Born and raised in
Los Angeles, Roth began his tertiary education at the
University of California, Berkeley studying philosophy and creative writing before earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema at the
University of Southern California in 1972. He continued his education at the
University of California, Los Angeles enrolling in the Master of Fine Arts program and received his graduate degree in motion picture production in 1975.
[1] The following year, he wrote, produced and directed his first film,
Independence Day. His 1984 film
Heartbreakers was entered into the
35th Berlin International Film Festival.
[2] In 1988, Roth wrote and directed the television film
Dead Solid Perfect. Over the course of his career, Roth has written, produced, and directed several television and feature films and episodes. Television series he has worked on include: Miami Vice, Beverly Hills, 90210,
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,
Numb3rs,
Commander in Chief,
Without a Trace,
New Amsterdam,
Raising the Bar,
Criminal Minds,
Prison Break,
Lost,
FlashForward,
Fringe,
Life Unexpected,
V,
The Mentalist,
Revenge,
Breakout Kings,
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,
Grey's Anatomy,
Scorpion,
Hawaii 5-0, Player and the 2017 reboot of
MacGyver among many more. He was a founding member of the Independent Feature Project and the first co-chairman of the DGA's Independent Feature Committee. His films have won many awards and have been exhibited in over 100 international film festivals. He also teaches film seminars throughout the world and is the recipient of the 2017 Miami Web Fest Lifetime Achievement Award. ==Television==