Chris Columbus
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
One of the more successful filmmakers to come from the Spielberg school of genre moviemaking, writer-director Chris Columbus emerged as a specialist in combining a sensitivity for young people's feelings with a rousing adventure yarn. Columbus entered Hollywood by way of screenwriting with his script for "Gremlins" (1984) being shepherded by Spielberg, who soon became a mentor to the young scribe. After writing the scripts for "The Goonies" (1985) and "Young Sherlock Holmes" (1985), he made his directing debut with the mild family comedy "Adventures in Babysitting" (1987). Columbus entered the realm of blockbuster filmmaker with "Home Alone" (1990), arguably one of the most successful film comedies of all time. Following the sequel "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992), he had another hit with the Robin Williams vehicle "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993), which placed Columbus at the top of Hollywood's list of commercial hitmakers. Despite his overwhelming commercial success, Columbus struggled to earn the respect of critics, many of whom complained that he tended to overly sentimentalize his work by finding simple happy solutions to complicated problems. He typified such criticisms with "Bicentennial Man" (1999), which descended into cheap sentiment after a promising start. Columbus next tackled the incredibly difficult task of bring "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001) to life on the big screen. Faithfully adapting that novel and the sequel "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002), Columbus helped launch what became one of the most commercially successful franchises in cinema history. Though he faded to the background with "Rent" (2005) and "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" (2010), Columbus remained one of Hollywood's most bankable commercial directors.
Born on Sept. 10, 1958 in Spangler, PA, Columbus was raised in Warren, OH, by his factory worker parents. Having been inspired to become a filmmaker after watching "The Godfather" (1972), Columbus began making Super-8 films while attending John F. Kennedy High School. After graduation, he studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he wrote a screenplay called "Jocks" that sold for a cool $5,000, though it remained unproduced. But it was his script for "Gremlins" (1984) that launched his career after grabbing the Steven Spielberg's attention after scores of other directors and producers had passed on the project. A horror comedy with Spielberg producing and Joe Dante directing, "Gremlins" told the fantastical tale of a young man (Zach Galligan) who receives a small furry creature called a Mogwai as a gift, only to accidentally turn it into a menacing gremlin that continually multiplies and wrecks havoc on a small unsuspecting town. Made for a scant $11 million, "Gremlins" became a huge financial success while spawning a sequel as well as numerous knock-offs. Meanwhile, his script for the teen romantic drama, "Reckless" (1984), was turned into an intriguing melodramatic movie starring Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah.
With his first major hit under his belt and a working partnership with Steven Spielberg, Columbus went on to write child adventure classic "The Goonies" (1985) and "Young Sherlock Holmes" (1985). Though he was given the opportunity to write the first draft of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), Columbus was ultimately fired from the job by Spielberg and producer George Lucas. He did, however, remain close friends with his mentor. Meanwhile, Columbus made his first foray into directing with the engaging teen comedy "Adventures in Babysitting" (1987), which starred Elizabeth Shue as a teenager who takes a presumably dull babysitting job, only to receive a call for help from her frantic best friend (Penelope Ann Miller) that leads to a hair-raising adventure through the heart of Chicago. Columbus next directed his own screenplay for "Heartbreak Hotel" (1988), a whimsical romp set in 1972 about an Ohio teen (Charlie Schlatter) who kidnaps Elvis Presley (David Keith) in an effort to cheer up his divorced Mom (Tuesday Weld). Despite its small budget, the film proved to be a bust at the box office and was left virtually forgotten.
Columbus rebounded from "Heartbreak Hotel" with one of his biggest smash successes, "Home Alone" (1990), arguably one of the most popular comedies in cinema history. Produced and scripted by John Hughes, the sentimental, but side-splittingly hilarious Christmas adventure turned blond tyke Macaulay Culkin into a huge international star. Mistakenly left home by his parents who fly the rest of the family to Paris for the holiday, troublemaker Kevin McCallister (Culkin) uses his wits to fend off two would-be robbers (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) trying to break into his home. Despite some mixed critical reviews, "Home Alone" spent 12 straight weeks as the No. 1 movie, earning around $285 million in domestic box office, making it the highest-grossing live-action comedy ever. With such immense success naturally came the sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992), a rather implausible comedy that managed to reunite the three main characters to resume their bumbling in New York City. This time, the movie was completely savaged by critics, though again their opinion meant nothing to audiences who came out in droves. In between blockbusters, Columbus discovered a flair for gentle romantic comedy, scripting and directing "Only the Lonely" (1991), an uncharacteristic film for grown-ups from producer John Hughes. John Candy and Ally Sheedy were the romantic leads and the lovely 1940s film siren Maureen O'Hara returned to the screen after an 18-year absence to play Candy's emotionally dependent mother.
