Anthony "Tony" Earl Christopher, born June 14, 1952, is the CEO and president of Landmark Entertainment Group. He creates, directs, designs, and produces theatrical live entertainment and indoor and outdoor themed entertainment attractions.

Early career

Christopher attended the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

(CalArts), where he received his B.F.A. in Theatre and Dance in 1974. After graduating, he was hired by Robert F. Jani, then vice president of entertainment for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, where Christopher was an actor, stage manager and choreographer on "The Kids of the Kingdom" and the "Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review" at Walt Disney World's Pioneer Hall. He was appointed artistic director of the World Showcase Theatre at

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

. When the project was cancelled, he left Disney and returned to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, and subsequently performed as an actor, singer and dancer on Broadway and television. In 1980, he co-founded The Landmark Entertainment Group with former Disney associate

Gary Goddard Gary Goddard (born July 18, 1954) is an American producer and director who co-founded the Landmark Entertainment Group. In 2002, he left it to form Gary Goddard Entertainment (GGE), later known as the Goddard Group, an entertainment design firm ...

Theme parks and attractions

* The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (at Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Japan) * Terminator 2/3D: Battle Across Time (at Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Studios Japan) * Jurassic Park: The Ride (Universal Studios Hollywood, Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Japan) * Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular (Universal Studios Hollywood) * Kongfrontation (Universal Studios Hollywood) * Enchanted Kingdom (Philippines) * Floraland (Chengdu, PRC) * Harmonyland Theme Park (Ohita, Japan) * Sanrio Puroland (Tokyo, Japan) * Star Trek: The Experience (Las Vegas Hilton) * Kung Fu Theme Park, WuDang Mountain, PRC

Resorts and casinos

* The Venetian Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas) * Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas) * MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas) * Table Bay Hotel (Cape Town, South Africa)

Retail

* The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace * M & M's World (Las Vegas) * Hershey's Chocolate World (Pennsylvania) * Sanrio Gallery * Star Trek Retail

Theatre and entertainment

For decades Christopher served as an active member of the League of American Theatres and Producers, now known as

The Broadway League The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers and League of New York Theatres and Producers, is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry based in New York, New York. Its members include theat ...

and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), producing long running Broadway hit, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde "Jekyll and Hyde"," "Sherlock's Last Case". Tony Christopher conceived and wrote with

and Ted King the acclaimed Las Vegas spectacular "EFX!". In 1992, Christopher produced, choreographed, and directed the 20th Anniversary National Tour of Broadway's "Jesus Christ Superstar". After touring for four years, the production grossed over $140 million and is now known as the most successful Broadway revival of all time. In television, Christopher co-created and directed several television shows including ''

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future ''Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'' is a science fiction-action television series, merging live action with animation based on computer-generated images, that ran for 22 episodes in Canadian and American syndication. A toy line was ...

'' for

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

, "Mega Babies" for Fox Family and ''

Skeleton Warriors ''Skeleton Warriors'' is a 13-episode cartoon series created by Landmark Entertainment Group, which originally aired in 1994 on CBS. The show was created by producer Gary Goddard. Summary The story takes place on the fictional distant planet ...

' for Playmates Toys and

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. * Jekyll and Hyde (1997 Plymouth Theatre) * Tru (1989 Booth Theatre) * Sherlock's Last Case (1987 Nederlander Theatre) * The Rolling Stones - Bridges to Babylon Tour * Jesus Christ Superstar 20th Anniversary National Tour * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Touring Show * EFX (MGM Grand Hotel) * Phantom of the Opera (Venetian Hotel) * Caesars Magical Empire

Awards and honors

* 1986: Grammy Award Nominee for Best Music Video * 1990: Tony Award Nominee for "Tru" starring Robert Morse * 1997: Tony Award Nominee for "Jekyll and Hyde" * 1990–2000: Several

Themed Entertainment Association The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of themed entertainment. It is also noted for its THEA Awards, which were founded in 1995 and ar ...

(TEA) awards for Terminator 2/3D: Battle Across Time, Jurassic Park and Star Trek, The Experience

References

External links

2015: Risk & Reward with Tony Christopher of Landmark Entertainment Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, Tony 1952 births People from Santa Barbara, California Living people