Don Mischer
2016 portrait
Born	Donald Leo Mischer (1940-03-05)March 5, 1940 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Died	April 11, 2025(2025-04-11) (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Texas
Occupation	Television producer and director
Years active	1969–2025
Spouses	Beverly Meyers ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1989)​ Suzan Reed ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	4
Website	Official website

Donald Leo Mischer^[1] (March 5, 1940 – April 11, 2025) was an American producer and director of television and live events and president of Don Mischer Productions.

Mischer was honored with fifteenEmmy Awards, a record tenDirectors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, twoNAACP Image Awards, aPeabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, and the 2012Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television from theProducers Guild of America and the 2019Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award for Television.^[2]

As a producer/director, his credits includethe Oscars,We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, theKennedy Center Honors, the 100th anniversary ofCarnegie Hall,Motown 25, theSuper Bowl Halftime Shows (Michael Jackson,Prince,the Rolling Stones,Paul McCartney,Tom Petty, andBruce Springsteen), theDemocratic National Convention, and the Opening Ceremonies of the1996 Summer Olympics and2002 Winter Olympics. Mischer also produced specials withBeyoncé,U2,Prince,Rihanna,Britney Spears,Bruce Springsteen,James Taylor,Taylor Swift,Stevie Wonder,Willie Nelson,Sting,Garth Brooks,Mary J. Blige,Elton John,Justin Timberlake,Barbra Streisand,Cher,Yo Yo Ma, andDolly Parton among others.

He received the Governors Award from the National Association of Choreographers and was a member of the Event Industry Hall of Fame, theProducers Guild of America, theDirectors Guild of America, and theNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, where he served two terms on the board of governors. As a member of the Directors Guild of America, he served three terms on the National Board, and in 2019 received the DGA's Lifetime Achievement Award for Television, only the fourth such award ever given for television.^[3] On December 11, 2014, Mischer received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.^[4]

In 2004, he produced theDemocratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in Boston. After John Kerry's acceptance speech, balloons were supposed to drop from the ceiling onto the delegates below. However, the balloons got stuck in the ceiling and did not fall. Mischer subsequently lost his temper with his tech crew and his profanities were aired accidentally by CNN's live broadcast.^[5][6]

In November 2023, Mischer published his memoir ":10 Seconds to Air: My Life in the Director's Chair," recounting the entire span of his career.^[7] Book review magazineKirkus Reviews wrote “Mischer's writing style is in formal and charming – he creates an atmosphere of candor and intimacy without going out of his way to ingratiate himself to readers. As a result, his recollection is thoroughly entertaining, but also affecting and thoughtful. A frank, insightful recollection of an accomplished career."^[8]

Mischer's last project was the ceremony for the 2025Breakthrough Prize, which was recorded on April 5, 2025. He had announced his intention to retire beforehand, and ultimately died six days later.^[9]

Mischer was born inSan Antonio, Texas, on March 5, 1940,^[10] the son of Lillian and Elmer Mischer.^[11][12][13] After graduating fromDouglas MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Mischer completed his education at the University of Texas Austin. He graduated with a BA degree in 1961 and with a master's degree in sociology and political science in 1963. Mischer's work took him to Washington, D.C., where he worked with theUS Information Agency and Oscar-winning documentarianCharles Guggenheim.

Mischer and his first wife, Beverly Meyers, had two children before divorcing in 1989.^[11]After 10 years in New York, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he had two children with his wife, Suzan Reed Mischer, a former CBS executive and graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.^[11]

Mischer died in Los Angeles on April 11, 2025, at the age of 85.^[9]

• Mischer had 40 Primetime Emmy nominations, with 15 Emmy wins: 13 wins throughThe Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and 2 wins through theNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
• 10 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement
• George Foster Peabody Award for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
• Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television, from the Producers Guild of America (2012)
• Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)
• 2NAACP Image Awards^[2]
• Governors Award from the National Association of Choreographers
• Membership in the Event Industry Hall of Fame
• Received Star on theHollywood Walk of Fame on December 11, 2014^[14]
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Cinematographers Guild

• Official website
• Don Mischer atIMDb
• Don Mischer discography atDiscogs
• Crafting a Successful Career, an interview with Mischer from theUniversity of Texas at Austin website

• 1940 births
• 2025 deaths
• 21st-century American memoirists
• American television directors
• Television producers from Texas
• Daytime Emmy Award winners
• Primetime Emmy Award winners
• Directors Guild of America Award winners
• Mass media people from San Antonio
• Douglas MacArthur High School (San Antonio) alumni
• University of Texas at Austin alumni

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from April 2025
• Articles with hCards
• Official website not in Wikidata