Ed Apfel (born 1946) is an American filmmaker and writer from New York City. He has directed a number of feature films, television shows, and short films, and has written several books.
Apfel graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1969 with a degree in film. After graduating, he worked as a production assistant for numerous television shows, such as The Mod Squad and The Partridge Family. In the early 1970s, Apfel wrote and directed several independent films and shorts including “The Night of the Living Dead” and “My Name Is Nobody.” In 1975, he wrote the novel “The Pig and the Python,” which was later adapted into a film in 1981.
In 1983, Apfel wrote and directed his first feature film, “The Secret of NIMH.” The film was a critical and commercial success, and earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He went on to write and direct several other successful films, including “An American Tail” (1986), “The Land Before Time” (1988), and “Cats Don’t Dance” (1997).
Apfel has also written four books on film and television production, including “The Filmmaker’s Handbook” and “The Animator’s Survival Kit.” He is highly respected in the film and television industry, and has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.
In addition to his work in the film industry, Apfel has served as a professor of film studies at the University of Southern California for over thirty years. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Directors Guild of America.
A highly respected figure in the film industry, Ed Apfel has had a long and successful career as a filmmaker, writer, and educator. Through his films, books, and teaching, he has been able to share his love of film and television production with millions of people around the world.
