Mark Piznarski, the much sought-after pilot director who helmed the first episodes of series including Gossip Girl, Veronica Mars and Everwood, has died. He was 71.
Piznarski’s name was listed in an “In Memoriam” section in the latest DGA Monthly issue, and a spokesperson for the guild said that he died April 4. The Hollywood Reporter reached out to his daughter, Lauren, who said the family did not want to participate in an obituary.
A teen-drama specialist who started out on My So-Called Life, Piznarski helmed 14 episodes of The CW’s Gossip Girl across all six of its seasons, including the 2007 pilot; the shocking 100th episode, “G.G.,” which premiered during season five in January 2012; and the series finale, “New York, I Love You XOXO,” which bowed in December 2012.
In 2004, he directed the first two installments of the Kristin Bell-starring Veronica Mars, created by Rob Thomas for UPN, and Christopher Lowell’s character on the show, Stosh “Piz” Piznarski, is named for him.
He also helmed the pilots of ABC’s Relativity in 1996; the WB’s Everwood in 2002; Fox’s Still Life in 2003; USA’s In Plain Sight and The CW spinoff 90210 (developed by Thomas) in 2008; and ABC Family’s The Lying Game in 2011.
For the big screen, he called the shots on the romantic drama Here on Earth (2000), starring Chris Klein, Leelee Sobieski and Josh Hartnett, and the coming-of-age tale Looking for Sunday (2006), starring Michael Weston and Katharine Towne (he co-wrote that as well).
Born on July 7, 1954, Piznarski attended Downers Grove South High School in Illinois and the University of Northern Colorado, then spent a couple years at Columbia College in Chicago, which helped him land an assistant-director gig on Edward Zwick’s About Last Night (1986), filmed in the Windy City.
In 1994, he made it to network television by helming four episodes of the only season of ABC’s acclaimed My So-Called Life, executive produced by Zwick for his Bedford Falls Co. Up next, he directed and executive produced on the only season of Relativity, created by Jason Katims.
Piznarski guided six episodes of ABC’s NYPD Blue from 1995-2003 and five installments of NBC’s American Dreams from 2003-05 and worked with Katims again on NBC’s Friday Night Lights in 2006 and CBS’ Pure Genius in 2016.
Piznarski also helmed the 1999 NBC miniseries The 60s; telefilms including 2010’s Sundays at Tiffany’s, starring Alyssa Milano; and episodes of Once and Again, Crisis, Madam Secretary, the Thomas-created iZombie and, for his last credit, Riverdale in 2018.
Survivors include his son, Michael.
