Biography

Jon Avnet has directed, written, and produced more than 100 motion pictures, television movies, series and Broadway plays, winning Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Peabody's, DGA Awards, the Humanitas, Golden Globes and the AFI's Franklin Shaffner Medal. He directed the Oscar-nominated performance of Jessica Tandy and the three Emmy-winning performances of Margo Martindale, Colleen Dewhurst, and Judy Davis. He received an honorary Doctorate in Communications from the American Film Institute in 2013 and the Creative Spirit Award from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. Among the other awards Avnet has received are the ACLU's "Bill of Rights Award," The New York Board of Review's "Freedom of Expression Award," the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Feature Film and the AFI's Franklin Schaffner award. His films are notable for the wide range of subject matter and tones, from broad comedies to dramas, political thrillers, and darker stories.

Avnet's latest film is The Last Rodeo, a father daughter story set in the world of bull riding. He directed, co-wrote, and produced the film. It stars Neal McDonough, Mykelti Williamson, Sarah Jones, Christopher McDonald, and Irene Bedard. Shot in Oklahoma and Texas, the film will be released in 2,000 theaters May 23, 2025. The USA Film Festival screened The Last Rodeo in Dallas, April 2025, and gave Mr. Avnet a career achievement award. Denis Lenoir photographed the film, Jeff Russo composed the score, Buddy Joe Hooker was the stunt coordinator and Tom Costantino was the editor, all frequent collaborators.

Avnet is also directing and producing with Jennifer Garner a documentary about American Ballet Theater's principal ballerina, Isabella Boylston. His next narrative film project as a director is based on a script by New York Times journalist and multiple Pulitzer Prize winner Eli Saslow. He is producing frequent collaborator Graham Yost's first film as a director, for Apple Films. He is also producing Kerry Conran's follow up film to Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow.

Mr. Avnet is best known for directing producing and co-writing (uncredited,) Fried Green Tomatoes, which garnered multiple Academy Award nominations (for writing and for Jessica Tandy, who co-starred with Kathy Bates, Cicely Tyson, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Mary Louise Parker) and BAFTAs. Fried Green Tomatoes was nominated for Best Picture by the Golden Globes and was one of the top grossing films in the year of its release for Universal Pictures. Filmed in Juliette Georgia, Production Designer Barbara Ling recreated a 1920's small town Alabama Whistle stop. Thomas Newman composed the music. Geoffrey Simpson shot the film, Debbie Neil-Fischer was the editor and David Rubin cast it, winning the Artios award for best casting.

He produced Paul Brickman's "Risky Business" for David Geffen and Warner Brothers, which launched the career of Tom Cruise and was a major box office and critical success. The Criterion version of the film was released in July 2024, which features the director's cut as well as a digitally remastered version of the film. He also produced Paul Brickman's Men Don't Leave, again for David Geffen and Warner Bros, starring Jessica Lange, Arliss Howard, Kathy Bates, and Chris O'Donnell in his first film. Shot in Baltimore, with sets designed by Barbara Ling and filmed by Bruce Surtees, the script was written by Barbara Benedek and Paul Brickman, had costumes designed by Albert Wolsky and a score written by Thomas Newman.

Avnet was an executive producer of Fox Searchlights "Black Swan", starring Natalie Portman (winner of the Oscar for Best Actress) and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Black Swan received five Oscar nominations in total (including Best Picture) as well as multiple nominations and wins from the DGA, PGA, WGA, SAG, BAFTA, AFI, and the Golden Globes.

In television, Avnet produced and cowrote (uncredited) The Burning Bed, starring Farrah Fawcett, which garnered eight Emmy nominations and is still today the highest-rated television movie ever aired on NBC. It told the true story of Francine Hughes, who was in a highly abusive relationship that ended when she burned her husband to death. She was exonerated in court. It received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture. This film is credited with creating the "battered woman syndrome" as a legal defense for victims of domestic violence and had tens of thousands of responses to an "800 number," that was set up to provide information for women who had questions about domestic violence. . He has collaborated on multiple films with writers such as Paul Brickman, Joan Didion and John Dunne aa well as Graham Yost, Composer Thomas Newman, Directors of Photography Denis Lenoir and Geoffrey Simpson, Production Designers Richard Sylbert, Barbara Ling and Tracey Gallagher, Casting Directors, Nancy Klopper, David Rubin and Rick Pagano, Editors Debbie Neal-Fischer, Sabina Plisco, Peter Berger, and Tom Costantino, as well as stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker. Similarly, he has collaborated on multiple movies with many actors, directors, assistant directors, and his favorite Key Grip. He has partnered with producers Steve Tisch, Jordan Kerner and most recently with director Rodrigo Garcia and his son Jake Avnet.

