Director of Die Hard

Background:

“You take it one step at a time and the basic rule is to work on movies you would like to go see because it takes too long and it's too hard to work on a project for somebody else just because it's a job. When it's four in the morning and you've been working 18 hours a day for 10 months straight you had better care about the film, otherwise you couldn't put out the way you have to. To do it well you don't have any other life, so it better be something you enjoy.” John McTiernan

New York-born director known to many for his action films John McTiernan was shot to prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s with a string of blockbuster hit movies, namely “Predator” (1987), “Die Hard” (1989) and “The Hunt for Red October” (1990). For his work in the massively successful instant classic “Die Hard,” he took home a Hochi Film Award, a Kinema Junpo Award and a Blue Ribbon Award. After this, however, McTiernan, whose trade mark often displays characters speaking in a foreign, unsubtitled language, had to deal with such bombs as “Medicine Man” (1992), “The Last Action Hero” (1993, nabbed two Razzie nominations), “The 13th Warrior” (1999) and “Rollerball” (2002). He also directed “Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995), the third sequel to the 1989 “Die Hard,” the moderately successful “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1999), the John Travolta/Samuel L. Jackson vehicle “Basic” (2003), as well as wrote and helmed “Nomads” (1986), his feature debut. His forthcoming projects include “Run” (2008), “High Stakes” (2008) and Deadly Exchange” (2009).

On April 17, 2006, McTiernan was found guilty after making false statements to an FBI agent about Anthony Pellicano, the fame private eye he admitted hiring to investigation a business associate. As a result of this, he faced up five years in federal prison and would be sentenced on July 31, 2006.Under federal sentencing guidelines, he more possible will gain six months or less, plus three years probation as well as pay $250,000 fine.

McTiernan and current wife Kate Harrington have two children. He once also married Carol Land (from1974-?) and Donna Dubrow (from 1988 to 1997).

Precocious Boy

Childhood and Family:

John Campbell McTiernan Jr. was born on January 8, 1951, in Albany, New York, to John McTiernan Sr., an opera singer who later had bit parts in several of his son's movies, and Myra McTiernan. An early interest in theater led the intelligent and creative John to attend the Julliard School in New York and the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, where he began his film studies.

On October 12, 1974, John married first wife Carol Land, who was assistant director for 1986's “Balboa,” starring Tony Curtis, but they later divorced. He then married producer Donna Dubrow in 1988, but the marriage also ended in separation in 1997. John married present wife Kate Harrington on July 19, 2003. He has a daughter, Truman Elizabeth McTiernan (born on June 3, 2000), and a stepson, Ethan Dubrow (born in 1966).

The Hunt for Red October

Career:

Son of an opera singer, John McTiernan made his theatrical debut at the age of 7 by playing bit parts in his father's shows. After high school, he immersed himself in summer stock, where he directed, acted and designed until started his film studies. After stints as designer and technical director at the Manhattan School of Music, he continued to work in television commercials, during which time he made over 200 spots. He segued to feature film in 1986 with “Nomads,” a supernatural thriller probably known mostly for the presence of a pre-James Bond Pierce Brosnan. In addition to directing, McTiernan also took the writing duty for the film. Still in 1986, he also made his feature acting debut as Colonel Williams in “Death of a Soldier,” an Aussie WWII film.

Although his first film was not a commercial or critical success, “Nomads” did establish McTiernan a director of respectable talent and Hollywood took attention. A year later, he was recruited to helm his first major Hollywood picture, “Predator” (1987). Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the action/sci-fi movie enjoyed massive success at the box office and strong reviewers with critics. With the success, McTiernan verified his certification as an action director. The followed-up, “Die Hard” (1988), garnered the director with even more attention, as the action movie went on to become one of the finest pop films of the 1980s. A surprise hit at the box office, critical success, and instant classic, “Die Hard” cemented the director's status in the genre and launched the career of TV star Bruce Willis into the feature big leagues. For his bright work, McTiernan picked up a Hochi Film, a Kinema Junpo and a Blue Ribbon, for Best Foreign Language Film. From then, he decided to continue making fast-paced, suspenseful features.

McTiernan scored another huge box office triumph in 1990 with a very well-liked adaptation of Tom Clancy's best selling Cold War book, “The Hunt for Red October,” which starred Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. He reunited with Connery two years later for “Medicine Man” (1992), a disappointing adventure/romance set in the Brazilian rain forest. In between, McTiernan for the first time was credited as producer for the Fox TV film “Robin Hood” (1991). He returned to the director's chair in 1993 to helm “The Last Action Hero,” which he also produced and reunited him with “Predator” star Schwarzenegger. The film, unfortunately, was considered as an even bigger flop and earned McTiernan Razzie nominations for Worst Director and Worst Picture (shared with Stephen J. Roth).

“I think the action genre is particularly ripe for this kind of movie. Some people think they can make action movies by formula and have repeated the same thing time and time again. As a result they have made the genre a fat target for a story like ours. Audiences have caught on to the formula, so to make things interesting again we're having some fun with that. We use the audience's knowledge of the genre as the basis for our jokes.” John McTiernan (in the press notes for “The Last Action Hero”)

1995 saw McTiernan revisit the “Die Hard” franchises when he directed and produced the third installment “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” again starring Willis. The high-profile assignment subsequently brought the director back into the spotlight, but it marked his last biggest hit before departing the filmmaking for the next several years. He made his return in late 1990s by directing two movies, “The 13th Warrior,” a historical thriller adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel, “Eaters of the Dead,” that eared mixed reviews from audiences and critics, and the remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair,” a moderate hit which cast Brosnan and Rene Russo respectively as a millionaire art thief and an insurance investigator on his trail.

After another hiatus, McTiernan resurfaced in 2002 to produce and helm the remake of “Rollerball,” a box office disaster starring Chris Klein, Jean Reno and LL Cool J, and went on to direct John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in the thriller “Basic,” the following year. He was returned to limelight in 2006 due to his criminal act against an FBI agent.

McTiernan is set to direct four upcoming projects. He first will team with writer Jonah Loop for the action/crime “Run” (2008), and then direct “High Stakes” (2008), a thriller about two friends who get in over their heads on a gaming trip to Las Vegas and become the subjects of a deadly high-stakes bet. He also set to work in the drama/war “The Camel Wars” (2008) and the actioner “Deadly Exchange” (2009).

Awards:

• American Film Institute: Franklin J. Schaffner, 1997

• Blue Ribbon: Best Foreign Language Film, “Die Hard,” 1990

• Kinema Junpo: Best Foreign Language Film, “Die Hard,” 1990

• Hochi Film: Best Foreign Language Film, “ Die Hard, “ 1989