Age: 60
male
Ryan Patrick Murphy (born November 9, 1965) is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for creating and producing a number of television series including Popular (1999–2001), Nip/Tuck (2003–2010), Glee (2009–2015), American Horror Story (2011–present), Scream Queens (2015–2016), American Crime Story (2016–present), Pose (2018–2021), 9-1-1 (2018–present), The Politician (2019–2020), 9-1-1: Lone Star (2020–present), Ratched (2020), American Horror Stories (2021–present), and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022). Murphy also directed the 2006 film adaptation of Augusten Burroughs' memoir Running with Scissors, the 2010 film adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love, the 2014 film adaptation of Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart, and the 2020 film adaptation of the musical The Prom. Murphy has received six Primetime Emmy Awards from 36 nominations, a Tony Award from two nominations, and two Grammy Award nominations. He has often been cited as "the most powerful man" in modern television, including having signed the largest development deal in television history with Netflix. Murphy is noted for having created a shift in inclusive storytelling that "brought marginalised characters to the masses".
The story begins in the late 1930s, as Hedda (in her mid-50s) reinvents herself after a middling acting career. We follow her meteoric rise in the cutthroat world of tabloid journalism, where her razor-sharp wit, unapologetic ambition, and flair for drama catapult her to fame—and infamy. As Hedda becomes a gatekeeper of Hollywood morality, she navigates a world of stars and moguls, forming alliances and rivalries with figures like her arch-nemesis, Louella Parsons. Interwoven with her professional ascent are glimpses into her private life: her struggles as a single mother, her complex relationship with her son William Hopper, and the sacrifices she made to maintain her empire. The miniseries also examines her controversial role in the McCarthy era, where her staunch patriotism blurred into zealotry, as she turned her pen against suspected communists, shaping careers—and destroying them.
