Jonathan Liebesman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jonathan Liebesman
Liebesman at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010
Born	(1976-09-15) 15 September 1976 (age 48) Johannesburg, South Africa
Occupation	Film director screenwriter
Years active	2000-present

Jonathan Liebesman (born 15 September 1976) is a talented film director and screenwriter from South Africa. He is well-known for directing exciting movies like Darkness Falls (2003), Battle: Los Angeles (2011), Wrath of the Titans (2012), and the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).

About Jonathan Liebesman

Jonathan Liebesman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He studied how to make movies at the AFDA, which is the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance. He also studied at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in the United States. He is Jewish, and his cousin, Dean Israelite, is also a film director.

While at Tisch, Jonathan helped write and direct a short film called Genesis and Catastrophe. This film was only 8 minutes long and was based on a story by Roald Dahl. It was shown at many film festivals around the world. In 2000, it won an award for 'best short film' at the Austin Film Festival. This award also helped Jonathan win the "Hollywood Young Filmmaker Award" that same year.

His Directing Career

Jonathan Liebesman directed his first big movie, Darkness Falls, in 2002 when he was just 26 years old. Even though some critics didn't love the movie, it was very popular and became the number one film at the US box office when it first came out. It made over $32.5 million in the US and more money worldwide. The movie was even nominated for an award at the Teen Choice Awards.

In 2005, Jonathan co-wrote and directed another short film called Rings. This 17-minute film was a prequel, meaning it showed events that happened before the movie The Ring. Fans of The Ring movies really liked it because it helped connect the stories.

The success of Rings caught the attention of famous director Michael Bay. Michael Bay's company hired Jonathan to direct a prequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. This movie also did well at the box office, making about $50 million around the world.

In 2009, Jonathan directed a political thriller movie called The Killing Room. This film starred actors like Chloë Sevigny and Nick Cannon. It was shown at the Sundance Festival, which is a big event for independent films.

In 2011, Jonathan directed the science fiction film Battle: Los Angeles. This movie was about a marine group fighting against an alien invasion in Los Angeles. It was a big hit, earning over $200 million globally.

Jonathan also directed Wrath of the Titans in 2012, which was a sequel to Clash of the Titans. This movie featured well-known actors like Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson.

One of his most famous movies for kids is the 2014 reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Jonathan directed this film, which was a big success at the box office.

More recently, in 2019, Jonathan helped with reshoots for the movie Dolittle (2020). In 2022, he directed four episodes of the action TV series Halo.

Filmography

Short film

Feature film

Television

Images for kids

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  Jonathan Liebesman at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010

See also

In Spanish: Jonathan Liebesman para niños