# Miguel Arteta

Miguel Arteta (born August 29, 1965) is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film Chuck & Buck (2000), for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and for the films The Good Girl (2002) and Cedar Rapids (2011).

## Early life

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to a Peruvian father and Spanish mother, Arteta grew up across Latin America due to his father's job as a Chrysler auto parts salesman. He went to high school in Costa Rica but was expelled, and went to live with his sister in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating from The Cambridge School of Weston in Massachusetts. He then attended Harvard University's documentary program where he learned filmmaking. He eventually left for Wesleyan University, where he met future collaborators Matthew Greenfield and Mike White.
After graduating in 1989, his student film Every Day is a Beautiful Day won a Student Academy Award, which got him a job as a second assistant camera to Jonathan Demme on the documentary Cousin Bobby. Demme then recommended him to the AFI Conservatory, and Arteta received his MFA there in 1993.

## Career

Arteta's first film, Star Maps, is a dark tale of a Mexican teenage boy and aspiring actor who is pimped by his father as a male prostitute in Los Angeles. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a critical hit, receiving five Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay. He then turned to directing television shows, helming episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, Freaks and Geeks, and Six Feet Under. He has also since directed episodes of The Office, Ugly Betty, and American Horror Story.
Arteta achieved critical acclaim and won a 2001 Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature Under $500,000 for Chuck & Buck, which teamed him with his fellow Wesleyan alumni Greenfield (film producer) and White (screenwriter and star). It is a story of male friendship and homoerotic desire, featuring a 27-year-old man who tracks down his former best friend and stalks him, hoping to re-enact their childhood sex games. The trio worked together once more on 2002's The Good Girl, starring Jennifer Aniston, a retelling of Flaubert's Madame Bovary set in the American Midwest.
Arteta's Youth in Revolt, a comedy starring Michael Cera, was released in 2010. Arteta's Cedar Rapids, starring Ed Helms and produced by Alexander Payne, was released in 2011. Most recently he reunited with White and directed four episodes of White's HBO series Enlightened.
Arteta re-teamed with Mike White on Beatriz at Dinner, which starred Salma Hayek and John Lithgow. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2017, and was released in June 2017, by Roadside Attractions. Arteta next directed Duck Butter, which he co-wrote alongside Alia Shawkat who starred in the film alongside Laia Costa, the film was shot over the course of nine days with the majority being shot over the course of 24 hours. It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20, 2018. and was released on April 27, 2018. The film received mixed reviews from film critics.
In 2020, Arteta directed Like a Boss, starring Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne and re-teaming with Hayek, which was released on January 10 by Paramount Pictures. He directed Yes Day, starring Jennifer Garner and Jenna Ortega for Netflix.

