Larkin McPhee is a Peabody and Emmy award-winning director, producer and writer of documentary films.  Her films have covered topics ranging from personal finance with Suze Orman to nuclear power to the illness of depression.  Meticulous research, outstanding characters and powerful story-telling make McPhee's films extraordinarily compelling.  Her skills as a director, writer and documentarian bring beauty and clarity to any topic.  McPhee's documentaries impart a deep knowledge of the subject matter and provide viewers with a blueprint for positive change.

McPhee is perhaps best known for her intimate, sensitive portrayals of people in critically acclaimed films such as Depression: Out of the Shadows, a primetime PBS special on the illness of depression; Dying To Be Thin, a NOVA special on eating disorders; and Children By Design, one hour of an eight-hour PBS Series called Secret of Life, on the marvels and perils of the genetic revolution.

McPhee’s films have received widespread acclaim, including a review by The Wall Street Journal that described “Depression:  Out of the Shadows”, as "A treasure for its information and explanation, this documentary is that rare thing -- powerful television that can do some good in the world."

Over the years, McPhee has worked on the staff at Smithsonian World with host David McCullough, National Geographic EXPLORER, and the PBS flagship science series NOVA, where she has written, produced and directed a variety of films.  As an independent producer, she has produced a four-hour PBS Special called Big Ideas about the high-minded ideas, emanating from the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., as well as an hour-long special about quintuplets for the DISCOVERY Health Channel. 

As part of the PBS Health Campaign, TAKE ONE STEP, McPhee produced a panel discussion on heart disease, hosted by Larry King. Recently, she produced “Troubled Waters:  A Mississippi River Story” about the “unintended consequences” of farming practices on soil loss, water pollution and the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico.  She has received wide recognition for her work, including the prestigious Peabody, Emmy and CINE Golden Eagle Awards.

More recently, she produced, wrote and directed Caring for Mom & Dad, narrated by Meryl Streep, a poignant hour-long, primetime PBS Special that explores the issues facing family caregivers who are out on the front lines, struggling to balance work, families, and caring for their elderly loved ones.

In 2021, McPhee produced “Fighting for Fertility” for the NOVA Science Series on PBS about fertility and assisted reproductive technology and its contribution to the remarkable diversity of the modern family.

She is currently working on a project for the NOVA Science Series about the use of psychedelics in clinical trials to treat a range of mental health conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to addiction to anxiety and depression stemming from the existential threat of cancer.

McPhee is a graduate of Middlebury College and lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.