Vince Gilligan is an American writer, director, and producer best known as the creator, head writer and executive producer of the critically acclaimed television series Breaking Bad, praised by critics as being among the greatest television dramas of all time. Gilligan has two upcoming television series in the works: Battle Creek, a police drama, and Better Call Saul, a spin-off of Breaking Bad.

Gilligan created the Breaking Bad series with the premise that the hero would become the villain. "Television is historically good at keeping its characters in a self-imposed stasis so that shows can go on for years or even decades," he said. "When I realized this, the logical next step was to think, how can I do a show in which the fundamental drive is toward change?"

Gilligan has received numerous awards for writing, directing and producing the series, including four successive awards from The Writers Guild of America, two Primetime Emmys for producing the show, and a Directors Guild of America Award for directing the Breaking Bad finale, "Felina." In 2009, Stephen King hailed Breaking Bad as "the best of the 21st century."

A Virginia native, Gilligan was recognized for his talents and creativity at an early age. He received the Virginia Governor's Screenwriting Award in 1989 for his screenplay Home Fries, which was later turned into a film starring Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson.

After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film production from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Gilligan went on to become a writer and executive producer for the Fox television drama The X-Files., where he shared Golden Globe Awards in 1995, 1997, and 1998 for Best Dramatic Series. His other credits include the Fox Television series The Lone Gunmen, which he co-created, and the features Hancock, starring Will Smith and Charlize Theron, and Wilder Napalm, starring Debra Winger and Dennis Quaid.

Gilligan lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Holly.