Avnet started out as a producer after attending the AFI because in his own words, no one would hire him as a director. The experience turned out to be invaluable and after 7 years of trying to earn a living as a producer, he found success. When he produced Risky Business and The Burning Bed within a two-year span, he was at or near the pinnacle of the producing pyramid in Hollywood. What did he do, give up full time producing, to direct. It took seven years to direct a theatrical film and was not a wise decision financially, but when he finally directed Fried Tomatoes, he was considered a viable director and he had the career of his dreams. His first directorial outing was "Between Two Women," which he co-wrote with Larry Grusin, directed and executive produced for ABC, starring Farrah Fawcett and Colleen Dewhurst, who won her first Emmy. It was a major critical success and the highest rated film of the year for ABC.

Avnet followed up the release of Fried Green Tomatoes by directing Elijah Woods, Kevin Costner, Lexi Randall, and Christine Baranski in "The War" (for Universal) a story about a Vietnam Veteran's struggle with PTSD and how his family is decimated by his suffering. Geoffrey Simpson shot it, Kristi Zea designed it, Debra Neil Fisher edited the film, Jerry Hewitt was the stunt coordinator and Thomas Newman composed the music.

He then directed Up Close and Personal, written by Joan Didion and John Dunne, and loosely based on Jessica Savitch's tragic story. It starred Robert Redford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stockard Channing, Joe Mantegna, Glenn Plummer, and Kate Nelligan. Touchstone Pictures (a Disney label) released the film, which was cast by David Rubin, with a score once more from Thomas Newman, and was shot by Karl Walter Lindenlaub. Albert Wolsky designed the costumes and Debra Neil Fisher edited it. Dianne Warren wrote the song, "Because you Loved me" and Celine Dion recorded it. The song was a major hit, winning the Grammy and being the number one song in the nation for ten weeks.

He also directed and produced Red Corner starring Richard Gere and Bai Ling and written by Robert King with a production polish by Joan Didion and John Dunne. When MGM was forbidden from shooting in Beijing, Richard Sylbert designed a ten-acre exterior set (Gulo Hutong) in Playa Del Rey. Filming of the Second unit did take place in Beijing with an all-Chinese crew. The film's release coincided with the visit of China's then Premier, Deng Xiaoping to Washington DC to meet President Clinton. The film was meticulously researched and critical of China's judicial system. It created a political firestorm when released not the least of which had to do with Richard Gere's outspoken support of Tibet. Karl Walter Lindenlaub was the cinematographer. Richard Sylbert was the production designer. Peter E. Berger was the editor. David Rubin cast the film. Thomas Newman composed the score. Buddy Joe Hooker was the stunt coordinator.

Avnet met Rodrigo Garcia when he was a mentor at the Sundance Directing workshop. He then produced Rodrigo Garcia's debut film "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her." It starred Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart, and Gregory Hines, premiered at Sundance and won "Un Certain Regard," at the Cannes film Festival. Emanuel Lubezki was the director of photography. Ed Shearmur composed the music.

The Disney studios offered Avnet the opportunity to adapt and direct Leon Uris' Mila 18. Paul Brickman was hired to write the screenplay with Avnet. After doing the research about the actual events for four years, they decided to do the true story about resistance during the Holocaust, not the fictionalized version that Uris had written. It was titled "Uprising." Harvey Weinstein's company, Miramax, was owned by Disney and Harvey asked to produce the film, unbeknownst to Avnet. Weinstein and Avnet had serious creative differences. Weinstein refused to allow Avnet to make the film even after Avnet wrote a personal check for the development costs because Warner Bros and NBC said they would make the project within a narrow time window. The dispute escalated and headed to court which would have made it impossible to make the film. Fortunately, Avnet's attorney created a compromise which allowed the project to go forward.

While this was transpiring, Avnet had been developing "Friday Night Lights" at Universal and Imagine to direct the film. When Uprising was greenlit, Avnet had to walk away from Friday Night Lights.

