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 famous for directing exciting action films. Some of his best-known movies include Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988), and The Hunt for Red October (1990).

Later in his career, some of his films did not do as well. He also faced some legal challenges. These issues led to him spending time in prison from April 2013 to February 2014. After these events, he did not direct many more feature films. In 2017, he directed a short advertisement for a video game.

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 McTiernan went to the Juilliard School, which is a famous performing arts school. He later earned a special degree in filmmaking from the AFI Conservatory in 1975.

Filmmaking Career

Starting Out in the 1980s

In 1986, John McTiernan wrote and directed his first movie, Nomads. This film starred Pierce Brosnan in his first main role. Critics did not like Nomads very much. For example, Roger Ebert said it was confusing.

However, the famous actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was impressed by Nomads. He liked how McTiernan created a tense mood with a small budget. Because of this, Schwarzenegger chose McTiernan to direct his next movie, Predator.

The Success of Predator

Predator was a science fiction action movie made with a budget of about $15 million. It was a huge hit at the box office. On its first weekend, it made $12 million and went on to earn nearly $100 million in total.

At first, some critics did not like Predator. They thought the story was too simple. But over time, many critics changed their minds. Now, Predator is often seen as a classic action film.

Making Die Hard

In 1988, McTiernan directed Die Hard. This movie cost $28 million to make and earned over $140 million worldwide. Many people consider Die Hard to be one of the greatest action films ever made.

The movie was so popular that it started a whole series of Die Hard films. It also led to video games and comic books. Critics loved Die Hard. Film critic Mark Kermode called it an exciting story. It is even on many lists of the best Christmas movies.

Films from 1990 to 1995

The Hunt for Red October

In 1990, McTiernan directed The Hunt for Red October. This movie also received good reviews from critics. They praised it as a thrilling and clever film.

Medicine Man and Last Action Hero

McTiernan directed Medicine Man in 1992. This movie was about a medical researcher in a rainforest and starred Sean Connery. However, Medicine Man was not well-received by critics.

In 1993, he directed Last Action Hero. This was an action-comedy movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger again. The film got mixed to negative reviews. Some critics called it confusing and not very good.

Die Hard with a Vengeance

In 1995, McTiernan directed Die Hard with a Vengeance. This was the third movie in the Die Hard series. It was very successful at the box office, earning $366 million. This made it the highest-grossing film of that year.

Critics had mixed feelings about this film. Some praised the action scenes and the actors' performances. Others felt it was not as good as the first Die Hard movie.

Later Career Films

After 1995, McTiernan worked as a producer on some smaller projects.

The 13th Warrior and The Thomas Crown Affair

In 1999, he directed The 13th Warrior. This movie was based on a story about Beowulf and starred Antonio Banderas. The film did not do well at the box office and lost a lot of money. Critics gave it mixed or poor reviews.

Later that same year, McTiernan directed The Thomas Crown Affair. This was a remake of an older heist film. It starred Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. This movie received good reviews and was successful at the box office.

Rollerball and Basic

In 2002, McTiernan directed Rollerball. This was another remake of an older science fiction film. Critics strongly disliked Rollerball, calling it confusing and messy. It also failed badly at the box office.

His most recent feature film was the thriller Basic in 2003. This movie starred John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. Like Rollerball, Basic was not successful and received mostly negative reviews.

After these films, and facing legal issues, John McTiernan did not direct feature films for many years. In 2017, he directed a short film called The Red Dot to advertise a video game. This was his first film project in 14 years.

Filmography

Director

Executive producer

Producer

Awards and Nominations

John McTiernan has received several awards and nominations for his work:

Images for kids

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  McTiernan in 2014 at the Deauville American Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: John McTiernan para niños