William Engels is an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on the classic science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its spinoff Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Engels was born in Los Angeles, California in 1952. He attended the University of Southern California and earned a Bachelor of Arts in theater. After graduating, he began his career in television as a staff writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (1975–76). He then worked on several television series including NBC's CHiPS (1977-78), ABC's The Love Boat (1978-85), and CBS' Magnum, P.I. (1981-84).
Engels' first directing job was an episode of the NBC drama St. Elsewhere in 1984. He then directed episodes of the hit ABC series Who's The Boss? (1984-92), CBS's Picket Fences (1992-96), and Fox's Party of Five (1994-2000).
In 1987, Engels was hired to direct the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He went on to direct more than a dozen episodes of the series, including the Emmy Award-winning "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" (1989). He also directed the series finale, "All Good Things…" (1994).
Engels was also hired to direct the pilot episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). He directed additional episodes of the series including the two-part finale, "What You Leave Behind" (1999).
In addition to his television directing credits, Engels has also directed several feature films including Sweet Justice (1992), The Cowboy Way (1994), and The Last Voice (2000).
Engels has won numerous awards for his work in television and film, including four Emmy Awards. In 2009, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Directors Guild of America.
Engels continues to direct television and film projects. He is currently in pre-production for a feature film titled Glimmer.
