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John McTiernan

John McTiernan has directed some of the biggest and most exciting box office hits in film history including Die Hard, a phenomenon that spawned enough imitators to create an entire sub-genre of pulse-pounding action-adventure films. He followed Die Hard with The Hunt for Red October, the blockbuster-adaptation of Tom Clancy's best-selling novel.

McTiernan most recently directed Rollerball and The Thomas Crown Affair starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo, and is in preparation to direct Die Hard 4.

McTiernan, who grew up in a small farm town in upstate New York, developed his interest in drama at an early age. After graduating from Exeter, he enrolled at Juilliard to study theater directing, but quickly realized his real interest was in film. He earned a fellowship from the American Film Institute, where he began his formal education in movie directing and, in 1997, received AFI's Franklin J. Schaffner Award for Achievement in Directing.

In 1986, McTiernan wrote and directed his first feature film, the science fiction-fantasy Nomads starring a young actor named Pierce Brosnan. His first major studio film was Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. He then turned to a movie that expressed his deeply held environmental concerns, Medicine Man starring Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. McTiernan reteamed with Schwarzenegger, acting as producer and director on The Last Action Hero. McTiernan also produced and directed the international hit Die Hard: With a Vengeance. He was executive producer on Flight of the Intruder.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

John McTiernan Facts

Birth NameJohn McTiernan Jr
OccupationDirector
BirthdayJanuary 8, 1951 (73)
SignCapricorn
BirthplaceAlbany, New York, USA

Selected Filmography

Predator
The Hunt for Red October
The 13th Warrior
Die Hard
The Thomas Crown Affair
Last Action Hero
Medicine Man
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