Bill D'Elia
# Bill D'Elia

William D'Elia is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor.

## Life

D'Elia grew up in Queens, New York City, and is a second generation Italian-American. He graduated from Ithaca College, and earned a master's degree in communication arts from William Paterson University in 1972.

D'Elia has two sons with his wife, Ellie Dombroski: actor and comedian Chris D'Elia, and filmmaker Matt D'Elia.

## Career

In the 1980s, D'Elia was a director of television commercials. In 1989, he independently produced and directed the film The Feud, based on the 1983 novel by Thomas Berger. The film attracted the attention of Steven Bochco, who hired D'Elia to direct an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D.. D'Elia went on to direct episodes of numerous other television series including Northern Exposure, Glee, Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Legal, and The West Wing. D'Elia was an executive producer and a director of Chicago Hope, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal, Harry's Law, Monday Mornings, The Crazy Ones (all collaborations with David E. Kelley), and the Shonda Rhimes series How To Get Away With Murder. He also co-created the series Judging Amy. He is currently an executive producer and a director for the Disney+ series Big Shot starring John Stamos.

## Awards

D'Elia has been nominated for a total of eight Emmy Awards – four as director and four as executive producer: Chicago Hope (two for producing, one for directing); one for directing Ally McBeal; and two each for producing and directing Boston Legal.

