Name James Hanlon | ||
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Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special, Satellite Award - Special Humanitarian DVD Award Nominations Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming Movies and TV shows 9/11, Bringing Out the Dead, Taking Woodstock, 9/11: 10 Years Later Similar People Jules Naudet, Gedeon Naudet, Tom Forman, Rob Klug, Graydon Carter | ||
James Hanlon (born 1966) is a former New York City firefighter, an Actor and Director. He executive produced and directed the CBS documentary film 9/11.
Career
Hanlon was born in the South Bronx and grew up in New York City in a large Irish Catholic family. He attended the prestigious Mount St. Michaels Academy, where he was part of the nationally ranked Track team and lettered in track all four years. While attending college in New York, Hanlon attended an acting class with a friend. He soon started classes and eventually would graduate from the The Acting Studio and Chelsea Rep. He would go on to perform in 27 plays in New York and regionally. He worked with Tony Award-winning director Vivian Matalon and soon started guest starring for TV shows filming in New York City.
In between jobs Hanlon worked at The New York Daily News in the advertising department. He went on to work at The Daily News from 1986 to 1992.
In 1992, he joined the New York City Fire Department as a firefighter. His brother had bet him $500 he wouldn't pass the test. Hanlon attained a perfect score and was appointed soon after.
Hanlon was assigned and working in a busy fire division and wanted to show people what the life of a fireman was really like; it had never been done before.
In 2001, he convinced the commissioner to allow him to shoot a documentary about Tony Benetatos, a probationary, or "probie", firefighter. During filming, the September 11 attacks occurred and the documentary became the film 9/11 which aired on CBS. Hanlon won an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award and the Edward R. Murrow Award for the documentary.
Hanlon retired a decorated FDNY firefighter and moved to California. He quickly applied to and attended the directing program at UCLA.
He is an American television director of shows like NCIS: Los Angeles.
In 2016 for the 15th anniversary of his award winning 9/11 documentary series, Hanlon went back to New York and executive produced, directed and was the cinematographer for the updated airing of CNN's 9/11: Fifteen Years Later.
He has appeared as an actor in episodes of NYPD Blue, Sex and the City, Criminal Minds and Law and Order amongst other roles.