John Landis
| John Landis | |
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John Landis at The Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary in 2005
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| Born |
John David Landis August 3, 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Residence | Beverly Hills, California |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Actor, director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Known for |
The Blues Brothers Michael Jackson music videos Beverly Hills Cop III National Lampoon's Animal House Coming to America An American Werewolf in London Trading Places |
| Net worth | $70 million |
| Spouse(s) | Deborah Nadoolman (m. 1980) |
| Children | 2; Max and Rachel Landis |
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John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedy films, his horror films, and his music videos with Michael Jackson. He directed National Lampoon's Animal House, An American Werewolf in London, Trading Places, Michael Jackson's music video Thriller, The Blues Brothers, and Beverly Hills Cop III.
Landis was born into a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Shirley Levine (née Magaziner) and Marshall Landis, an interior designer and decorator. Landis and his parents relocated to Los Angeles when he was four months old. Though spending his childhood in California, Landis still refers to Chicago as his hometown, and is a big fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.
When Landis was a young boy, he watched The 7th Voyage of Sinbad which inspired him to become a director:
I had complete suspension of disbelief—really, I was eight years old and it transported me. I was on that beach running from that dragon, fighting that Cyclops. It just really dazzled me, and I bought it completely. And so, I actually sat through it twice and when I got home, I asked my mom, “Who does that? Who makes the movie?”
Landis began his film career working as a mailboy at 20th Century Fox. He worked as a "go-fer" and then as an assistant director during filming MGM's Kelly's Heroes in Yugoslavia in 1969; he replaced the film's original assistant director, who became ill and was sent home. During that time Landis became acquainted with actors Don Rickles and Donald Sutherland, both of whom would later work in his films. Following Kelly's Heroes, Landis worked on several films that were shot in Europe (especially in Italy and England), including Once Upon a Time in the West, El Condor and A Town Called Bastard (a.k.a. A Town Called Hell). Landis also worked as a stunt double.
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