of short films, Johnson has directed five feature films, including Return (2011) starring Linda Candellini,[11] Hateship, Loveship (2013), Elvis & Nixon (2016), and Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024).[21]

In 2025, Netflix released Shondaland's The Residence, of which Johnson served as director for the first four episodes.[22] That year, Johnson also directed The Diplomat on Netflix.[23][24]

Awards and honors

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In 2010, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum awarded Liza Johnson[25] the $25,000 Rappaport Prize, awarded to a contemporary artist.[26]

In 2011, Johnson's film, Return, starring Linda Cardellini, was selected for the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, the only American film to be honored at the Director's Fortnight that year.[10]

In 2026, Johnson was nominated for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Dramatic Series for her work directing the Netflix show The Diplomat.[23][24]

Filmography

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Short film

  • Giftwrap (1998)
  • Falling (2004)
  • Desert Motel (2005)
  • South of Ten (2006) (Documentary short)
  • In the Air (2009)
  • Karrabing! Low Tide Turning (2012)

Feature film

Television

Year Title Notes
2015Good Girls RevoltEpisode "Pilot"
2017FeudEpisode "More, or Less"
American Horror StoryEpisode "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"
2018American WomanEpisode "The Heat Wave"
2019A Series of Unfortunate Events2 episodes
BarryEpisode "What?!"
Sneaky Pete Episode "The Mask Drop"
Silicon Valley 2 episodes
2020 What We Do in the Shadows Episode "The Curse"
Dead to Me 2 episodes
2021 Physical 3 episodes
The Sex Lives of College Girls Episode "The Truth"
2023 The Last of Us Episode "Left Behind"
2023-present The Diplomat 4 episodes
2024 The Franchise 2 episodes
2025 The Residence 4 episodes

References

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  1. ↑ "Liza Johnson Biography". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Director Liza Johnson helped bring life to iconic images of 'Elvis & Nixon'". www.commercialappeal.com. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  3. 1 2 3 "Williams College Prof. Liza Johnson's Film "In the Air" Premieres at Berlin Film Festival". Today. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  4. ↑ "Liza Johnson". UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  5. ↑ STAFF, Chris Bergeron/DAILY NEWS. "DeCordova announces $25K Rappaport Prize winner". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  6. ↑ Staff, Variety (2015-02-05). "Berlin's Top Buzz Titles". Variety. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  7. ↑ McClintock, Pamela; Ford, Rebecca (2015-02-04). "Berlin: See Kevin Spacey as Nixon in First 'Elvis & Nixon' Photo (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  8. ↑ "Williams prof's film premieres at Berlin Film Fest". Bennington Banner. 2010-03-06. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  9. 1 2 Macaulay, Scott (2009-08-01). "A FILMMAKER'S GLAMOROUS LIFE: LIZA JOHNSON". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  10. 1 2 Sanchez, John (2012-02-15). "Director Liza Johnson On Her Feature Debut, Return, Starring Linda Cardellini". HuffPost. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  11. 1 2 McCarthy, Todd (2011-05-14). "Return: Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  12. ↑ Peetz, John Arthur (2012-02-09). "Liza Johnson". Artforum. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  13. 1 2 Giuliano, Charles. "MASS MoCA's Timely Reboot - Charles Giuliano - Berkshire Fine Arts". berkshirefinearts.com. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  14. ↑ "Four Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure". Today. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  15. ↑ "Artists". artistsspace.org. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  16. ↑ Phil (2013-08-30). "Framing Exposure: Process and Politics - ICA Philadelphia". Institute of Contemporary Art - Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  17. ↑ "Liza Johnson". HowlRound Theatre Commons. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  18. ↑ "Williams College Museum of Art Presents Liza Johnson: if then maybe". Today. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  19. 1 2 Johnson, Liza (2004). "Perverse Angle: Feminist Film, Queer Film, Shame". Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 30 (1). University of Chicago Press: 1361–1384. doi:10.1086/422236.
  20. ↑ "e-flux journal issue 58: Quasi-Events - Announcements". e-flux. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  21. ↑ "Liza Johnson | Director, Producer, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  22. ↑ Otterson, Joe (2023-02-27). "Shondaland Netflix Series 'The Residence' Adds 11 to Cast, Including Andre Braugher, Jason Lee, Bronson Pinchot, Susan Kelechi Watson". Variety. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  23. 1 2 Schneider, Michael (2026-01-07). "'The Pitt,' 'The Bear,' 'SNL50' Lead DGA Awards 2026 TV Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  24. 1 2 Lewis, Hilary; Verhoeven, Beatrice (2026-01-07). "Directors Guild Awards TV, Documentary, Commercial Nominations: 'The Pitt' and 'The Bear' Land Two Nods Each". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  25. ↑ "DeCordova names Orly Genger as Rappaport winner - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  26. ↑ STAFF, Chris Bergeron/DAILY NEWS. "DeCordova announces $25K Rappaport Prize winner". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
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