← Back to explore

Ken Burns

Directing

Born July 29, 1953 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

IMDbWikipedia

Biography

Kenneth Lauren Burns is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the National Endowment for the Humanities and distributed by PBS. Burns lives in the small town of Walpole, New Hampshire.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA

Awards & recognition

  • Lady Bird Johnson Environmental Award · 2017
  • Jefferson Lecture · 2016
  • Charles Frankel Prize · 1991
  • Grammy Award — Best Traditional Folk Album · 1991
  • Grammy Award — Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording · 1991
Show all 16 awards →
  • Lincoln Prize · 1991
  • Christopher Award
  • Emmy Award
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • Guggenheim Fellowship
  • National Humanities Medal
  • Independent Spirit Award — Best Documentary Feature · 2013 · nominated
  • Writers Guild of America Award — Best Documentary Screenplay · 2013 · nominated
  • Directors Guild of America Award — Outstanding Directing – Documentaries · 2007 · nominated
  • Grammy Award — Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording · 1991 · nominated
  • Grammy Award — Best Traditional Folk Album · 1991 · nominated

Filmography50+ titles

Interstellar

2014Thanks

The West

1996Executive Producer

The U.S. and the Holocaust

2022Director, Producer

The Vietnam War

2017Director, Executive Producer, Producer

The War

2007Director, Executive Producer

The Unmaking of a College

2022as Self

Muhammad Ali

2021Director, Executive Producer, Writer

The Gene: An Intimate History

2020Producer

The Simpsons

1989as Ken Burns (voice)

Jackie Robinson

2016Director

The Dust Bowl

2012Director, Producer

Prohibition

2011Executive Producer, Producer

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

2009Director, Producer

The Civil War

1990Director, Director of Photography, Executive Producer, Writer

Thomas Hart Benton

1989Director, Producer

Benjamin Franklin

2022Director, Producer

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

2014Director, Writer

Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip

2003Director

Leonardo da Vinci

2024Creator, Director, Executive Producer

Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

1997Director, Producer

Hemingway

2021Director, Producer

East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story

2020Executive Producer, Producer

Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony

1999Director, Producer

Thomas Jefferson

1997Creator, Director

Baseball

1994Director, Director of Photography, Executive Producer, Producer, Writer

Brooklyn Bridge

1981Cinematography, Director, Director of Photography

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962as Self

The American Buffalo

2023Executive Producer, Producer

Frank Lloyd Wright

1998Director, Producer

Country Music

2019Executive Producer

Jazz

2001Director, Producer

The Congress

1989Director

The Problem with Jon Stewart

2021as Self

Huey Long

1985Director, Producer

The Mayo Clinic

2018Director, Executive Producer, Writer

The Central Park Five

2012Director, Producer, Writer

Wordplay

2006as Self

Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War

2016Director, Executive Producer

The Colbert Report

2005as Self

The Statue of Liberty

1985Cinematography, Director, Producer

In the Know

2024as Self

College Behind Bars

2019Executive Producer

60 Minutes

1968as Self

Finding Your Roots

2012as Self

The Daily Show

1996as Self

Very Ralph

2019as Self

Difficult People

2015as Ken Burns

The Mindy Project

2012as Ken Burns

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015as Self - Guest

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014as Self - Guest