Dean Parisot
Dean Parisot is an American film and TV director born on July 6, 1952, in Wilton, Connecticut. His parents are Ellen James, a painter and art teacher, and Aldo Parisot, a Brazilian-born cellist and teacher. He studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and participated in the Sundance Institute’s June Lab.
On television, Parisot directed episodes of Monk (including the two‑hour pilot “Mr. Monk and the Candidate”), Northern Exposure, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In film, he won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for The Appointments of Dennis Jennings, a short co-written by and starring Steven Wright. He later directed feature films and, in 2012, was hired to direct Bill & Ted Face the Music, which was released on August 28, 2020.
Personal life: Parisot was married to film editor Sally Menke from 1986 until her death in 2010, and they had two children.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:45 (CET).