Jon Turteltaub

JON TURTELTAUB

Date of Birth: August 8, 1963

The son of TV producer/writer Saul Turteltaub, Jon Turteltaub was born in New York City and raised in Beverly Hills, where he attended the same high school as Angelina Jolie, Nicolas Cage, David Schwimmer and Breckin Meyer. Turteltaub received his BA from Wesleyan University and a Masters degree at the USC Film School.

He wrote and directed his first two feature length films: Think Big (1990) and Driving Me Crazy (1991). His first movie to enjoy commercial success was the family film 3 Ninjas (1992), about three boys who are highly skilled martial artists. But it was Cool Runnings (1993) that put him on the Hollywood map. About the first Olympic Jamaican bobsled team, the film won several awards and earned respectable returns at the box office.

While You Were Sleeping (1995) made a romantic comedy star out of Sandra Bullock and further solidified Turteltaub's success as a director. It was his biggest achievement yet, receiving several nominations and awards (including a Golden Globe nomination for Bullock) and grossed over $81 million at the domestic box office alone.

Phenomenon (1996), starring John Travolta and Kyra Sedgwick, was an even bigger box office hit, surpassing the coveted $100 million mark in receipts and receiving a slew of awards and nominations.

Turteltaub then directed the seventh episode of the 10-part HBO series From the Earth to the Moon. Entitled That's All There Is, it portrayed the camaraderie of the crew of Apollo 12. Turteltaub was nominated by the Directors Guild Association for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television" for his efforts, while the series received 10 Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Instinct (1999), starring Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding, Jr., was Turteltaub's first film to lose money. However, he bounced back with Disney's The Kid (2000), starring Bruce Willis, then again teamed up with Disney for National Treasure (2004), starring Nicolas Cage. The film took over the top spot at the box office not only for its opening weekend, but stayed No. 1 for a second weekend in a row, taking in more than $87 million in just two weeks.

He directed the sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), followed by The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) starring Nicolas Cage. Most recently, he directed Jason Statham in the action/thriller The Meg (2018).

Filmography:

The Meg (2018)
Last Vegas (2013)
Cool Runnings (2010)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
National Treasure (2004)
The Kid (2000)
Instinct (1999)
Phenomenon (1996)
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Cool Runnings (1993)
3 Ninjas (1992)
Driving Me Crazy (1991)
Think Big (1990)