Noah Hawley

Noah Hawley (born 1967) is an American filmmaker, author, and singer. He is best known for creating, chiefly writing and often directing the FX series Fargo (2014–2024), Legion (2017–2019) and Alien: Earth (2025). He also worked on the series Bones (2005–2008), The Unusuals (2009), and My Generation (2010).

Hawley wrote the film The Alibi (2006) and wrote and directed the film Lucy in the Sky (2019). He has also written six novels and is a singer, having contributed to the soundtracks of Fargo, Legion and Alien: Earth by singing covers of popular music produced by composer Jeff Russo, a frequent collaborator on Hawley's projects. He is the writer and director of the FX series Alien: Earth, which is based on the film franchise and premiered on August 12, 2025.

Hawley was born in New York City in 1967, the son of non-fiction writer and feminist activist Louise Armstrong (1937–2008) and businessman Tom Hawley. His maternal grandmother was a playwright. He has a twin brother, Alexi, who is also a television writer whose most prominent works include the series State of Affairs, The Rookie, and The Recruit.

In 1989, Hawley graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in political science.

Hawley worked as a paralegal and in computer programming at law firms. He worked for The Legal Aid Society in New York City, dealing with cases involving child abuse and neglect, a topic on which his mother had written ground-breaking books. He later moved to San Francisco, California.

Hawley has published six novels: A Conspiracy of Tall Men (1998), Other People's Weddings (2004), The Punch (2008), The Good Father (2012), Before the Fall (2016), and Anthem (2022). He also published the non-fiction work Fargo: This Is a True Story (2019).

Hawley was a writer and producer on the first three seasons of Bones (2005–2008). He was also the creator and an executive producer of The Unusuals (2009) and My Generation (2010).

Hawley is the creator, primary writer, and executive producer of the FX anthology series Fargo (2014–present), based on the Coen brothers' 1996 film of the same name. In 2014, Fargo won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries, along with 17 additional nominations at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards. In total, the series has been nominated for 113 awards since its premiere, winning 32.