## Filmography

Director :
| Year | Title | Notes | Notes |
| 1997 | Star Maps | | |
| 1998 | Livin' Thing | Short film | Short film |
| 1999 | Homicide: Life on the Streets | "Zen and the Art of Murder" | "Zen and the Art of Murder" |
| 1999 | Snoops | "True Believers" | "True Believers" |
| 2000 | Chuck & Buck | | |
| 2000 | Freaks and Geeks | "Chokin' and Tokin' " | "Chokin' and Tokin' " |
| 2000 | Time of Your Life | "The Time She Made a Temporary Decision" | "The Time She Made a Temporary Decision" |
| 2002 | The Good Girl | | |
| 2003 | Criminology 101 | TV movie | TV movie |
| 2004 | Cracking Up | "Birds Do It" | "Birds Do It" |
| 2001–2004 | Six Feet Under | 3 episodes — "The Will" (2001) — "The Liar and the Whore" (2002) — "Terror Starts at Home" (2004) | 3 episodes — "The Will" (2001) — "The Liar and the Whore" (2002) — "Terror Starts at Home" (2004) |
| 2005 | Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody? | Short film | Short film |
| 2006 | The Office | "Diwali" | "Diwali" |
| 2007 | Ugly Betty | "Punch Out" | "Punch Out" |
| 2009 | Youth in Revolt | | |
| 2009 | Chinatown Film Project | | |
| 2011 | Cedar Rapids | | |
| 2011 | The Big C | 2 episodes — "Sexual Healing" — "Boo" | 2 episodes — "Sexual Healing" — "Boo" |
| 2011 | How to Make It in America | "Mofongo" | "Mofongo" |
| 2011 | New Girl | "Thanksgiving" | "Thanksgiving" |
| 2011 | American Horror Story | "Rubber Man" | "Rubber Man" |
| 2011 | Enlightened | 4 episodes — "Now or Never" — "Someone Else's Life" — "Comrades Unite!" — "Burn It Down" | 4 episodes — "Now or Never" — "Someone Else's Life" — "Comrades Unite!" — "Burn It Down" |
| 2012 | House of Lies | "Bareback Town" | "Bareback Town" |
| 2012 | Nurse Jackie | 2 episodes — "Day of the Iguana" — "Chaud & Froid" | 2 episodes — "Day of the Iguana" — "Chaud & Froid" |
| 2012 | The New Normal | 2 episodes — "Nanagasm" — "The Godparent Trap" | 2 episodes — "Nanagasm" — "The Godparent Trap" |
| 2013 | The Carrie Diaries | "Pilot" | "Pilot" |
| 2013 | Rita | TV movie | TV movie |
| 2013–15 | Getting On | 9 episodes — "Born on the Fourth of July" (2013) — "No Such Thing as Idealized Genitalia" (2014) — "Is Soap a Hazardous Substance?" (2014) — "This Is About Vomit, People." (2015) — "Don't Let It Get in You or On You" (2015) — "No, I Don't Want a Fucking Smiley Face" (2015) — "Am I Still Me?" (2015) — "Please Partake of a Memorial Orange" (2015) — "Reduced to Eating Boiled Magazines and Book Paste" (2015) | 9 episodes — "Born on the Fourth of July" (2013) — "No Such Thing as Idealized Genitalia" (2014) — "Is Soap a Hazardous Substance?" (2014) — "This Is About Vomit, People." (2015) — "Don't Let It Get in You or On You" (2015) — "No, I Don't Want a Fucking Smiley Face" (2015) — "Am I Still Me?" (2015) — "Please Partake of a Memorial Orange" (2015) — "Reduced to Eating Boiled Magazines and Book Paste" (2015) |
| 2014 | Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day | | |
| 2015 | Grace & Frankie | "The Elevator" | "The Elevator" |
| 2017 | Beatriz at Dinner | | |
| 2017 | Famous in Love | "Pilot" | "Pilot" |
| 2018 | Duck Butter | | |
| 2018 | Succession | "Austerlitz" | "Austerlitz" |
| 2018 | Forever | 2 episodes — "Another Place" — "Oceanside" | 2 episodes — "Another Place" — "Oceanside" |
| 2019 | Room 104 | "No Hospital" | "No Hospital" |
| 2020 | Like a Boss | | |
| 2021 | Yes Day | | |
| 2021 | The Morning Show | "Testimony" | "Testimony" |
| 2022 | Florida Man | 2 episodes — "Episode #1.1" — "Episode #"1.2" | 2 episodes — "Episode #1.1" — "Episode #"1.2" |
| Producer ||||
| Year | Title | Notes | Notes |
| 2005 | The Motel | | |
| 2008 | Tess and Nana | Short film (Executive Producer) | Short film (Executive Producer) |
| 2009 | We Are the Mods | Executive Producer | Executive Producer |
| 2011 | Enlightened | Co-Executive Producer (9 episodes) | Co-Executive Producer (9 episodes) |
| 2013 | The Carrie Diaries | Executive Producer | Executive Producer |
| 2013 | Rita | TV movie (Executive Producer) | TV movie (Executive Producer) |
| 2013–15 | Getting On | Executive Producer (7 episodes) | Executive Producer (7 episodes) |
| 2018 | Duck Butter | Executive Producer | Executive Producer |
| 2021 | Yes Day | Executive Producer | Executive Producer |
| 2022 | Florida Man | Executive Producer (8 episodes) | Executive Producer (8 episodes) |
| Actor ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | See This Movie | Festival Panelist | |
| 2004 | In Good Company | Globecome Technician | |
| 2009 | Youth in Revolt | Illegal Immigrant #2 | |
| 2013 | Enlightened | Flender Fan in Bar | "Follow Me" |
| 2015 | Digging for Fire | Bartender | |
| Writer ||||
| Year | Title | Notes | Notes |
| 1997 | Star Maps | screenplay / story | screenplay / story |
| 1998 | Livin' Thing | Short film | Short film |
| 2018 | Duck Butter | | |
| 2019 | Room 104 | "No Hospital" | "No Hospital" |

## Awards and nominations
### Accolades

| Title | Year | Association / Category | Results |
| Star Maps | 1997 | Mar del Plata Film Festival for Best Film — International Competition | Nominated |
| Star Maps | 1998 | ALMA Award for Outstanding Latino Director of a Feature Film | Nominated |
| Star Maps | 1998 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature Film (shared with Matthew Greenfield) | Nominated |
| Star Maps | 1998 | Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay | Nominated |
| Time of Your Life | 2001 | ALMA Award for Outstanding Director of a Drama Series | Nominated |
| Freaks and Geeks | 2001 | ALMA Award for Outstanding Director of a Comedy Series | Nominated |
| Chuck & Buck | 2000 | Deauville Film Festival for Grand Prize Award | Nominated |
| Chuck & Buck | 2000 | Gijon International Film Festival for Best Feature | Nominated |
| Chuck & Buck | 2000 | Sundance Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize — Drama | Nominated |
| Chuck & Buck | 2001 | ALMA Award for Outstanding Director of a Feature Film | Nominated |
| Chuck & Buck | 2001 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature Film — Under $500,000 (shared with Mike White & Matthew Greenfield) | Won |
| Chuck & Buck | 2001 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Director | Nominated |
| The Good Girl | 2002 | Deauville Film Festival for Grand Prize Award | Nominated |
| The Good Girl | 2002 | Gijon International Film Festival for Best Feature | Nominated |
| Six Feet Under | 2002 | OFTA Television Award for Best Direction in a Drama | Nominated |
| The Motel | 2007 | Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature (shared with Michael Kang / Matthew Greenfield / Gian Kwon / Karin Chien) | Nominated |
| Youth in Revolt | 2009 | Deauville Film Festival for Grand Prize Award | Nominated |
| How to Make It in America | 2012 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series ("Mofongo") | Nominated |
| Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day | 2014 | Heartland Film Award for Truly Moving Picture Award | Won |
| Beatriz at Dinner | 2017 | Imagen Foundation Award for Best Director | Won |
| Duck Butter | 2018 | Tribeca Film Festival for Best Narrative Feature | Nominated |
| Room 104 | 2020 | Imagen Foundation Award for Best Director — Television | Nominated |