Jon Turteltaub (b. 1964, New York, New York) is an American film director. He is best known as a director of "popcorn" movies, including the John Candy Jamaican bobsled comedy Cool Runnings, the Sandra Bullock-Bill Pullman romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping, and the John Travolta-gets-smart daydream Phenomenon. Turteltaub has a lightly schmaltzy touch, with what one critic called "anti-panache," but given a good script he delivers the movie studios and audiences expect.
Biography
Turteltaub is the son of veteran TV writer-producer Saul Turteltaub. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1981. After receiving a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1985 and a master's degree from the USC School of Cinema-Television in 1988, Turteltaub gained some experience on the small screen. He worked on several ABC specials and pilots and was involved briefly with the Nickelodeon sitcom, "Salute Your Shorts". In 1990 Turteltaub made his feature writing and directorial debut, "Think Big", and followed up with another minor action comedy, "Driving Me Crazy" (1991), which he also co-wrote. Turteltaub began a successful collaboration with Disney Studios and had a surprisingly popular film on his hands with "3 Ninjas" (1992), a routine but harmless children's comedy adventure which marked a breakthrough collaboration between the US and South Korea in the production of a film. Action and comedy met once again for Turteltaub in his next film, the sleeper smash "Cool Runnings" (1992). Word of mouth helped sell this feel-good comedy about a Jamaican bobsled team, and the same audience response helped propel his Disney follow-up, the less boisterous romantic comedy, "While You Were Sleeping" (1995), which fully established Sandra Bullock as a film star and Bill Pullman as a romantic lead. While his first batch of films had been fun, but some might say frothy, Turteltaub took on a film with a slightly more substantial center with "Phenomenon" (1996), in which John Travolta played a man struck by lightning who not only becomes a genius because of it, but learns about humanity as well.
Filmography
Binstead's Safari - ( Producer / / In-Development / )
Fraternity Brother - ( Director / / In-Development / )
Fraternity Brother - ( Producer / / In-Development / )
National Treasure 2 - ( Director / / In-Development / Buena Vista Pictures Distribution )
The Man Who Ate The 747 - ( Producer / / In-Development / Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution )
The Princess and the Pauper - ( Producer / / In-Development / )
Tucker Ames, As Himself - ( Producer / / In-Development / 20th Century Fox )
National Treasure - ( Director / 2004 / Released / Buena Vista Home Entertainment )
National Treasure - ( Producer / 2004 / Released / Buena Vista Home Entertainment )
Disney's The Kid - ( Director / 2000 / Released / Walt Disney Home Video )
Disney's The Kid - ( Producer / 2000 / Released / Walt Disney Home Video )
Instinct - ( Director / 1999 / Released / Buena Vista Home Entertainment )
Rocketman - ( Executive Producer / 1997 / Released / Walt Disney Home Video )
Twenty Five to Life - ( Producer / 1997 / Released / Buena Vista International )
Phenomenon - ( Director / 1996 / Released / Touchstone Pictures Home Video )
While You Were Sleeping - ( Director / 1995 / Released / Hollywood Pictures Home Video )
3 Ninjas - ( Director / / Released / Touchstone Pictures Home Video )
Cool Runnings - ( Director / / Released / Walt Disney Home Video )
Driving Me Crazy - ( Director / / Released / Motion Picture Corporation of America )
Driving Me Crazy - ( Screenplay / / Released / Motion Picture Corporation of America )
Think Big - ( Director / / Released / Aquarius Releasing Inc )
Think Big - ( Screenplay / / Released / Aquarius Releasing Inc )