Alfred Gough

Biography:

Alfred Gough, born August 22, 1967, in Leonardtown, Maryland, is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and showrunner, best known as the co-creator of several popular television and film projects. He is particularly recognized for developing Smallville, the long-running Superman prequel series that aired on The WB and later The CW. A graduate of St. Mary’s Ryken High School and The Catholic University of America, Gough later attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California, where he met his longtime writing and producing partner, Miles Millar.

Together, Gough and Millar launched their careers after selling their first script, Mango, while still at USC. Although the film was never produced, it opened the door to a prolific partnership that would span decades. Their feature film work includes credits on Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, Spider-Man 2, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Hannah Montana: The Movie, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

On television, the duo’s credits include the fantasy series The Shannara Chronicles, adapted from Terry Brooks’ novels, and AMC’s Into the Badlands, a post-apocalyptic martial arts drama. Both shows showcased their talent for world-building and genre storytelling, with Into the Badlands standing out for its unique setting and action choreography, as well as its casting of an Asian American lead, Daniel Wu.

In 2020, Gough and Millar created Wednesday for Netflix, a series centered around Wednesday Addams and directed in part by Tim Burton. The show starred Jenna Ortega in the title role, with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, and Gwendoline Christie in supporting roles. Wednesday became the most viewed English-language series on Netflix and was a critical and commercial success, earning the creators nominations for Emmy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards.

Following the success of Wednesday, Gough and Millar re-teamed with Tim Burton and Jenna Ortega for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, released in September 2024. That same year, they signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures under their production banner, Millar/Gough Ink.

Earlier in their careers, they produced ABC’s Charlie’s Angels reboot in 2011 and the unaired 2006 Aquaman pilot. Gough has been married to attorney Beth Corets since 1996, and the couple has three children.