Ron Underwood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ron Underwood
Underwood in 2006
Born	Ronald Brian Underwood (1953-11-06) November 6, 1953 (age 71) Glendale, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Film and television director
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Sandy Underwood
Children	Larissa, Lana, Lauren

Ron Underwood (born November 6, 1953) is an American director. He is famous for directing movies and TV shows. Some of his well-known films include Tremors (1990), City Slickers (1991), and Mighty Joe Young (1998).

Ron Underwood's Early Life and Education

Ron Underwood was born on November 6, 1953, in Glendale, California. When he was in school, he lived in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He was there as an exchange student.

After high school, he first studied to become a doctor. But he soon changed his mind. He decided he wanted to make movies instead. He then went to the USC School of Cinema. While studying, he made a film about hang gliding. This short film was called "Hang Gliding: The New Freedom."

Ron Underwood's Film Career

Starting Out in Film and TV

After finishing his studies, Ron Underwood started directing educational films. He made over 100 short films. One of these was based on a story by Kurt Vonnegut. He also worked as a production assistant on the movie Futureworld (1976). Later, he was a location manager for Capricorn One (1978).

Underwood also worked as an assistant director on a horror film called Tourist Trap. For several years, he kept directing educational films. He also made TV shows for children. In 1986, he directed The Mouse and the Motorcycle. This film won a special award called a Peabody Award. Two years later, he directed the sequel, Runaway Ralph. For this, he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.

Big Movies and Success

After his success in children's TV, Ron Underwood started directing feature films. His first big movie was Tremors in 1990. It starred Kevin Bacon and Reba McEntire. Critics liked the film, and it became a cult classic.

In 1991, Underwood directed City Slickers. This movie was a big hit! It starred Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. Jack Palance even won an Academy Award for his role. The movie earned a lot of money worldwide.

Underwood then directed Heart and Souls (1993). This film starred Robert Downey, Jr.. Critics liked it, but it did not make much money. Next, he directed Speechless (1994). This movie starred Michael Keaton and Geena Davis. Geena Davis was nominated for a Golden Globe award.

In 1998, Ron Underwood directed a big movie for Walt Disney Pictures. It was Mighty Joe Young. This film was a remake of an older movie. It starred Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for its amazing visual effects. These effects helped other ape films like King Kong (2005).

After Mighty Joe Young, Underwood directed The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002). This movie starred Eddie Murphy. However, it was not well-received and did not do well at the box office.

Directing TV Shows and More Films

Ron Underwood then went back to directing smaller films and TV shows. He directed Stealing Sinatra (2003) for Showtime. This film was about a real kidnapping story. He also directed Back When We Were Grownups (2004). The star of this film, Blythe Danner, was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

He has directed many popular TV dramas. These include episodes of Monk, Boston Legal, Ugly Betty, Heroes, Grey's Anatomy, Burn Notice, and Once Upon a Time. He also directed episodes for Desperate Housewives, Nashville, Scandal, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. More recently, he directed episodes for The Good Fight, Big Shot, Fear the Walking Dead, Evil, Watson, and Elsbeth.

Ron Underwood's Work

Movies He Directed

• Tremors (1990)
• City Slickers (1991)
• Heart and Souls (1993)
• Speechless (1994)
• Mighty Joe Young (1998)
• The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
• In the Mix (2005)

TV Shows He Directed (Selected)

• ABC Weekend Special (1986) - "The Mouse and the Motorcycle", "Runaway Ralph"
• Monk (2003)
• Boston Legal (2004)
• Ugly Betty (2008)
• Heroes (2010)
• Castle (2011–2013)
• Once Upon a Time (2012–2018)
• Grey's Anatomy (2012–2015)
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2016)
• Hawaii Five-0 (2016–2019)
• Fear the Walking Dead (2019–2023)
• Evil (2019, 2021)
• Big Shot (2021–2022)
• La Brea (2022–2024)
• Elsbeth (2024)
• Watson (2025)

TV Movies He Directed

• Stealing Sinatra (2003)
• Back When We Were Grownups (2004)
• Santa Baby (2006)
• The Year Without A Santa Claus (2006)
• Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)
• Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe (2009)

Awards and Nominations

Ron Underwood has been nominated for several awards for his directing work:

• In 1989, he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for ABC Weekend Special (for the episode Runaway Ralph).
• In 1994, he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Director for Heart and Souls.
• In 2007, he was nominated for a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs for The Year Without a Santa Claus.

See also

In Spanish: Ron Underwood para niños