Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon (pronounced /'hwiːdən/; born June 23, 1964) is an American director, executive producer, occasional actor, and creator and head writer of the television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse. He has also written several film scripts and comic book series.

Whedon was born in New York City and graduated from Wesleyan University in 1987. Before going to Wesleyan he spent two years at Winchester College in England. He has been described as the world's first third-generation TV writer, as he is the son of Tom Whedon, a successful screenwriter for The Electric Company in the 1970s and The Golden Girls in the 1980s, and the grandson of John Whedon, a writer for The Donna Reed Show in the 1950s. His mother, Lee Stearns, was a high school teacher and novelist. He is the older brother of writers Jed Whedon and Zack Whedon.

Following a move to Los Angeles, Whedon secured his first writing job on the television series Roseanne. After several years as a script doctor for films, he returned to television, where he created four TV shows.