Donald Joseph Scardino (born February 17, 1949) is an American

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the pro ...

and producer and a former

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

Career

Acting

Scardino was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, to jazz musician parents, Dorothy Denny Scardino and Charles Scardino. His first

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

credit was as an

understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to a ...

in ''The Playroom'' in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include '' Johnny No-Trump'', ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical composed by Stephen Schwartz with book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set to lyrics from traditional hy ...

'', and '' King of Hearts''.

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

he appeared in '' The Rimers of Eldritch'', ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play ...

'', '' Moonchildren'', and '' I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road'', he was also the lead in a B horror movie titled '' Squirm'' in 1976. He additionally starred in several episodes of the ''

CBS Radio Mystery Theater ''CBS Radio Mystery Theater'' (a.k.a. ''Radio Mystery Theater'' and ''Mystery Theater'', sometimes abbreviated as ''CBSRMT'') is a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS Radio Network affiliates from 1974 to 1982, ...

'', which ran from 1974 to 1982. In addition, he served as artistic director at

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...

from 1991 to 1996. On

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

he appeared on the daytime

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s ''

The Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'', ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...

'', '' Love Is a Many Splendored Thing'', and '' Another World'' and the

primetime Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

series '' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'' and ''

The Name of the Game Name of the Game may refer to: Television * ''The Name of the Game'' (TV series), a 1968–1971 American drama ** ''Fame Is the Name of the Game'', a 1966 American television film and pilot for the series * "The Name of the Game" (''Grey's Anato ...

''.

Feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

credits include '' The People Next Door'' (1970), ''

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the '' Iliad'' and the '' Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of ...

'' (1970), '' Rip-Off'' (1971), '' Squirm'' (1976), '' Cruising'' (1980) and ''

He Knows You're Alone ''He Knows You're Alone'' is a 1980 American slasher film directed by Armand Mastroianni, written by Scott Parker, and starring Caitlin O'Heaney, Don Scardino, Elizabeth Kemp, Tom Rolfing, and Tom Hanks in his feature film debut. The plot foll ...

'' (1980). In 2020, Scardino appeared as a guest on ''The Big Alakens'' Big Lake marathon fundraiser episode of '' The George Lucas Talk Show.''

Directing

Following his acting on the network soap operas, Scardino began to direct them. He directed episodes of '' Another World'', '' One Life to Live'', and ''

''. He went on to direct plays on and off-Broadway, including the world premiere of

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Em ...

's ''

A Few Good Men ''A Few Good Men'' is a 1992 American legal drama film based on Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play. It was written by Sorkin, directed by Rob Reiner, and produced by Reiner, David Brown and Andrew Scheinman. It stars an ensemble cast including Tom Cr ...

''. He has directed extensively in television, most notably '' Tracey Takes On...'' and ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', ta ...

''. Feature film directing work includes ''

Me and Veronica ''Me and Veronica'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Don Scardino (in his feature directorial debut), written by Leslie Lyles, and starring Elizabeth McGovern, Patricia Wettig and Michael O'Keefe. Plot Cast *Elizabeth McGovern as F ...

'' (

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

), and '' Advice from a Caterpillar'', winner, best comedy, at Aspen Comedy Festival. He directed the 2013 film '' The Incredible Burt Wonderstone'', starring

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy t ...

and

Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in '' The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where C ...

Awards and nominations

*1986 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Young Man in a Drama Series- '' Another World'', Nominated *1994 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program- ''Tracey Takes on New York'', Nominated *1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program- '' Tracey Takes On...'' , Nominated *1998

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Cate ...

for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety- ''Tracey Takes On...'' , Nominated *2008 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series- ''

'', Won *2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series- ''30 Rock'', Won *2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series- ''30 Rock'', Nominated

Selected directing credits

* '' The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' (1988–1991) * ''

'' (1989 Broadway play) * ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering o ...

'' (1991–2006) * '' Tracey Takes On...'' (1997–1998) * '' Cosby'' (1998–2000) * ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the ...

'' (2000) * '' Ed'' (2002–2003) * '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (2002–2003) * '' Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All'' (2003 Broadway play) * ''

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...

'' (2004) * ''

Hope & Faith ''Hope & Faith'' is an American television sitcom, starring Faith Ford and Kelly Ripa as Hope Shanowski and Faith Fairfield. Hope is a homemaker and mother of three and Faith is her sister, a soap opera star whose character is killed off, lead ...

'' (2004–2006) * '' Lennon'' (2005 Broadway musical) * ''

'' (2006–2013) *'' Rescue Me'' (2007) *'' The Incredible Burt Wonderstone'' (2013) *''

2 Broke Girls ''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cumm ...

'' (2013–2017) *'' Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' (2015) *''

Young Sheldon ''Young Sheldon'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom television series created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro for CBS. The series, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is a spin-off prequel to ''The Big Bang Theory'' and begins with the ...

'' (2017) *''

LA to Vegas ''LA to Vegas'' is an American sitcom that was broadcast on Fox. The series debuted on January 2, 2018, as a midseason entry in the 2017–18 television season. Starring Dylan McDermott, Kim Matula, Ed Weeks, Nathan Lee Graham, Olivia Macklin, ...

'' (2018) *''

Instinct Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing both innate (inborn) and learned elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a ...

'' (2018) *'' All About the Washingtons'' (2018) *''

The Cool Kids The Cool Kids are an American hip hop duo composed of rappers Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish. The Cool Kids' music had been released primarily to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E. Recordings. Reed and Inge ...

'' (2018) *''

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

'' (2019) *'' The Conners'' (2020) *'' Our Almost Completely True Story'' (2021) *'' Only Murders in the Building'' (2021)

Selected producing credits

* ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' (1988–1991) * '' Deadline'' (2000–2001) * ''

'' (2006–2010)

Selected acting credits

*'' The People Next Door'' (1970) as Sandy Hoffman *''

'' (1970) as Homer Edwards *'' Rip-Off'' (1971) as Michael *'' Squirm'' (1976) as Mick *'' Cruising'' (1980) as Ted Bailey *''

'' (1980) as Marvin Travis

References

External links

* * *
Don Scardino at Godspell.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scardino, Don 1949 births Living people American male film actors American male radio actors American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors American theatre directors American television directors Male actors from New York City