Jack Epps Jr. (born November 3, 1949) is an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, known chiefly for such popular 1980s films as ''

Top Gun ''Top Gun'' is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired by an a ...

'', ''

Legal Eagles ''Legal Eagles'' is a 1986 American legal romantic comedy mystery crime thriller film directed by Ivan Reitman, written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr. from a story by Reitman and the screenwriters, and starring Robert Redford, Debra Winger, and ...

'', and '' The Secret of My Success'', which he wrote with longtime partner

Jim Cash James Willis Cash (January 17, 1941 – March 25, 2000) was an American film writer, noted for writing such 1980s films as ''Top Gun'' and '' The Secret of My Success''. Early life Cash was born on January 17, 1941, in Boyne City, Michigan. ...

. Epps Jr. graduated from the College of Arts and Letters at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

, and he has since gone on to teach at

the University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Career

Epps Jr. came to California to become a director, but he did not have the money or know-how to do so. He decided to first write a script and to hope that this would lead to directing. Partnering with Anderson House, they sold a script to ''Hawaii Five-O''. He continued to work with House for a few years, before partnering with Jim Cash.

''Top Gun'' and later successes

After completing seven unproduced screenplays together, Epps Jr. and Cash produced ''Top Gun''. This film went on to become the number-one worldwide box office hit in 1986. After this, they quickly wrote other screenplays that were produced, including ''

'' and '' The Secret of My Success''. Epps has co-authored over 25 screenplays and eight motion pictures that he produced well into the following decade, including ''

Turner & Hooch ''Turner & Hooch'' is a 1989 American buddy cop comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Beasley the Dog as the eponymous characters respectively. The film also co-stars Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson and Reginald VelJohnson. It was directed by Rog ...

'', ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

'', and ''

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to re ...

''. He wrote for some of the most successful actors in the industry including

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the List of awards and nominations received by Robert Redford, recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award from four nomi ...

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

and others.

Teaching

Epps Jr. is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Writing for Screen and Television Division in the School of Cinematic Arts, at the University of Southern California. Using techniques he had developed over his career and applied to classes, he authored a screenwriting manual, ''Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision'', in 2016.

Awards and honors

Epps Jr. was awarded on an honorary doctorate of fine arts by Michigan State University at their 2009 commencement. He is also the recipient of the Michigan State University Spartans in Hollywood Award. He is part of the Writers Guild of America where he has been a member for three decades and he is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Filmography

*''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' (1976) (TV) *''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...

'' (1976) (TV) *''Dangerously'' (with

) (1978) (unproduced) *'' Pigs vs. Freaks'' (with Gordon T. Dawson) (1984) (TV) *''

Izzy and Moe ''Izzy and Moe'' is a 1985 American made-for-television comedy-crime film starring Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. It is a fictional account of two actual Prohibition-era policemen, Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith, and their adventures in tracking do ...

'' (with

, Steven Patrick Bell and

Robert Boris Robert Boris (October 12, 1945) is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. Boris was nicknamed Double B by film producer Elliott Kastner. Awards Boris won the WGA Award for Original/Adapted Multi-Part Long Form Series for ''Blood ...

) (1985) (TV) (story only) *''

'' (with

) (1986) *''

'' (with

) (1986) *'' The Secret of My Success'' (with

and A.J. Carothers) (1987) *''

'' (with

Dennis Shryack Dennis Shryack (August 25, 1936 – September 14, 2016) was an American screenwriter. Born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, Shryack began his career as a singer in The Escorts quartet, which toured as an opening act for well-known artists such ...

Michael Blodgett Michael Blodgett (September 26, 1939 – November 14, 2007) was an American actor, novelist, and screenwriter. Of his many film and television appearances he is best known for his performance as gigolo Lance Rocke in Russ Meyer's 1970 cult cl ...

, and

Daniel Petrie Jr. Daniel Mannix Petrie Jr. (born November 30, 1951) is a Canadian-American producer, writer, and director of film and television. He is best known for pioneering the sub-genres of action comedy and buddy cop films through films like ''Beverly Hil ...

) (1989) *''

'' (with

) (1990) *''

'' (with

and Hans Bauer) (1997) (producer) *''

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' (also known as ''The Flintstones 2'' or ''The Flintstones 2: Viva Rock Vegas'' in a working title) is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jim Cash, Harry Elfont, Debor ...

'' (with

Deborah Kaplan Deborah Kaplan (born November 11, 1970) is an American screenwriter and film director. Early life Deborah Kaplan was born and raised in Abington, Pennsylvania. Born to Susan Kaplan. She went to Abington Senior High School, which is the schoo ...

and

Harry Elfont Harry Elfont (born April 5, 1968) is an American screenwriter and film director. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in nearby Lower Moreland Township, he met his creative partner Deborah Kaplan while they were both enrolled at the Ti ...

) (2000) *'' Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid'' (with

and Hans Bauer) (2004) (story, elements from the original ''Anaconda'' script) *'' Top Gun: Maverick'' (based on characters created with Jim Cash) (2022) (story only) (screenplay from the film ''Top Gun'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Epps, Jack Jr. 1949 births Living people 20th-century male writers University of Southern California faculty Writers from Detroit Writers of books about writing fiction American information and reference writers American instructional writers American male non-fiction writers American male screenwriters Screenwriters from California Screenwriting instructors Film producers from Michigan Screenwriters from Michigan