Samuel Abraham Levinson (born January 8, 1985) is an American television producer, writer, filmmaker and actor. He is the son of director Barry Levinson. In 2010, he received his first writing credit as a co-writer for the action comedy film Operation: Endgame. The following year, he made his directorial film debut with Another Happy Day (2011), which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. He then received a writing credit on his father's HBO television film The Wizard of Lies (2017). He continued writing and directing for the feature films Assassination Nation (2018) and Malcolm & Marie (2021).
In 2019, Levinson created the HBO teen drama series Euphoria which was adapted from the Israeli series of the same name. The series is popular with audiences and received positive reviews from critics. In 2023, he created the HBO series The Idol, which was controversial and received negative reviews.
Early life
Levinson was born on January 8, 1985, and is the son of Diana Rhodes, a production designer for TV commercials, and filmmaker Barry Levinson. His father is from a Russian-Jewish family. Levinson studied method acting for four years. He has a brother, Jack Levinson, who is also an actor, and two half-siblings, Michelle and Patrick, from his mother's first marriage.
Career
Levinson made his film debut as an actor in his father's 1992 fantasy comedy Toys, alongside his brother Jack. He continued to appear in his father's films, such as the comedy-drama film Bandits (2001) and the satirical comedy film What Just Happened (2008). In 2009, he acted in the Uwe Boll film Stoic. In 2011, Levinson made his directorial film debut, Another Happy Day, at the Sundance Film Festival. Despite the film's negative reviews, it received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.
Levinson co-wrote the 2017 television film The Wizard of Lies, which was directed by his father. The film focuses on Bernie Madoff, who is played by Robert De Niro. Levinson wrote and directed the film Assassination Nation, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival to mixed reviews from critics, who praised its "frenetic and visually stylish" action but criticized the thinly written characters. In June 2019, Levinson created the HBO television drama series Euphoria, based on the Israeli series of the same name. The series has received both praise and criticism for its direction, writing, and acting. It is infamous for its raw and graphic portrayal of teenagers wrestling with drug addiction and sexuality. The series concluded with its third season in May 2026.
In 2020, Levinson wrote and directed the film Malcolm & Marie, which was distributed by Netflix in February 2021. It was poorly received by critics. Aisha Harris of NPR wrote, "All that's left are two characters rendered awkwardly as vessels for a director's odd hang-ups about his own identity and craft". Shirley Lee of The Atlantic wrote, "Malcolm & Marie isn't Art. It's a meltdown" and that it "seems to use the titular couple as mouthpieces for a litany of his own gripes". Levinson co-wrote the screenplay for the psychological erotic thriller Deep Water (2022), based on Patricia Highsmith's 1957 novel of the same name. The film debuted on Hulu and was poorly received. The Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw specifically panned the film's script, writing, "Deep Water looks like a huge amount of material has been shaped in the edit but there are odd gaps and elisions". Levinson has executive produced Pieces of a Woman (2020), Breaking (2022), X (2022), and Pearl (2022).