John Dukakis (né Chaffetz; born June 9, 1958) is an American entertainer, music executive, and political aide.
Early life
Dukakis was born John Chaffetz Jr. in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
on June 9, 1958,
but reared in the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area. He is the son of
Kitty Dukakis
Katharine "Kitty" Dukakis (née Dickson; born December 26, 1936) is an American author. She is the wife of former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis.
Life and career
Dukakis was born Katharine Virginia Dickson in Cambridge, Massachusetts, th ...
and John Chaffetz, a businessman, and the stepson of former
Massachusetts Governor
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces.
Massachuset ...
and
1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...
whom his mother married when he was five. His half-brother, through his biological father, is
Jason Chaffetz
Jason E. Chaffetz (; born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017.
Ch ...
who was a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
from Utah from 2009 to 2017. He changed his name from Chaffetz to Dukakis at age 18.
Acting career
While attending
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
in the 1970s, Dukakis was cast in Universal's ''
Jaws 2
''Jaws 2'' is a 1978 American thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg's ''Jaws'' (1975), and the second installment in the ''Jaws'' franchise. The film stars Roy Scheider a ...
''. He relocated to
Hollywood and continued to work as an actor for the next 6 years. He had substantial roles in the films ''
Making Love
''Making Love'' is a 1982 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean. The film tells the story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality and the love triangle that dev ...
'', ''
Delusion
A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some o ...
'' and ''
Split Image'' and on television in ''
Family Ties
''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...
'', ''
Little House on the Prairie
The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...
'', ''
Taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
'' the
Jim Jones
James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...
docudrama, ''
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones'' and ''Three Sovereigns for Sarah''. He finished his career in New York working on the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
stage.
Political career
After retiring from acting, he secured a job in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, as a legislative assistant to
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...
in Kerry's first two years in office. In 1987, when Michael Dukakis announced his intention to run for
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
, John left Washington and moved to
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
to run the Southern campaign prior to the
Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday is the United States presidential primary election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses. Approximately one-third of all delegates to the presidential nominating co ...
primaries. Later, as the Democratic National Political Director, he campaigned nationally on behalf of the unsuccessful Dukakis–
Bentsen ticket.
Music industry
With the 1988 campaign over, John began work with an attorney in Boston named
Bob Woolf
Bob Woolf (1928–1993) was an American sports agent and lawyer. One of the first sports agents, he "ushered in the era of the millionaire sports celebrity" as the agent for athletes including Carl Yastrzemski, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, and Juli ...
who had built a significant international practice representing professional athletes. John ran the music business management department and spent most of his time on a developing local act:
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...
. Within several years the company grew and he was sent to Los Angeles to open an office there with an emphasis on working with other established and developing acts. When he left the company in 1992, the company was also working with
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...
and
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was an American hip-hop group formed in 1991 by Mark Wahlberg (alias Marky Mark), Scott Gee, Hector the Booty Inspector, DJ-T, and Ashey Ace. The group's best known song is " Good Vibrations", which made it to numbe ...
.
Dukakis left
Bob Woolf
Bob Woolf (1928–1993) was an American sports agent and lawyer. One of the first sports agents, he "ushered in the era of the millionaire sports celebrity" as the agent for athletes including Carl Yastrzemski, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, and Juli ...
to become the general manager of Paisley Park Records, a joint venture between the artist
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
and Warner Bros. Records. During his tenure, the company released a Prince album as well as projects from
George Clinton and
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...
.
In 1994, he formed a new venture with his partner,
Qadree El-Amin.
Southpaw Entertainment
Richard Barton Lewis is an American film producer and writer. He is the founder and CEO of Southpaw Entertainment and co-founder of Trilogy Entertainment.
Education
Lewis is a graduate of UC Berkeley's department of Biological Anthropology, an ...
was a full service management company. In its early years it primarily focused on the management of Boyz II Men. But after the record-setting success of the 12× platinum "II" album, the company took on new clients. Over the years, Southpaw also handled the careers of
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
,
Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resigne ...
,
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material.
Type ...
, and
Blackstreet
Blackstreet (often stylized as BLACKstreet) is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, and Teddy "Street" Riley. The group has released four albums with Interscope Records until 2003. They achieved ...
.
In early 2002, Dukakis left Southpaw to take a position as an Executive Vice President of
Overbrook Music, a music label as well as a full service management company owned and operated by
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
and his partner,
James Lassiter
James Lassiter is an American film producer, known for being co-founder of Overbrook Entertainment and longtime business partner of actor and rapper Will Smith.
Career
Lassiter attended University of Miami and Temple University and befriended Jef ...
. The company released the multi-platinum-certified soundtrack for the film
Wild Wild West
''Wild Wild West'' is a 1999 American steampunk Western film co-produced and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock alongside Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, from a story penned by brothers Jim and John ...
as well as the gold-certified soundtrack for the film ''
Love & Basketball
''Love & Basketball'' is a 2000 American romantic sports drama film written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood in her feature film directorial debut. The film is produced by Spike Lee and Sam Kit and stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. It tells ...
''. The company manages Will Smith and also
Christina Vidal
Christina Vidal is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in films such as '' Life with Mikey'', ''Brink!'', ''Freaky Friday'', '' See No Evil'' and for her role in Nickelodeon sitcom '' Taina'', in which she played the ...
(MCA Records, Nickelodeon's Taina),
Jordan Knight
Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (born May 17, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is a singer in the boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, using a falsetto style of singing influenced by ...
(Interscope Records),
Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...
(J Records), singer/songwriter
Javier Javier may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Javier, in video game ''Advance Wars: Dual Strike''
* Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.
* Javier (album), ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier ...
(Capitol Records), Singer/songwriter Maria (DreamWorks Records), and
Samantha Mumba
Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba (born 18 January 1983) is an Irish singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, fashion model and TV presenter. In 2000, at the age of 17, she shot to fame with the release of her debut single "Gotta Tell You", which ...
(Polydor/Interscope records.
In December 2007, Dukakis returned to Boston to serve as Senior Vice President heading up Hill Holliday's emerging branded-entertainment division.
Filmography
*''
Jaws 2
''Jaws 2'' is a 1978 American thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg's ''Jaws'' (1975), and the second installment in the ''Jaws'' franchise. The film stars Roy Scheider a ...
'' (1978) – Polo
*''
Taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
'' (1979)
*''
Delusion
A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some o ...
'' (1980) – Gabriel Langrock
*''
King of the Mountain'' (1981) – Duke
*''
Making Love
''Making Love'' is a 1982 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean. The film tells the story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality and the love triangle that dev ...
'' (1982) – Tim
*''
Split Image'' (1982) – Aaron
*''
Family Ties
''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...
'' (1983) – Jeff
*''Three Sovereigns for Sarah'' (1985) - Joseph Putman
References
External links
*
John Dukakis to run division of Hill Holliday
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dukakis, John
1958 births
Living people
Male actors from Boston
Actors from Newton, Massachusetts
Businesspeople from San Jose, California
Male actors from San Jose, California
American male film actors
Brown University alumni
Dukakis family