Chris Columbus (filmmaker)

Chris Joseph Columbus (born September 10, 1958) is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy ''Home Alone'' (1990) and its sequel '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992).

The comedy ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993), starring Robin Williams, was another box office success for Columbus. He went on to direct several other films throughout the 1990s, which were mostly met with lukewarm reception. However, he found commercial success again for directing the film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's novels, ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' (2001) and its sequel, ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' (2002), which are his highest-grossing films to date. In addition to directing, Columbus was a producer for ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2004), and the drama ''The Help'' (2011). He also directed the fantasy '' Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief'' (2010) and the 3D action comedy ''Pixels'' (2015).

Columbus is the co-founder of 1492 Pictures, a film production company that has produced some of his films since 1995. More recently, he co-founded another production firm with his daughter in 2014, called Maiden Voyage Pictures. In 2017, he launched ZAG Animation Studios, alongside Michael Barnathan, Haim Saban, and Jeremy Zag.

Early life

Columbus was born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, and raised in Champion, Ohio, the only child born to Mary Irene (née Puskar), a factory worker, and Alex Michael Columbus, an aluminum plant worker and coal miner. He is of Italian and Czech descent. As a child, he enjoyed drawing storyboards and began making 8mm films in high school.

After graduating from John F. Kennedy High School in Warren, Ohio, he went on to study at New York University's film school at the Tisch School of the Arts, where he was a schoolmate of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and Alec Baldwin. Although he received a scholarship, he forgot to renew it and was forced to take a factory job to pay for schooling. While on shifts, he secretly worked on a 20-page screenplay, which one of his teachers would later use to help him get an agent. Columbus now states that the experience "saved my life" and he was able to acknowledge "the terrifying reality I faced of having to live and work in that factory for the rest of my life in that town if I didn't make it".

In 1980, while at NYU, Columbus directed a short film entitled ''I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here'' that was later noticed by Steven Spielberg. ''I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here'' was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2014.

Film career

1984–1990: Early success

Columbus' professional career began in the early 1980s, as a writer for the screenplay of ''Reckless'' (1984). Columbus later said, "it wasn't my best work. I intended it to be semi-biographical ... and the film was based on my attempts to break free. But the director turned it into a clumsy teen sex drama and the experience was so degrading." Dissatisfied, Columbus conceived a new screenplay whilst living in an apartment loft, a comedy-horror titled ''Gremlins'' (1984). In late 1981, he eventually received a phone call from Steven Spielberg who expressed an interest buying the script. Upon release, the film was a critical success. Columbus then moved to Los Angeles to work for Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, writing more scripts including ''The Goonies'' and ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (both 1985).

After staying in Los Angeles for two years, he said, "There's an unreality to the place, a lack of connection with real people." He decided to move back to New York City. He wrote episodes for the animated series ''Galaxy High'' (1986) and received screenwriting credit for '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' (1989). Columbus then started his directing career with the teen comedy ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987). The film received mixed reviews from critics and was regarded as a "mediocre debut". Next, he wrote and directed ''Heartbreak Hotel'' (1988) which is a story about Elvis Presley being kidnapped and finding himself offering counsel and help to a small-town family. The film was a commercial failure at the box office and it also received mixed-to-negative reviews.

In the late 1980s, fellow filmmaker John Hughes approached Columbus to direct ''Home Alone'' (1990), a comedy film written by Hughes, where eight-year old Kevin McCallister must defend his home from two burglars. Columbus had left ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' before shooting started, because of a personality clash with actor Chevy Chase, who Columbus said treated him "like dirt". Columbus particularly enjoyed the Christmas theme of the ''Home Alone'' script and quickly accepted the offer. Subsequently, Columbus hired Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O'Hara as the principal cast. Filming took four months between February and May 1990 and the film was released to theaters on November 16, 1990, to commercial success. ''Home Alone'' grossed $285 million in North America and $190 million elsewhere for a worldwide $476.7 million, against a budget of $18 million. Nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, the film served as Culkin's breakthrough role. Dave Kehr of ''Chicago Tribune'' praised Hughes for writing recognizable characters, and Columbus for direction with "wit and warmth". ''Home Alone'' has since been regarded as a "classic" to watch during the holiday season.

1991–2000: Comedies and romances

In 1991, Columbus wrote and directed the romantic comedy-drama ''Only the Lonely'' (1991), with John Hughes serving as co-producer. Starring John Candy, Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Quinn, the film depicts a Chicago policeman who must balance his loyalty between his mother and a shy funeral home employee, a loose adaptation of '' Marty''. The film managed to garner some favourable reviews despite performing tepidly at the box office. In 1992, Columbus returned to direct a sequel to ''Home Alone'', titled '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.'' Featuring the same principal cast of its predecessor, the plot takes place one year after the events of the first film. The film follows Kevin McCallister as he accidentally boards the wrong flight to New York City and finds himself confronted by the same two burglars. ''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' was released on November 20, 1992, to mixed reviews, but strong box office results, grossing $359 million worldwide. Janet Maslin for ''The New York Times'' wrote that "''Home Alone 2'' may be lazily conceived, but it is staged with a sense of occasion and a lot of holiday cheer. The return of Mr. Culkin in this role is irresistible, even if this utterly natural comic actor has been given little new to do. Mr. Pesci and Mr. Stern bring great gusto to their characters' stupidity".

Columbus' next directorial feature was ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993), an adaptation of Anne Fine's novel Alias Madame Doubtfire about an unemployed father who disguises himself as a nanny so he can spend time with his children. Starring Robin Williams, Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan, Williams was given creative freedom to improvise his lines, provoking amusement to all of the cast and crew. The film was released by 20th Century Fox in November 1993 to mixed and positive reception. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 72%, praising Williams. Roger Ebert calls Williams "a mercurial talent who loves to dart in and out of many different characters and voices", but thought ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' "has the values and depth of a sitcom". However, the film performed well at the box office, earning $441.3 million worldwide. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and Golden Globe Award for Best Picture.

In 1995, Columbus co-founded his own production company, 1492 Pictures, named after the year that Christopher Columbus reached the Americas; a pun on his own name. He then wrote and directed another film, a remake of the French film ''Neuf mois,'' titled ''Nine Months'' (1995) which was produced by 1492 Pictures. A romantic comedy, ''Nine Months'' starred Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum, and Robin Williams. The story centers on a man who finds out that his longtime girlfriend is pregnant and has to change his lifestyle. Although the film was criticized for being "mismanaged", it was a commercial success, grossing $138.5 million at the box office. Columbus followed up on this effort with '' Stepmom'' (1998), a comedy-drama starring Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, and Ed Harris. Writing for the ''Los Angeles Times,'' Kenneth Turan praises Roberts and Harris' performances despite the script having a "tiny handful of honest moments". With an estimated budget of $50 million, the film grossed a healthy $159.7 million worldwide. Sarandon also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama.

Columbus reunited with Robin Williams for his next project, 1999's ''Bicentennial Man.'' Based on the novel, ''The Positronic Man'' by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg, the film tells the story of a robot who becomes human-like and acquires emotions. The supporting cast included Sam Neill, Embeth Davidtz, Wendy Crewson, and Oliver Platt. The film was released on December 17, 1999, and was a commercial failure, grossing $87.4 million from a budget of $100 million. Critical response to the film were mixed, with Ben Falk of the BBC
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