Over the years, Ryan Murphy, whose new show, Hollywood, is currently on Netflix, has written, directed, produced, and created a variety of television shows and films. Some of his most popular works include Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, and 9-1-1. He has won six Primetime Emmys and a Tony Award.
Murphy is always working on numerous projects at once, and he takes a hands-on approach with each of them. He recently made history; since he left Fox last year, he has moved to Netflix. He's made a deal with them that was the largest in the streaming service’s history.
But how did this man get here? What did he do before he was a powerhouse in Hollywood? And what about his personal life? Does he have a spouse or children? Where does he get inspiration? What has he created? How does he give back to the world, besides just creating wildly entertaining and interesting stories?
Well, all of that and more will be discussed. From his upbringing and education to his career and his kids, this list is full of details. It is packed with information. And it is sure to tell fans everything they need to know about Ryan Murphy.
10 He Grew Up In Indianapolis
On November 9, 1965, Ryan Murphy entered the world. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and he attended school there; first, there was a Catholic school, and then, he graduated from Warren Central High School.
When it came to his parents, they both had similar lines of work. His mother wrote books and had a career in communications, and his father worked in the newspaper industry. Their jobs seem to have made an impression on him and influenced him, based on his college major and first jobs in the real world...
9 He Studied Journalism
After high school, Murphy moved on to higher education at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he studied journalism. This led to an internship at The Washington Post (specifically, in the 'Style 'section), as well as jobs at popular publications, such as Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, New York Daily News, The Miami Herald, and the Knoxville News Sentinel. He soon began writing something else, though, which got him where he is today.
8 He Started Scriptwriting In The Late 90s
Yes, in the late 1990s, Murphy transitioned into scriptwriting, and the one and only Steven Spielberg ended up buying one of his scripts, which was called Why Can't I Be Audrey Hepburn?
While he may have been educated in journalism, he had a gift for writing for TV and the big screen. In 1999, a show called Popular premiered, which he helped create, and a short film called The Furies was released, which he wrote. Soon after, Nip/Tuck came to television, and it was on the air from 2003 to 2010.
7 He Used To Be In A Choir, Which Helped Him With ‘Glee’
One of Murphy’s best-known TV shows is the fan-favorite, Glee, which aired for six seasons, from 2009 to 2015. He co-created it with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, and he earned his first Primetime Emmy Award after directing the pilot.
What many may not know is that, as a child, Murphy was in a choir. That is truly adorable to imagine, and that definitely had to have helped him tell a story about a school’s music-filled glee club!
6 He Has Made Well-Known Movies
While this professional is always getting praise and recognition for his television shows, he has actually directed, written, and produced several movies over the years. For instance, there was Eat Pray Love in 2010, which starred Julia Roberts. There was Glee: The 3D Concert Movie in 2011. There was The Town That Dreaded Sundown in 2014. And this year alone, there are three films from Murphy that fans can enjoy, which are on Netflix.
5 He Created ‘American Horror Story’
Another one of the most beloved and known TV shows from Murphy is American Horror Story, which was also co-created with Brad Falchuk. This anthology series has been on since 2011, and it is notable for pushing the limits in scary and scandalous ways. It usually features the same actors as different characters.
For instance, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Angela Bassett, Taissa Farmiga, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, and Dylan McDermott have appeared in multiple seasons of this series.
4 He Was Inspired By His Own Life When Creating ‘The New Normal’
The New Normal was on from 2012 to 2013, and it starred Andrew Rannells, Justin Bartha, Georgia King, NeNe Leakes, and Ellen Barkin. Even though it was created by Murphy and Ali Adler, the co-executive producer from Glee, it was canceled.
However, here is a fun fact that some probably didn’t know: the story told in the series was based on Murphy's own experience of using a surrogate in order to have a child (and there will be more on that soon…).
3 He Is Married With Kids
While Murphy once told Inside the Actors Studio that he dated a lot of football players in high school, he has actually been married to a photographer named David Miller since July of 2012.
The family grew on December 24, 2012, as these two had a son, Logan Phineas, via a surrogate. Then, there was another bundle of joy in October of 2014, when a second son, Ford, entered the world. Just look at how beautiful this family is… Wow!
2 He Is Also Inspired By True Stories From The Past
Murphy and Falchuk are executive producers of a series called American Crime Story, which is, as the name suggests, about past crimes. The series launched in 2016. Murphy gave the world Feud in 2017, which was based on the rivalry between actresses, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Even American Horror Story draws inspiration from real-life killers and legends.
In May 2020, Hollywood, a miniseries Murphy co-created, wrote and directed, dropped on Netflix, and it is all about aspiring actors and filmmakers in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
1 His Work Goes Beyond Telling Entertaining Stories
While TV shows and flicks are great, Murphy does more than create them. He won an Award of Inspiration from amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. This came in 2015, due to his work and contributions in the fight against AIDS.
Two years later, he started his own organization, the Half Initiative, which works to make Hollywood more inclusive by creating equal opportunities. Through the initiative, there is also the Half-Director Mentorship Program, which provides mentorship for emerging female and minority directors.