## Filmography

### Film

| Year | Title | Functioned as | Functioned as | Functioned as | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
| 1989 | The Feud | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1995 | Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story | Yes | No | No | Television film |
| 1995 | In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy | Yes | No | No | Television film |
| 1996 | The Tomorrow Man | Yes | No | No | Television film |
| 2011 | American Animal | No | Yes | No | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Functioned as | Functioned as | Functioned as | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Yes | No | No | "Forgiveness" (Season 3, Episode 3) |
| 1991–1993 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Yes | No | No | "My Two Dads" (Season 2, Episode 18) "Double Doogie with Cheese" (Season 3, Episode 15) "Spell It 'M-A-N'" (Season 4, Episode 14) |
| 1991–1993 | Reasonable Doubts | Yes | No | No | "...and Sleep Won't Come" (Season 1, Episode 5) "Home Is Where the Heart Is" (Season 1, Episode 18) "Mercury in Retrograde" (Season 2, Episode 5) "Trust Me on This: Part 1" (Season 2, Episode 22) "Trust Me on This: Part 2" (Season 2, Episode 23) |
| 1991–1994 | Northern Exposure | Yes | No | No | "War and Peace" (Season 2, Episode 6) "Only You" (Season 3, Episode 2) "A-Hunting We Will Go" (Season 3, Episode 8) "Northern Lights" (Season 4, Episode 18) "Fish Story" (Season 5, Episode 18) |
| 1992–1993 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Yes | No | No | "Baby Makes Five" (Season 2, Episode 22) "Back in the High Life Again" (Season 3, Episode 19) "So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye" (Season 4, Episode 1) |
| 1993 | Harts of the West | Yes | No | No | "The Right Stuff" (Season 1, Episode 2) "Goodnight Irene" (Season 1, Episode 5) "Jake's Brother" (Season 1, Episode 8) |
| 1993–1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Yes | No | No | "Pheromone, My Lovely" (Season 1, Episode 10) "Foundling" (Season 1, Episode 16) "The Eyes Have It" (Season 2, Episode 12) |
| 1994 | Picket Fences | Yes | No | No | "Abominable Snowman" (Season 2, Episode 13) "Away in the Manger" (Season 3, Episode 10) |
| 1995 | Courthouse | Yes | Yes | No | All episodes |
| 1996 | Time Well Spent | Yes | No | No | Pilot only |
| 1996–2000 | Chicago Hope | Yes | Yes | No | Season 3–6 |
| 1999 | Get Real | Yes | No | No | "Performance Anxiety" (Season 1, Episode 6) |
| 1999–2004 | The West Wing | Yes | No | No | "The Short List" (Season 1, Episode 9) "Guns Not Butter" (Season 4, Episode 12) "The Warfare of Genghis Khan" (Season 5, Episode 13) |
| 1999–2005 | Judging Amy | No | No | Yes | All episodes |
| 2000–2002 | Ally McBeal | Yes | Yes | No | Season 4–5 |
| 2002 | American Dreams | Yes | No | No | "Soldier Boy" (Season 1, Episode 6) |
| 2002 | Saturday Night Live | Yes | No | No | "Al Gore/Phish" (Season 28, Episode 8) |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Yes | No | No | All episodes |
| 2003 | The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire | Yes | Yes | No | "Sleeping Lions" (Season 1, Episode 4) |
| 2003 | Miracles | Yes | Yes | No | "Saint Debbie" (Season 1, Episode 10) |
| 2003 | 111 Gramercy Park | Yes | No | No | Pilot only |
| 2004 | The Practice | Yes | Yes | No | "The Case Against Alan Shore" (Season 8, Episode 18) "The Firm" (Season 8, Episode 19) "Comings and Goings" (Season 8, Episode 20) "New Hoods on the Block" (Season 8, Episode 21) "Adjourned" (Season 8, Episode 22) |
| 2004–2008 | Boston Legal | Yes | Yes | No | All episodes as producer 17 episodes as director |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Yes | No | No | "Rock Star" (Season 8, Episode 2) |
| 2009 | Eastwick | Yes | No | No | "Mooning and Crooning" (Season 1, Episode 5) |
| 2009 | Glee | Yes | No | No | "Hairography" (Season 1, Episode 11) |
| 2009–2019 | Grey's Anatomy | Yes | No | No | "Here's to Future Days" (Season 5, Episode 23) "Goodbye" (Season 6, Episode 2) "Perfect Little Accident" (Season 6, Episode 16) "Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn Out Right" (Season 10, Episode 23) "Fear" (Season 10, Episode 24) ”1-800-799-7233” (Season 14, Episode 9) ”Cold As Ice” (Season 14, Episode 23) ”Good Shepherd“ (Season 15, Episode 21) |
| 2010 | The Mentalist | Yes | No | No | "Redline" (Season 2, Episode 13) |
| 2011 | Wonder Woman | No | Yes | No | Pilot only |
| 2011–2012 | Harry's Law | Yes | Yes | No | All episodes as producer 7 episodes as director |
| 2013 | Monday Mornings | Yes | Yes | No | All episodes as producer 4 episodes as director |
| 2013 | Chris D'Elia: White Male. Black Comic | Yes | No | No | Special television |
| 2013–2014 | The Crazy Ones | Yes | Yes | No | All episodes |
| 2014 | Manhattan | Yes | No | No | "A New Approach to Nuclear Cosmology" (Season 1, Episode 5) |
| 2014–2020 | How to Get Away with Murder | Yes | Yes | No | All episodes as producer 11 episodes as director |
| 2015 | Chris D'Elia Incorrigible | Yes | No | No | Special television |
| 2015–2016 | Blunt Talk | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes as director |
| 2016 | The Catch | Yes | No | No | "The Package" (Season 1, Episode 8) |
| 2016 | Goliath | Yes | No | No | "Game On" (Season 1, Episode 3) |
| 2017 | Chris D'Elia: Man on Fire | Yes | Yes | No | Special television |
| 2018 | The Good Doctor | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes as director |
| 2018 | The Resident | Yes | No | No | "Identity Crisis" (Season 1, Episode 3) |
| 2019 | Grand Hotel | Yes | Yes | No | 2 episodes as director |
| 2021-2022 | Big Shot | Yes | Yes | No | |

### As actor

**Film**

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2011 | My Date with Drew | Himself | Documentary |

**Television**

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Superintendent Across the Hall | "The Eyes Have It" (Season 2, Episode 12) |
| 1995 | Courthouse | Judge Wilson | "Order on the Court " (Season 1, Episode 4) |
| 2002 | Ally McBeal | 'A Chorus Line' Producer | "What I'll Never Do for Love Again" (Season 5, Episode 20) |
