Matthew Weiner, born on June 29, 1965, in Baltimore, Maryland, is an acclaimed American television writer, producer, and director, best known for creating and serving as showrunner for the iconic television series Mad Men.
Raised in a Jewish family, Weiner spent his early years in Baltimore before moving to Los Angeles at age nine.
His father, Leslie Weiner, was a prominent neuroscientist and chair of the neurology department at the University of Southern California, while his mother, Judith, held a law degree but did not practice law.
Weiner’s upbringing in a highly educated household shaped his intellectual pursuits, leading him to study literature, philosophy, and history at Wesleyan University before earning an MFA from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.
Siblings
Matthew has one sister, named Allison Hope Weiner.
However, not much is known about Allison, including her personal life or career pursuits, compared to her famous brother.
Career
Weiner’s career in television began in the mid-1990s, with his first credited work as an uncredited joke writer for the short-lived Fox sitcom Party Girl in 1996.
He later wrote for shows like The Naked Truth and Andy Richter Controls the Universe, but his early years were marked by professional struggles, during which his wife, architect Linda Brettler, financially supported the family.
A pivotal moment came when Weiner wrote the pilot script for Mad Men in 1999 while working on the sitcom Becker.
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This script caught the attention of David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, who hired Weiner as a writer and producer for the HBO series’ final three seasons (2004–2007).
Weiner’s work on The Sopranos included writing or co-writing 12 episodes, such as the Emmy-nominated “Unidentified Black Males” and “Kennedy and Heidi,” and he also appeared in minor acting roles as mafia expert Manny Safier.
After The Sopranos concluded, Weiner pitched Mad Men to multiple networks, facing rejections from HBO, Showtime, and FX before AMC, a network new to original programming, greenlit the series for a 13-episode first season.
Premiering in 2007, Mad Men became a cultural phenomenon, running for seven seasons and earning widespread acclaim for its nuanced exploration of 1960s advertising culture, identity, and societal change.
Weiner served as showrunner, executive producer, and head writer, writing or co-writing numerous episodes and directing all seven season finales.
Beyond Mad Men, Weiner created The Romanoffs (2018), an anthology series for Amazon, wrote and directed the film Are You Here (2013), and published his first novel, Heather, the Totality (2017).
He also wrote a play, John Wilkes Booth: One Night Only!, which premiered in 2025, reflecting his ongoing interest in historical and psychological narratives.
Accolades
Weiner has won nine Primetime Emmy Awards: two as a producer for The Sopranos (2004 and 2007) and seven for Mad Men, including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the pilot episode “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (2008) and multiple Outstanding Drama Series awards (2008–2011).
Mad Men also secured three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Drama under Weiner’s leadership.
Additionally, Weiner and his writing team received Writers Guild of America Awards for Best New Series (2008), Best Dramatic Series (2010), and nominations for episodic drama.
In 2011, Weiner was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, and The Atlantic recognized him as one of 21 “Brave Thinkers” for his innovative storytelling.
His work on Mad Men also earned a Peabody Award, cementing his reputation as a visionary in television drama.
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