Ryan Murphy is an American writer, director and producer, mainly working in television. He has been the recipient of numerous accolades including six Primetime Emmy Awards (out of 39 nominations), two British Academy Film Awards (out of four nominations), a Tony Award (out of two nominations), four Producers Guild of America Awards (out of 14 nominations) and two Golden Globe Awards (out of six nominations), along with nominations for two Grammy Awards, four Directors Guild of America Awards and ten Writers Guild of America Awards.
Murphy started his career with the teen television series Popular (1999–2001). Then he created the drama series Nip/Tuck (2003–2010), for which he received his first nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award and the Producers Guild of America Awards. He wrote and directed the film Running with Scissors (2006), for which he won the Hollywood Film Award for Hollywood Breakthrough Director. He received the critical acclaim for the musical comedy-drama series Glee (2009–2015), for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. In 2011, he created the anthology horror series American Horror Story. In 2014, he directed the television film The Normal Heart, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. In 2016, he created the critically acclaimed anthology crime drama series American Crime Story. For its first season, The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016), he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, the Golden Globe Award for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film, the British Academy Television Award for Best International Programme and the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Long-Form Television. For its second season, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018), he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Limited Series Television. In the following years, he received the critical acclaim for the anthology television series Feud (2017–2024), the drama television series Pose (2018–2021) and the anthology crime drama series Monster (2022–present). Apart from the film and television, he produced the Broadway revivals of Long Day's Journey into Night (2016) and The Boys in the Band (2018), for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, winning for the latter one.
He has received multiple numerous honorary accolades including the International Emmy Founders Award (2012), the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television (2018), the VH1 Trailblazer Honors (2018), the GLAAD Vito Russo Award (2020) and the Golden Globe Carol Burnett Award (2023). In 2025, he was inducted to the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
+Key Indicates non-competitive categories
Major associations BAFTA Awards Year Category Work Result British Academy Television Awards 2011 Best International Programme Glee 2017 2018 Feud: Bette and Joan 2023 Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Emmy Awards Year Category Work Episode Result Primetime Emmy Awards 2004 Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Nip/Tuck "Pilot" 2010 Outstanding Comedy Series Glee Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series "Pilot" Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series 2011 Outstanding Comedy Series 2012 Outstanding Miniseries or Movie American Horror Story: Murder House Outstanding Main Title Design 2013 Outstanding Miniseries or Movie American Horror Story: Asylum Outstanding Main Title Design 2014 Outstanding Miniseries American Horror Story: Coven Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special "Bitchcraft" Outstanding Television Movie Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special 2015 Outstanding Limited Series American Horror Story: Freak Show Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special "Monsters Among Us" Outstanding Main Title Design Outstanding Short-Format Nonfiction Program American Horror Story: Extra-Ordinary Artists 2016 Outstanding Limited Series Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special "From the Ashes of Tragedy" Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series Inside Look: The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story 2017 Outstanding Limited Series Feud: Bette and Joan Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special "And the Winner Is... (The Oscars of 1963)" Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special "Pilot" Outstanding Main Title Design Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series Feud: Bette and Joan: Inside Look 2018 Outstanding Limited Series Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special "The Man Who Would Be Vogue" Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series 2019 Outstanding Drama Series Pose Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series Pose: Identity, Family, Community (Inside Look) 2020 Pose: Identity, Family, Community 2021 Outstanding Drama Series Pose Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series "Series Finale" Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series Pose: Identity, Family, Community Outstanding Music Supervision Halston "The Party's Over" 2022 Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series 2024 Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story 2025 Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story 2026 Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette – A Love Untold International Emmy Awards 2012 International Emmy Founders Award
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Work Result 2014 Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film American Horror Story: Coven 2015 2016 American Horror Story: Hotel 2017 2018 Feud: Bette and Joan 2023 Carol Burnett Award
Grammy Awards Year Category Work Result 2011 Best Compilation Soundtrack Album Glee: The Music, Volume 1 2012 Glee: The Music, Volume 4
Tony Awards Year Category Work Result 2016 Best Revival of a Play Long Day's Journey into Night 2019
Major guild awards Directors Guild of America Awards Year Category Work Episode Result 2010 Comedy Series Glee "Pilot" 2011 "The Power of Madonna" 2015 Miniseries or TV Film 2017 Dramatic Series "From the Ashes of Tragedy"
Producers Guild of America Awards Year Category Work Result 2005 Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama Nip/Tuck 2011 Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy Glee 2012 2013 Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television American Horror Story: Murder House 2014 American Horror Story: Asylum 2015 American Horror Story: Coven American Horror Story: Freak Show Stanley Kramer Award 2016 Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television American Horror Story: Hotel 2017 2018 Feud: Bette and Joan Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television 2019 Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television 2019 Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Writers Guild of America Awards Year Category Work Result 2010 New Series Glee Comedy Series 2011 2016 Long Form – Original American Horror Story: Hotel 2018 American Horror Story: Cult Feud: Bette and Joan 2019 New Series Pose 2021 Long Form – Original Hollywood 2021 American Horror Story: Double Feature Long Form – Adapted Halston
Miscellaneous awards
+ Award Year Category Work Result ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards 2021 Cinematic Imagery Award African-American Film Critics Association 2019 Icon Award Astra TV Awards 2022 Best Directing in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Movie Impeachment: American Crime Story (episode: "Man Handled") Black Reel TV Awards 2019 Outstanding Writing, Drama Series Pose (episode: "Love is the Message") 2020 Outstanding Drama Series Pose Outstanding Writing, Drama Series Pose (episode: "Never Knew Love Like This Before") Outstanding Television Movie or Limited Series Hollywood 2021 Outstanding Music Pose Costume Designers Guild Awards 2019 Distinguished Collaborator Award Critics' Choice Television Awards 2014 Louis XIII Genius Award Dorian Awards 2014 Wilde Artist of the Year 2015 TV Director of the Year 2019 Wilde Artist of the Year 2020 Wilde Artist of the Decade GLAAD Media Awards 2020 GLAAD Vito Russo Award Gotham Awards 2018 Breakthrough Series – Long Form Pose 2021 Industry Tribute 2022 Breakthrough Nonfiction Series Guild of Music Supervisors Awards 2020 Best Music Supervision – Television Drama Pose (season 2) 2021 Hollywood Hollywood Film Awards 2006 Hollywood Breakthrough Director Running with Scissors Humanitas Prize 2011 60 Minute Network or Syndicated Television Glee (episode: "Wheels") 2020 Drama Teleplay Pose (episode: "In My Heels") ICG Publicists Awards 2017 Television Showman of the Year Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards 2017 Distinguished Artisan Award NAACP Image Awards 2022 Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series Pose (episode: "Series Finale") VH1 2018 VH1 Trailblazer Honors
Honors Organization Year Hollywood Walk of Fame 2018 Television Academy Hall of Fame 2025
Notes
References
External links Awards and nominations for Ryan Murphy on the Internet Movie Database Awards and nominations for Ryan Murphy on the Internet Broadway Database