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IMDbPro

J.F. Lawton

  • Writer
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeter
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J. F. Lawton
Two homeless men have a quixotic day of comedy, adventure, and romance and upon the streets of Los Angeles thanks to a “Jackson,” a twenty dollar bill, and the beautiful musical backdrop of opera’s greatest arias.
Play trailer1:43
Jackson (2008)
1 Video
32 Photos
J. F. Lawton was born on August 11, 1960 in Riverside, California. His father was the famous writer Harry Lawton, author of the award winning novel "Willie Boy: A Desert Manhunt" (1960). The book became the basis for the movie Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969), starring Robert Redford. When he was young, Lawton was diagnosed with severe dyslexia which made school life very difficult. His learning disability didn't make him give up the desire of being a screenwriter. After high school he went to study filmmaking at California State University in Long Beach. Lawton then moved to Los Angeles and worked in various post-production companies. During this time he wrote a number of feature film scripts including one called "Three Thousand", which was selected by the Sundance Institute. Touchstone Pictures purchased the script and later he changed the title to Pretty Woman (1990). Starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, the movie became one of the most successful romantic comedies of all times. Julia Roberts won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. J. F. Lawton was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award and a British Academy Award. He then wrote and executive produced his next original screenplay Under Siege (1992), based on his million-dollar spec "Dreadnought". Starring Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey, the movie broke box office records and a successful sequel followed, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). With Barry Primus, Lawton co-wrote Mistress (1992), a movie starring Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Christopher Walken and Martin Landau. The comedy was one of the first films produced by de Niro's production company, Tribeca Productions. The next project was Blankman (1994) a movie he co-wrote with comedian Damon Wayans for Columbia Pictures. Following that, Lawton wrote and directed The Hunted (1995) for Universal Pictures, which starred Christopher Lambert, John Lone and Joan Chen. Next came Chain Reaction (1996), an action thriller with Morgan Freeman, Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. For television, he created and executive produced the Sony hit syndicated show V.I.P. (1998), starring Pamela Anderson. Blending action and humor in a fast-paced adventure series, the show ran successfully for five seasons. After that, Lawton returned to the big screen with a script for DOA: Dead or Alive (2006), a film based on the huge video game series success of the same name. He then wrote and directed Jackson (2008), a comedy-drama-musical starring Barry Primus, Charles Robinson, Steve Guttenberg and Debra Jo Rupp. His latest script with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker is in development at Paramount Studios.
BornAugust 11, 1960
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    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornAugust 11, 1960
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award

Photos32

J.F. Lawton
Producer Paola Gambino Lawton and bookwriter J.F. Lawton
J.F. Lawton (Right) with his wife Paola Lawton at the ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' World Premiere in Chicago, Illinois
(L-R) Journalist, lawyer, writer and producer Paola Lawton and bookwriter J.F. Lawton
(Left-Right) Scott Marshall, J.F. Lawton, Kathleen Marshall, Barbara Marshall, Bryan Adams, Paula Wagner, Jerry Mitchell and Jim Vallance at the ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' World Premiere in Chicago, Illinois
Photo shoot for ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, NY. From Left to Right: director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, bookwriter J.F. Lawton, producer Paula Wagner, composer/lyricist Jim Vallance, composer/lyricist Bryan Adams
Photo shoot for ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, NY. From Left to Right: director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, bookwriter J.F. Lawton, producer Paula Wagner, composer/lyricist Jim Vallance, composer/lyricist Bryan Adams
Photo shoot for ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, NY. From Left to Right: director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, bookwriter J.F. Lawton, producer Paula Wagner, composer/lyricist Jim Vallance, composer/lyricist Bryan Adams
Photo shoot for ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, NY. From Left to Right: director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, bookwriter J.F. Lawton, producer Paula Wagner, composer/lyricist Jim Vallance, composer/lyricist Bryan Adams
Photo shoot for ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, NY. From Left to Right: director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, bookwriter J.F. Lawton, producer Paula Wagner, composer/lyricist Jim Vallance, composer/lyricist Bryan Adams
''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' press event in Chicago, Illinois (Left to Right): J.F. Lawton, Orfeh, Jason Danieley, Paula Wagner, Jerry Mitchell, Steve Kazee, Samantha Barks, Eric Anderson, Kingsley Leggs, Kathleen Marshall
''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' press event in Chicago, Illinois (Left to Right): J.F. Lawton, Jason Danieley, Orfeh, Paula Wagner, Jerry Mitchell, Steve Kazee, Samantha Barks, Eric Anderson, Kingsley Leggs, Kathleen Marshall

Known for

Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (1990)
Pretty Woman
7.1
  • Writer
  • 1990
Under Siege (1992)
Under Siege
6.5
  • Writer
  • 1992
Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves in Chain Reaction (1996)
Chain Reaction
5.6
  • Writer
  • 1996
Sarah Carter, Kane Kosugi, Natassia Malthe, Holly Valance, Brian White, and Devon Aoki in DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)
DOA: Dead or Alive
4.8
  • Writer
  • 2006

Credits

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IMDbPro

Writer

  • Yellow River (2020)
    Yellow River
  • Barry Primus and Charles Robinson in Jackson (2008)
    Jackson
  • Sarah Carter, Kane Kosugi, Natassia Malthe, Holly Valance, Brian White, and Devon Aoki in DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)
    DOA: Dead or Alive
  • V.I.P. (1998)
    V.I.P.
  • V.I.P. (2001)
    V.I.P.
  • Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves in Chain Reaction (1996)
    Chain Reaction
  • Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
    Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
  • The Hunted (1995)
    The Hunted
  • Blankman (1994)
    Blankman
  • Under Siege (1992)
    Under Siege
  • Mistress (1992)
    Mistress
  • Bill Maher and Annabelle Gurwitch in Pizza Man (1991)
    Pizza Man
    • (as J.D. Athens)
  • Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (1990)
    Pretty Woman
  • Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989)
    Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death
    • (as J.D. Athens)

Producer

  • Barry Primus and Charles Robinson in Jackson (2008)
    Jackson
  • My Flute (2007)
    My Flute
  • V.I.P. (1998)
    V.I.P.
  • Under Siege (1992)
    Under Siege

Director

  • Barry Primus and Charles Robinson in Jackson (2008)
    Jackson
  • V.I.P. (1998)
    V.I.P.
  • The Hunted (1995)
    The Hunted
  • Bill Maher and Annabelle Gurwitch in Pizza Man (1991)
    Pizza Man
    • (as J.D. Athens)
  • Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989)
    Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death
    • (as J.D. Athens)
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos2

J. F. Lawton Director's Reel
Demo Reel 15:00
J. F. Lawton Director's Reel
Jackson
Trailer 1:43
Jackson

Personal details

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    • August 11, 1960
    • Riverside, California, USA
  • Produces the website Inner Object which features interviews with prominent actors about their work and process.

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Longtime friends with Bill Maher.
    • Tends to write specially-tailored mainstream crowd-pleasing star-vehicles ("Pretty Woman," "Under Siege," "VIP")

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