Jan de Bont facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jan de Bont
De Bont in 1973
Born	(1943-10-22) 22 October 1943 (age 81) Eindhoven, Netherlands
Occupation	Film director producer cinematographer
Years active	1965–2012
Notable work	Speed Twister
Spouse(s)	Monique van de Ven ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1988)​ Trish Reeves
Children	2

Jan de Bont (born 22 October 1943) is a Dutch filmmaker. He used to work as a cinematographer, which means he was in charge of how movies were filmed, including camera work and lighting. He also became a successful film director and producer. He is most famous for directing the action-packed movies Speed (1994) and Twister (1996). As a cinematographer, Jan de Bont worked on many big Hollywood films. These include Die Hard (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), and Basic Instinct (1992).

Early Life and Film Career Beginnings

Jan de Bont was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands. He grew up in a large family with 16 brothers and sisters. He started making films while studying at the Amsterdam Film Academy.

He first became known in the Netherlands for his camera work on the 1971 film Blue Movie. He also worked on the 1973 film Turkish Delight. This movie was directed by Paul Verhoeven and starred Rutger Hauer.

Since the early 1980s, Jan de Bont has worked a lot in Hollywood. He often worked with directors like Paul Verhoeven and John McTiernan. He was the cinematographer for the horror film Cujo (1983). This movie was based on a book by Stephen King. In 1988, he was the director of photography for the popular action film Die Hard. The next year, he filmed Black Rain, directed by Ridley Scott.

Directing Exciting Movies

Jan de Bont started directing movies in 1994 with the action thriller Speed. This movie became a surprise hit. He then directed Twister in 1996, which was even more successful.

In 1997, he directed the sequel Speed 2: Cruise Control. He also directed The Haunting in 1999. His most recent movie as a director was Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life in 2003. This film was based on the popular video game series. It starred Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft.

Movies That Almost Happened

Jan de Bont was going to direct an American Godzilla movie. This was planned for 1996. However, he left the project in 1994 because of budget issues. Another director, Roland Emmerich, took over and made the film.

In 1997, Jan de Bont was first chosen to direct Minority Report. But Steven Spielberg ended up directing that movie instead. He also worked on plans for other films that were never made. These included Pathfinder and The Adaptive Ultimate.

He also considered directing a live-action Mulan movie. This version would have starred Zhang Ziyi. Jan de Bont had a special project called Riders in the Sky. It was about Native American tribes. He said it was a "beautiful story." They even found locations and designed sets, but the movie was never made.

Personal Life

Jan de Bont was married to Dutch actress Monique van de Ven. They were married from 1973 to 1988. Monique van de Ven starred in Turkish Delight. Jan de Bont was the cinematographer for that film. He has two children from his second marriage to Trish Reeves. He loves collecting photographic prints from famous photographers. He has many of them in his home.

Filmography

As a Cinematographer