Mike White

Mike White (born Michael Christopher White) is an Emmy-winning writer, director, producer and actor known for creating HBO’s The White Lotus. White spent his childhood in Pasadena, California, and attended Wesleyan University before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting.

White began his career in the late 1990s as a writer for TV series such as Dawson’s Creek and Freaks and Geeks. He gained attention for his screenplay Chuck & Buck (2000), which won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award. He went on to write films including The Good Girl (2002), School of Rock (2003) and Nacho Libre (2006). He also cocreated and starred in the HBO series Enlightened from 2011 to 2013.

In 2018, he competed on Survivor: David vs. Goliath, finishing as the runner-up. He later cast former Survivor contestants in cameo roles on The White Lotus.

The director went on to write his Emmy-winning show The White Lotus after being approached by HBO in 2021. Throughout the first three seasons, the show has boasted a star-studded roster, featuring actors such as Jennifer Coolidge, Theo James and Leslie Bibb. The series won White his first career Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series in 2022.

White is openly bisexual and was previously in a long term relationship, but he admitted the relationship ended due to his busy schedule.