Turning his focus on animation, Columbus contributed to the script of the Japanese feature "Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland" (1992), inspired by Windsor McCay's celebrated comic strip from the early 1900s. Meanwhile, Columbus again struck box office gold when he directed "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993), a heart-felt and amusing family comedy starring Robin Williams as an out-of-work actor and divorced dad who dons drag to become a 60-year-old British nanny so that he can regularly see his kids and circumvent his suspicious ex-wife (Sally Field). Williams was in top form underneath Oscar-winning makeup, while helping Columbus notch another major comedy hit onto his belt. He next directed "Nine Months" (1995), the story of a five-year marriage blindsided by an unexpected pregnancy that proved to be a bit too pat; Hugh Grant's roughish charm and Julianne Moore's radiant beauty were not enough to raise the movie above mediocrity; it was also negatively impacted by the notoriety of Grant being busted for soliciting a prostitute only weeks before he was to promote the film internationally. Having produced the Brian Levant-directed Christmas comedy "Jingle All the Way" (1996) while trying his hand at television with the failed pilot, "For the People" (ABC, 1996), Columbus returned to the director's chair, putting Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts and Ed Harris through their paces in the maudlin "Stepmom" (1998). Despite tear-jerking sentimentality, the film went on to become another box office hit for the director - due mainly to Roberts' box office allure.
Columbus followed with "Bicentennial Man" (1999), which reunited him with Robin Williams for this adaptation of the Isaac Asimov novella of the same name. Williams played a household android in the 21st century who has trouble functioning when he starts to feel human emotion. Though it had an intriguing concept, solid source material and a major star in the lead, "Bicentennial Man" became increasingly marred by sentimentality after a promising start, leading to a rash of negative reviews and mediocre box office performance. But none of that mattered when Columbus was brought on to helm the much anticipated "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001), based on author J.K. Rowling's hugely successful novel series. While many wanted the directing chores, including his mentor Steven Spielberg, Columbus emerged as something of a surprise victor. It was his dedication and passion for the material that won over Rowling and producer David Heyman. With much riding on the success of the first film, Columbus managed to succeed in the seemingly impossible task of crafting a film that honored its source material in telling the tale of a put-upon British boy (Daniel Radcliffe) who escapes his dreary home life after discovering he comes from a long line of wizards. Despite some critics complaining that Columbus was perhaps too loyal to the original book, "Harry Potter" was a huge critical and box office success that set in motion one of the most financially lucrative film franchises in history.
Within days of the first film's opening, Columbus was back on set shooting the second in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002). The sequel was largely received as an improvement on the first installment, brisker and bolder while still exceedingly faithful to the source material. Columbus bowed out of directing the third installment, which led to Alfonso Cuarón taking the reins for the trickier and darker "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004) - a tone for which Columbus was undeniably ill-suited given his past excursions into maudlin sentimentality. He did, however, remain as one of the producers. While writing and producing "Christmas with the Kranks" (2004) and serving as executive producer on "Fantastic Four" (2005), Columbus returned to surprisingly direct the beloved smash Broadway hit "Rent" (2005), which resulted in a visually uninspired film that lack the pathos and electrifying moments that defined the live version. His failure to translate "Rent" to the big screen was surprising, due to Columbus using performers from the landmark show's original cast.
After "Rent," Columbus retreated from directing for a few years to concentrate on producing "Night at the Museum" (2006), "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (2007) and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (2009). He returned to the director's chair for "I Love You, Beth Cooper" (2009), a teen romantic comedy about a high school dweeb (Paul Rust) who finally gets his chance with the pretty girl (Hayden Panettiere), only to discover her meathead boyfriend (Shawn Roberts) is standing in the way. The movie was essentially trashed by critics for its lifeless comedy, wooden performances and unnecessary sight gags, like a character shoving two tampons up his nose to stop it from bleeding. Columbus rebounded well enough with "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" (2010), an adaptation of Rick Riordan's popular book series about an accident-prone teen (Logan Lerman) who learns he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon and is granted supernatural powers he must use to save the world. Though not a big commercial success, "The Lightning Thief" managed to make a respectable run worldwide. The next year, Columbus had a producer credit on the critical and commercial success "The Help" (2011). As a director, Columbus returned to television with "Applebaum" (2012), a pilot for a series based on Ayelet Waldman's comic mystery novels about a stay at home mother turned private detective; it aired as a TV movie when the series was not picked up. After producing the sequels "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" (2013) and "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" (2014), Columbus returned to the director's chair for "Pixels" (2015), a comedy adventure about an alien attack by 1980s video game characters starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1984
Wrote teen drama "Reckless," starring Matthew Modine.
1985
Last collaboration with producer Spielberg, the screenplay for "Young Sherlock Holmes"; directed by Barry Levinson
1986
Created and wrote the first episodes of the animated series "Galaxy High School" (CBS)
1987
Formed production company, 1492 Productions
1988
Wrote and directed "Heartbreak Hotel," a fantasy about Elvis Presley starring Tuesday Weld.
1991
Wrote and directed "Only the Lonely"; also produced by Hughes
1992
Helmed sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"; scripted and produced by Hughes
1995
Re-teamed with Robin Williams for the comedy film "Nine Months"
1996
Produced "Jingle All the Way," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
1998
Directed the drama "Stepmom," starring Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon and Ed Harris
1999
Re-teamed with Robin Williams as producer and director of "Bicentennial Man"
2002
Helmed the second installment in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
2004
Wrote and produced "Christmas with the Kranks," starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis
2005
Directed the film version of the Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical, "Rent"
2009
Produced the sequel, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian"
2009
Directed and produced the comedy film "I Love You, Beth Cooper"
2010
Directed the film adaptation of "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," the first novel in the series by Rick Riordan
2011
Produced critical and commercial success "The Help."
2014
Produced "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters."
2014
Produced "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb."
2015
Produced and directed "Pixels," a comedy adventure starring Adam Sandler.
Family
Companions
