Noah Hawley
American screenwriter and producer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Noah Hawley (born 1967) is an American film and television show maker, author, and singer. He is best known for creating, chiefly writing and often directing the FX series Fargo (2014–2024), Legion (2017–2019) and Alien: Earth (2025). He also worked on the series Bones (2005–2008), The Unusuals (2009), and My Generation (2010).
- Screenwriter
- director
- producer
- author
- singer
Noah Hawley | |
|---|---|
Hawley at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | 1967 (age 58–59) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouse | Kyle Hawley |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Louise Armstrong (mother), Alexi Hawley (twin brother) |
Hawley wrote the film The Alibi (2006) and wrote and directed the film Lucy in the Sky (2019). He has also written six novels and is a singer, having contributed to the soundtracks of Fargo, Legion and Alien: Earth by singing covers of popular music produced by composer Jeff Russo, a frequent collaborator on Hawley's projects. He is currently serving as the writer and director of the FX series Alien: Earth, which is based on the film franchise and premiered on August 12, 2025. The series was renewed for a second season in November 2025, along with the announcement of a television series created by Hawley and Rob McElhenney based on the Far Cry video game franchise.[1]
Early life, family and education
Hawley was born in New York City in 1967,[2][3] the son of non-fiction writer and feminist activist Louise Armstrong (1937–2008)[4] and businessman Tom Hawley.[4] His maternal grandmother was a playwright. He has a twin brother, Alexi, who is also a television writer whose most prominent works include the series State of Affairs, The Rookie, and The Recruit.[3][4]
In 1989, Hawley graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in political science.[5][6]
Career
Hawley worked as a paralegal[3] and in computer programming at law firms.[6] He worked for The Legal Aid Society in New York City, dealing with cases involving child abuse and neglect, a topic on which his mother had written ground-breaking books.[6][5] He later moved to San Francisco, California.
Books
Hawley has published six novels: A Conspiracy of Tall Men (1998), Other People's Weddings (2004), The Punch (2008), The Good Father (2012), Before the Fall (2016), and Anthem (2022). He also published the non-fiction work Fargo: This Is a True Story (2019).[7]
Television
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Hawley was a writer and producer on the first three seasons of Bones (2005–2008).[8] He was also the creator and an executive producer of The Unusuals (2009) and My Generation (2010).[9]
Hawley is the creator, primary writer, and executive producer of the FX anthology series Fargo (2014–present), based on the Coen brothers' 1996 film of the same name.[10] In 2014, Fargo won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries, along with 17 additional nominations at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards. In total, the series has been nominated for 113 awards since its premiere, winning 32.
In December 2015, Hawley extended his production deal with FX.[11] He wrote and served as executive producer and showrunner for Legion (2017–2019), a series based on the Marvel comic book character.[12]
Hawley is the creator of Alien: Earth, a TV series based on the film franchise, on which he is a writer, director, and producer and showrunner.[13] It premiered on FX on August 12, 2025.[14]
Film
Hawley wrote the original screenplay for the film The Alibi (2006).[15]
In September 2014, Hawley signed a deal with Universal Pictures to script an untitled project for their then-upcoming Dark Universe.[16] Sony Pictures has acquired the rights to Hawley's novel, Before the Fall, with him writing the screenplay.[16] In 2016, his 26 Keys production company signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to do films.[17]
On July 20, 2017, Hawley announced at Comic Con that he was writing and directing a Doctor Doom movie with 20th Century Fox.[18] However, the project was shelved following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox.[19][20]
In 2019, he made his feature film directorial debut with Lucy in the Sky, a drama film starring Natalie Portman as an astronaut, for Fox Searchlight.[21]
In November 2019, it was announced that Hawley would be writing and directing the fourth installment in the rebooted Star Trek franchise.[22] He finished the script in September 2020. It would feature a new crew, although set in the same universe.[23] In December 2025, Hawley said that he is still in contact with producer David Ellison on making his own Star Trek film.[24]
Personal life
Hawley and his wife, Kyle, have two children together.[3][failed verification] They split their time between Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.[3][failed verification]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Alibi | No | Yes | No |
| 2019 | Lucy in the Sky | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2008 | Bones | No | Yes | Yes | No | Writer (6 episodes) Also co-producer (14 episodes) |
| 2009 | The Unusuals | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 episodes Also composer |
| 2010 | My Generation | No | Yes | Yes | Developer | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2024 | Fargo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Director (6 episodes) Writer (48 episodes) |
| 2017–2019 | Legion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Director (3 episodes) Writer (19 episodes) |
| 2025–present | Alien: Earth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Director (2 episodes) Writer (8 episodes) |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Category | Title | Result | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Outstanding Limited Series | Fargo | Won | For season 1 | [25] |
| 2016 | Nominated | For season 2 | [26] | ||
| 2017 | Nominated | For season 3 | [27] | ||
| 2024 | Nominated | For season 5 | [28] | ||
| 2016 | Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie | Nominated | For episode "Before the Law" | [29] | |
| 2017 | Nominated | For episode "The Law of Vacant Places" | [30] | ||
| 2024 | Nominated | For episode "The Tragedy of the Commons" | [31] | ||
| 2014 | Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Movie | Nominated | For episode "The Crocodile's Dilemma" | [32] | |
| 2016 | Nominated | For episode "Palindrome" | [33] | ||
| 2017 | Nominated | For episode "The Law of Vacant Places" | [34] | ||
| 2024 | Nominated | For episode "The Tragedy of the Commons" | [35] |
Producers Guild of America Awards
Published works
- Hawley, Noah (1998). A Conspiracy of Tall Men. Harmony. ISBN 9780609602805.
- Hawley, Noah (2004). Other People's Weddings. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312322731.
- Hawley, Noah (2008). The Punch. Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811864299.
- Hawley, Noah (2012). The Good Father. Doubleday. ISBN 9780385535533.
- Hawley, Noah (2016). Before the Fall. Grand Central. ISBN 9781455561780.
- Hawley, Noah (2022). Anthem. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9781538711514.
