John McTiernan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John McTiernan
McTiernan in 2014 at the Deauville American Film Festival
Born	John Campbell McTiernan Jr. (1951-01-08) January 8, 1951 (age 74) Albany, New York, U.S.
Education	Juilliard School (BFA) American Film Institute (MFA)
Years active	1986–2003, 2017
Spouse(s)	Carol Land ​ ​ (m. 1974; div. 1984)​ Donna Dubrow ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1997)​ Kate Harrington ​ ​ (m. 2003; div. 2012)​ Gail Sistrunk ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	3

John Campbell McTiernan Jr. (born January 8, 1951) is an American filmmaker. He is well known for directing exciting action films. Some of his most famous movies include Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988), and The Hunt for Red October (1990).

After directing 11 feature films, his last few movies were not as successful. He later faced some personal challenges and took a break from directing feature films. In 2017, he directed a short advertisement for a video game called Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands.

Early life and education

John McTiernan was born in Albany, New York. His father, John Campbell McTiernan Sr., was a lawyer and an actor.

John went to the Juilliard School, which is a famous performing arts school. He then earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the AFI Conservatory in 1975. He also attended SUNY Old Westbury.

Career highlights

Filmmaking in the 1980s

In 1986, McTiernan wrote and directed his first movie, Nomads. It starred Pierce Brosnan in his first main movie role. Critics did not widely praise the film.

However, McTiernan's next film, the sci-fi action movie Predator (1987), was a big hit. It cost about $15 million to make and earned nearly $100 million worldwide. While some early reviews were mixed, many critics later changed their minds. Today, Predator is often seen as a classic action film.

His 1988 film, Die Hard, became one of the greatest action movies ever made. It was very successful, earning over $140 million around the world. The movie's success led to a whole series of Die Hard films, video games, and even a comic book. Critics loved Die Hard, with many calling it an exciting and well-made film. It is even considered by some to be a top Christmas movie.

Filmmaking in the early 1990s

The Hunt for Red October (1990) also received positive reviews. Critics praised it as a thrilling and clever movie.

In 1992, McTiernan directed Medicine Man, starring Sean Connery. This film, about a medical researcher in a rainforest, did not do very well with critics.

His 1993 movie, Last Action Hero, was an action-comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Some found it confusing, while others found parts of it enjoyable.

McTiernan had a big success again in 1995 with Die Hard with a Vengeance. This was the third movie in the Die Hard series. It earned $366 million at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing films that year. Critics had mixed feelings, but many praised the action scenes and the performances of Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Irons.

Later filmmaking career

From 1995 to 1997, John McTiernan also worked as a producer on several smaller film projects.

In 1999, he directed The 13th Warrior, an adventure film starring Antonio Banderas. This movie did not perform well at the box office and received mixed reviews. Later that same year, McTiernan directed The Thomas Crown Affair. This was a remake of an older heist film, starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. It received good reviews and was successful at the box office.

His 2002 film, Rollerball, was a science fiction remake. This movie was not popular with critics and did not earn much money.

As of 2025, his most recent feature film is the 2003 thriller Basic, starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. This film also received mostly negative reviews and was not a box-office success.

After these films, John McTiernan faced some personal challenges and took a break from directing feature films. In 2017, he directed a short film called The Red Dot. This film was released by Ubisoft to advertise the video game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands. It was his first film project in 14 years. In a 2024 interview, he shared that he chose not to direct feature films again. He said he has been focusing his time on helping improve movie scripts behind the scenes.

Filmography

Director

Executive producer

Producer

Awards and nominations

Images for kids

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  McTiernan speaking at a film retrospective of his work in 2025

See also

In Spanish: John McTiernan para niños