Thomas L. Friedman is an American director, producer, writer, and actor best known for his work on the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. He has been involved in the film industry since the early 2000s, working on a variety of projects ranging from feature films to television.
Friedman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended The University of the Arts, where he received his Bachelor's degree in Film and Video Production. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles and began working in the film industry, first as an assistant director on the feature film, "The Man Who Cried," and then as a production assistant on the independent feature "Crazy Beautiful."
In 2005, Friedman began writing and directing his own short films. His first, "The King of the Street," was selected to be part of the 2007 LA Film Festival. This success led to his first feature film, "The Ten," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. The movie was critically acclaimed and earned Friedman an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Friedman's break into television came in 2011 when he was hired as a writer and producer on the hit NBC show "Parenthood." He worked on the show for four seasons before moving on to write and produce the Netflix series "Stranger Things." Friedman's work on the show has earned him both Primetime Emmy Awards and Writers Guild of America Awards.
In addition to his work on Stranger Things, Friedman has directed two feature films, "The Invitation" (2015) and "The Glass Castle" (2017), and has written and produced several other projects, including the Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and the Netflix movie "The Meyerowitz Stories."
Friedman has also written two books, "The King of the Street: My Journey From the Streets of LA to the Halls of Hollywood" and "The Ten: A Guide to Making It in Hollywood on Your Own Terms."
Friedman is an avid traveler and has traveled to more than 25 countries. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.