Avnet then directed, co-wrote, and produced (with Raffaella DeLaurentiis) the critically praised Uprising, starring Leelee Sobieski, Hank Azaria, David Schwimmer, Stephen Moyer, Jon Voight, Cary Elways and Donald Sutherland. The film was shot in Bratislava, Slovakia, where Richard Sylbert's design of Warsaw Ghetto recreated an eight-acre exterior set. This film was meticulously researched by Brickman and Avnet over a five-year period to tell the true story of the armed resistance during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. Avnet was nominated for a DGA Award for best directing and the film was released theatrically globally by Warner Bros. Leelee Sobieski was nominated for best actress by the Golden Globes. Hank Azaria was nominated for Best Actor by the Critics Association. Denis Lenoir won the American Cinematographers Award. The film was nominated for four Emmys (including a Best Actor nomination for Jon Voight) and won for Outstanding Stunt Coordination. Maurice Jarre composed the score for the film.

Avnet produced, with Raffaella DeLaurentiis, Kerry Conran's Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow for Paramount starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie. The film was shot entirely on a stage at Elstree Studios, London. All the backgrounds were put in after filming. It was a breakthrough film on a visual effex level. Because of Kerry's background, Avnet created his own visual effex company which became the fourth largest one in the world at the time. There were 2300 visual effex shots in the film.

Avnet also produced (along with Jordan Kerner) Less Than Zero (for Fox) starring Robert Downey, Jami Gertz, Andrew McCarthy, and James Spader, When a Man Loves a Woman starring Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia, Miami Rhapsody (David Frankel's first film as a director,) starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Antonio Banderas, and Mia Farrow. Other films produced by Avnet and Kerner are "George of the Jungle," starring Brendan Fraser, The Mighty Ducks 1,2,3, starring Emilio Estevez, Inspector Gadget, starring Mathew Broderick. All of these films were made for The Walt Disney Company.

For television, Avnet and Kerner produced Alex Haley's Mama Flora's Family, starring Cicely Tyson, Queen Latifah and Blair Underwood. Ms. Tyson won the NAACP Image Award for best Actress and Mr. Underwood won the Best Actor Award. The film was nominated for Best Picture as well. He produced Heatwave, again starring Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones, and Blair Underwood. Ms. Tyson and Mr. Jones both won Cable ACE best acting awards for their work on this film about the Watts Riots, based on articles written by the LA Times' first black journalist Bob Richardson. Mr. Jones won the Emmy as well. Mr. Avnet had the honor and pleasure of bestowing an Honorary Doctoral Degree for Ms. Tyson at her request, from the American Film Institute.

He first collaborated with Graham Yost as Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed series Boomtown for NBC and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television. Avnet directed the pilot and eight additional episodes. Boomtown won the Television Critics Association Award for Best Series and a Peabody Award. It starred, Donnie Wahlberg, Mykelti Williamson and Neal McDonough, all of whom have worked with Avnet on multiple films since Boomtown was produced. Denis Lenoir was the cinematographer, Sabrina Plisco was the editor, Richard Toyon was the production designer and Buddy Joe Hooker was the stunt coordinator.

Avnet directed and executive-produced The Starter Wife, a six-hour limited series for the USA Network which was filmed in Australia. It starred Debra Messing, Joe Mantegna, Stephen Moyer, and Judy Davis (who won the Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her performance). Based on the novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer, it aired in May 2007 as the highest-rated limited cable series that year and received ten Emmy nominations as well as DGA and PGA nods for Avnet and the AFI award.

Avnet directed Al Pacino for Sony Pictures in "88 Minutes" and then Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Righteous Kill", released in September 2008. He continued his collaborations with Denis Lenoir, Buddy Joe Hooker, and composer Ed Shearmur.

Avnet again worked with Graham Yost directing ten episodes of FX Network's Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins. Justified received a Peabody award, an AFI Award and Margo Martindale won an Emmy for her performance. He reunited with frequent collaborator Graham Yost, directing an episode of Sneaky Pete Season 2 for Amazon, starring Giovanni Ribisi, Margo Martindale, and Marin Ireland. In 2018, he became an executive producer of Sneaky Pete Season 3 and directed 4 additional episodes. And he directed Justified, City Primeval, once again with Graham Yost as the executive producer with showrunners Michael Dinner and Dave Andron. He will produce Mr. Yost's first film as a director for Apple Films next year.

