Joe Johnston

Joe Johnston
Johnston at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International.
Born	Joseph Eggleston Johnston II (1950-05-13) May 13, 1950 (age 66) Austin, Texas, United States
Nationality	American
Education	Art Center College of Design
Alma mater	California State University
Occupation	Film director, film producer, effects artist, art director
Years active	1977–present
Notable work	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Rocketeer, Jumanji, October Sky, Jurassic Park III, Hidalgo, The Wolfman, Captain America: The First Avenger

Joseph Eggleston "Joe" Johnston II (born May 13, 1950) is an American film director and former effects artist best known for such effects-driven movies as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Jumanji (1995) and Jurassic Park III (2001). These movies include a number of period films such as The Rocketeer (1991), The Wolfman (2010), and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). In 1999 Johnston won acclaim for the biographical drama October Sky.

Johnston was born in Austin, Texas, and attended California State University, Long Beach, and Pasadena's Art Center College of Design.

Much of the work at the beginning of Johnston's screen career combined design and special effects. He began his career as a concept artist and effects technician on the first Star Wars film, directed by George Lucas, and was art director on one of the effects teams for the sequel. His association with Lucas would later prove fruitful, when he became one of four to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Lucas and Steven Spielberg's film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Johnston continued to work on many films as an effects expert.

He was also associate producer on fantasy Willow, and production designer on two mid-80s TV movies which featured the Ewoks seen in Return of the Jedi.

Johnston is also author of Star Wars novel The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense, which ties into Return of the Jedi (New York: Random House, 1984; , ).