Manny Coto

{{short description|American director, producer and writer (1961–2023)}}

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{{Infobox writer

| name = Manny Coto

| image = Manny Coto.jpg

| caption = Coto in 2013

| birth_name = Manuel Hector Coto

| birth_date = {{birth date|1961|6|10}}

| birth_place = Havana, Cuba

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|7|9|1961|6|10}}

| death_place = Pasadena, California, U.S.

| occupation = Director, screenwriter and television producer

| period = 1983–2023

| genre = Drama, adventure, science fiction

| spouse = Robin Trickett

| education = Loyola University New Orleans (BA)
American Film Institute (MFA)

}}

Manuel (Manny) Hector Coto (June 10, 1961 – July 9, 2023) was a Cuban-born American screenwriter, television and film director, and producer on various films and television programs.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080418132635/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/86039/Manny-Coto The New York Times]

Coto was the executive producer and showrunner of Star Trek: Enterprise in its final season, and executive producer of four seasons of 24. He was an executive producer and writer for the fifth season of the Showtime television series Dexter.

Career

Coto graduated from the American Film Institute and has experience in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. In 1990, Brian Helgeland and Coto sold a script, The Ticking Man, for $1 million, but the film was never made.{{Cite news| issn = 0458-3035| last = Welkos| first = Robert W.| title = Megabucks Turn to Megabusts| work = Los Angeles Times| access-date = 2019-03-10| date = 1995-05-28| url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-05-28-ca-7158-story.html}} He wrote and directed an episode of Tales from the Crypt and also wrote an episode for and produced The Outer Limits when it was revived on Showtime in 1995. He was given the chance to create and write a series for Showtime after The Outer Limits was cancelled. The resulting series was Odyssey 5 and starred Peter Weller (Coto would later cast Weller in roles on Enterprise, 24 and Dexter).

Coto joined the writing crew of Enterprise in 2003, when the show was in its third season; his episodes include "Similitude", "Chosen Realm" and "Azati Prime". He became a co-executive producer later that season. In the fourth season, he became executive producer of the show, alongside series creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. According to his bio on StarTrek.com, he was a fan of Star Trek all his life and once wrote a Star Trek comic book.{{cite web|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/creative/bio/6171.html|title=Star Trek Coto, Manny|work=StarTrek.com|access-date=2005-03-11|archive-date=2010-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206170852/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/creative/bio/6171.html|url-status=dead}}

After that he became executive producer on the fifth, sixth, seventh and the eighth and final season of 24.

In 2010, Coto joined the crew of Showtime drama series Dexter as a writer and executive producer for the fifth season. He continued to work as a writer and executive producer for the show's sixth and seventh seasons, airing 2011 and 2012.

Films Coto has directed include Cover Up, Dr. Giggles and Star Kid.

Coto was the creator and executive producer of Next, which premiered on October 6, 2020, on Fox.

Coto was the executive producer of American Horror Story and American Horror Stories, having written numerous episodes of both series. He directed the well-received episode, "Feral", from season one of American Horror Stories, and wrote the season opener, "Dollhouse", for season two.

Personal life and death

Coto was born in Havana on June 10, 1961, fleeing with his mother to Orlando, Florida, United States.[https://deadline.com/2023/07/manny-coto-dead-24-emmy-winner-next-american-horror-story-dexter-1235433560/ Manny Coto Dies: Emmy-Winning ’24’ EP Who Created AI Drama ‘Next’ & Worked On ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’, ‘American Horror Story’ & ‘Dexter’ Was 62]

Coto married Robin Trickett on December 27, 2004, in Venice, Italy.{{cite web|title=Venetian Wedding for Executive Producer Manny Coto|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/9466.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050206175303/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/9466.html|publisher=Star Trek.com|date=February 1, 2005|archive-date=February 6, 2005|access-date=December 27, 2013}}

Coto died of pancreatic cancer on July 9, 2023, at the age of 62.

Filmography (as director)

=Films=

Year	Film	Notes
class="wikitable"
\|1989	Jack in the Box	short
\|1990	Playroom
\|1991	Cover-Up
\|1992	Dr. Giggles
\|1997	Star Kid
\|2000	The Other Me
\|2001	Zenon: The Zequel

=Television=

Year	Series	Episode
class="wikitable"
\|1989	Monsters	"Love Hurts"
\|1991	Tales from the Crypt	"Mournin' Mess"
\|2021	American Horror Stories	"Feral"

Writing credits

class="wikitable"

style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"

! Production

! Notes

! Broadcaster

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

"Twist" (1988)

|NBC

Tales from the Crypt

"Mournin' Mess" (also director, 1991)

|HBO

Dr. Giggles

Feature film (co-written with Graeme Whifler, 1992)

|N/A

Tales from the Cryptkeeper

"While the Cat's Away" (1993)

|ABC

Dead at 21

"Gone Daddy Gone" (1994)
"Use Your Illusion" (1994)
"Cry Baby Cry" (1994)
"Life During Wartime" (1994)

|MTV

The Outer Limits

"If These Walls Could Talk" (co-written with Eric Estrin, 1995)

|Showtime

Hostile Intent

Feature film (1997)

|N/A

Star Kid

Feature film (also director, 1997)

|N/A

Strange World

"Azrael's Breed" (1999)
"Rage" (2000)

|ABC

Odyssey 5

19 episodes (2002–2005)

|Showtime

Star Trek: Enterprise

14 episodes (2003-2005):

"Similitude" (2003)
"Chosen Realm" (2004)
"Harbinger" (2004)
"Azati Prime" (2004)
"The Council" (2004)
"Storm Front" (2004)
"United" (2005)
"The Aenar" (2005)
"Affliction" (2005)
"Bound" (2005)
"In a Mirror, Darkly: Part 2" (2005)
"Demons" (2005)
"Terra Prime" (co-written with André Bormanis, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, 2005)

|UPN

The 1/2 Hour News Hour

17 episodes (2007)

|Fox News Channel

27 episodes (2006–2007, 2009–2010)

|Fox

Dexter

10 episodes (2010-2013):

"Practically Perfect" (2010)
"Take It!" (co-written with Wendy West, 2010)
"The Big One" (co-written with Chip Johannessen, 2010)
"Smokey and the Bandit" (2011)
"Talk to the Hand" (co-written with Tim Schlattmann, 2011)
"Sunshine and Frosty Swirl" (2012)
"Chemistry" (co-written with Karen Campbell, 2012)
"Do You See What I See?" (co-written with Wendy West, 2012)
"Every Silver Lining..." (2013)
"Remember the Monsters?" (co-written with Scott Buck, 2013)

|Showtime

24: Live Another Day

Television miniseries (2014)

|Fox

24: Legacy

4 episodes (2017)

|Fox

Hellfire

Television film (co-written with Evan Katz, TBA)

neXt

"Pilot" (2020)

|Fox

American Horror Stories

"Drive In" (2021)
"The Naughty List" (2021)
"BA'AL" (co-written with Ali Adler, 2021)
"Feral" (2021)
"Dollhouse" (2022)
"Aura" (2022)
"Drive" (2022)
"Facelift" (2022)
"Lake" (2022)
"Daphne" (2023) (posthumous release)
"Organ" (2023) (posthumous release)
"X" (co-written with Brad Falchuk and Austin Elliott, 2024) (posthumous release)
"The Thing Under the Bed" (2024) (posthumous release)