Avnet directed and co-wrote the film Three Christs, starring Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, Walton Goggins, Bradley Whitford, Julianna Margulies, Charlotte Hope and Jane Alexander. The script is based on the controversial 1959 study chronicled in Dr. Milton Rokeach's "The Three Christs of Ypsilanti." Three paranoid schizophrenic patients who each claimed to be Jesus Christ were put in a ward together to see if their delusions could be altered. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was released theatrically in January 2020 by IFC Films. Denis Lenoir was the cinematographer, Patrick Don Vito edited the film, Jeff Russo composed the music.

On Broadway, the plays he has produced, with Bill Haber, have received 35 Tony nominations and 12 Tony awards, including two Tony Award-winning shows "Spamalot" and "The History Boys." He also produced "The Pillowman," "Inherit the Wind," starring Christopher Plummer and Bryan Dennehy, "The Seafarer" by Connor McPherson, and the Mike Nichols-directed "Country Girl," starring Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand.

Mr. Avnet has been asked to chair the Directors Guild Negotiating Committee's contract negotiations with the AMPTP for a third time. In 2023, He chaired and secured a deal, making unprecedented gains for all the members of the Guild, including the first AI protections for any Union in the United States. This led to the formation of the DGA AI Committee which is chaired by Christopher Nolan and Avnet. He also chaired the 2020 negotiations successfully negotiating a contract for the DGA members. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of the DGA, the Western Directors Council, and the Pension and Health Plan Committee of the DGA.

Avnet attended the University of Pennsylvania, received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. He was awarded a fellowship in directing to the American Film Institute. While at the AFI, he worked on the filming of John Cassavetes "Woman Under the Influence," helped David Lynch finish "Eraserhead," and had the privilege of moderating the seminar with one of his favorite film directors, Bernardo Bertolucci. Today, Avnet is Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Film Institute, where he has been a guiding force for over 30 years (and Chairman for eight years).

Avnet has served on the Board of Advisors for the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania for 17 years. He has participated as a mentor at the Director's Lab at Sundance and its sister program Emergence in France. He lectures on film and Holocaust studies at numerous universities worldwide and has supported a diverse range of charitable organizations targeting scholarships for women and minority students.

Some highlights of his career include working with Nelson Mandela when he was in Pollsmoor prison and later when he was released. Avnet interviewed Mr. Mandela for a week at his home in Soweto about the history of Apartheid and his views on race. Avnet also had the privilege to interview many of the key figures of the ANC such as Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki, Cyril Ramaphosa, to name a few. Harry Belafonte collaborated with Avnet on this project as well as Taylor Branch's "Parting the Waters." In the process, Avnet interviewed virtually all of the living participants in the Civil Rights Movement and had the honor of marching over the Edmund Portis Bridge with Rep. John Lewis and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth.

Avnet was also hired to produce Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" when it was originally at Paramount. As a major fan of Marty's, Avnet worked with the director to keep the film alive while a chorus of voices threatened the film's viable theatrical release. Two weeks before production was to commence with sets built and actors hired, Barry Diller and Michael Eisner at Paramount shut the film down. Marty was heartbroken. Avnet worked behind the scenes to persuade his good friend at Universal, Tom Pollock, to finance the film. The movie was greenlit, and Marty got to make this most personal film.

During the research for the film Uprising, Avnet had the humbling experience of interviewing more than 200 survivors of the Holocaust in Poland, Germany, Israel, and the United States including Vladka Mead, Marek Edelman (then the last living leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising) and Simcha Rotem (Kazik.) Mr. Avnet had the honor of studying these historical events with Dr. Michael Berenbaum, then the leader of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., Israel Gutman of Yad Vashem, Simcha Stein of the Ghetto Fighters House, and Marek Webb of Yivo. As a result of his five years or research, Avnet has lectured on resistance during the Holocaust at Universities around the world.

He has been married to artist Barbara Brody Avnet for fifty years. They have two daughters Alexandra and Lily, both of whom earned master's degrees in social work, and a son Jacob, who also earned a master's degree from USC. They have six grandchildren, Isabella, Henry, Sage, Ruby, Ezra, and Arielle.

- IMDb mini biography by: Jon Avnet