Director John Patterson Dies at 64 DGA Award Winner for The Sopranos

Prolific television director John Patterson has died of prostate cancer in Los Angeles at age 64.

Patterson, who began his career in the 1970s, received widespread acclaim in recent years for his work on The Sopranos, for which he directed 13 episodes and earned two Emmy nominations. In 2002, he won a Directors Guild of America Award for the “Whitecaps” episode of The Sopranos, and he was nominated for a DGA Award this year for the “Silent Night” episode of the HBO hit.

Other career highlights included directing the pilot episode of Law & Order, as well as episodes of such series as The Rockford Files, Eight Is Enough, CHiPS, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Providence, Six Feet Under and CSI.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Patterson graduated from the University of Buffalo, then earned an MFA from Stanford. He attributed his easygoing temperament to having endured numerous tense experiences in the Air Force, which included participating in a series of dangerous missions at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963.

A memorial service for Patterson, who is survived by a daughter and a son, will be held Saturday, February 19th. Donations may be made to KPFK and Pacifica Radio.