Gregg Champion


Director

About

Also Known As
Alan Smithee, Gregg E Champion
Birth Place
Los Angeles, California, USA
Born
November 20, 1956

Biography

Former 2nd unit director for the John Badham features "Short Circuit" (1986) and "Stakeout" (1987), made his first directorial effort with "Short Time" (1990), an action comedy starring Dabney Coleman. Champion began his affiliation with Badham in 1980 as an associate producer. "Short Time," an uneven mix of action, comedy and deathbed melodrama, cast Coleman as a terminally ill cop who ...

Biography

Former 2nd unit director for the John Badham features "Short Circuit" (1986) and "Stakeout" (1987), made his first directorial effort with "Short Time" (1990), an action comedy starring Dabney Coleman. Champion began his affiliation with Badham in 1980 as an associate producer. "Short Time," an uneven mix of action, comedy and deathbed melodrama, cast Coleman as a terminally ill cop who wishes to be killed while on duty so his wife and son can collect insurance. The mixture of stunts and the bizarrely amusing gambit of a man who wants to get caught in the line of fire managed to entertain before devolving into a tearjerker at its close.

Champion's second film displayed a similar penchant for multiple, and sometimes uneasily juxtaposed, film genres. The reasonably successful fish-out-of-water film, "The Cowboy Way" (1994), featured Woody Harrelson and Kiefer Sutherland as two hayseeds who arrive in New York City and have an action-packed time trying to right some wrongdoings.

Life Events

1981

First feature credit, as production associate of "Whose Life is It Anyway?"

1986

Debut as 2nd unit director, "Short Circuit"

1990

Feature directorial debut, "Short Time"

Family

Gower Champion
Father
Dancer, choreographer, theater director. Danced in team 'Gower and Bell' with wife Marge; the duo later enjoyed some success in 1950s musicals as 'Marge and Gower Champion'; divorced from Marge Champion; later directed such Broadway successes as "Hello, Dolly!"; died in 1980.
Marge Champion
Mother
Dancer, actor, choreographer. Born in 1919; divorced from Gower Champion; married director Boris Sagal in 1977.
Blake Champion
Brother
Born on February 14, 1962; died in May 1987 at age 25 in an autombile accident.
Boris Sagal
Step-Father
Director. Died in 1981.
Katey Sagal
Step-Sister
Actor.
Liz Sagal
Step-Sister
Former actor. Twin of Jean.
Jean Sagal
Step-Sister
Former actor. Twin of Liz.

Bibliography