John Patrick Whitesell is an American television and film director. He has directed numerous films such as '' Calendar Girl'', ''

Big Momma's House 2 ''Big Momma's House 2'' is a 2006 American crime comedy film, the sequel to 2000's ''Big Momma's House'' and the second installment of the ''Big Momma'' film series. The film was directed by John Whitesell and starring Martin Lawrence reprising h ...

'' and ''

Holidate ''Holidate'' is a 2020 American romantic comedy film directed by John Whitesell, from a screenplay by Tiffany Paulsen. It stars Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Jake Manley, Jessica Capshaw, Andrew Bachelor, Frances Fisher, Manish Dayal and Kristin Che ...

''. He started his career as a film director in 1993.

Early life and education

Whitesell is the son of Patricia and John Patrick "Jack" Whitesell. He has five brothers

Sean Whitesell Sean Whitesell (March 11, 1963 – December 28, 2015) was an American film and television actor, writer and producer. Early life and education Whitesell was born in Iowa Falls, Iowa,Christopher Whitesell Christopher Whitesell is an American television soap opera writer. He has served as either co-head writer, associate head writer, or a breakdown writer on the shows he has worked. In April 2012, he was named co-head writer of ''Days of Our Lives' ...

, Thomas,

Patrick Whitesell Patrick Whitesell (born February 4, 1965) is an American businessman and executive chairman of Endeavor, an entertainment and media agency. He joined the Endeavor Talent Agency as a partner in February 2001, where he was a member of the company ...

, and James Whitesell.Deadline: "Sean Whitesell Dies: Television Writer-Producer And Brother Of WME’s Patrick Whitesell Was 52" by Ross A. Lincoln
December 31, 2015
Mar 12, 2001 Originally from

Iowa Falls, Iowa Iowa Falls is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. Iowa Falls is the home of Ellsworth Community College. It is also a regional transportation center, located along U.S. Routes 20 and 65 and the Canadian National and Union Pacific Rai ...

, Whitesell attended

Simpson College Simpson College is a private Methodist liberal arts college in Indianola, Iowa. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has about 1,250 full-time and 300 part-time students. In addition to the Indianola residential campus, Simpso ...

, before moving to New York City to study acting and directing at ''Circle in The Square''.

Career

His credits include ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'', ''

Roseanne ''Roseanne'' is an American sitcom television series created by Matt Williams and Roseanne Barr which aired on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May 22, 2018. The show stars Barr as Roseann ...

'', '' Doctor, Doctor'', ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...

'', ''

Baby Boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are often ca ...

'', ''

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

'' and ''

Tattingers ''Tattingers'' (later ''Tattinger's'') is an American comedy-drama television series that aired by the NBC television network from October 26, 1988, to April 26, 1989, as part of its 1988 fall lineup. After failing in the Nielsen ratings as an ...

''. He won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

(Outstanding Direction For A Daytime Drama Series - John Whitesell, Bruce S. Barry,

Matthew Diamond Matthew Diamond (born November 26, 1951) is an American film and television director, producer and choreographer best known for directing '' Dancemaker''. Life and career Matthew Diamond was born in New York City, the son of Irwin and Pearl (n� ...

, Irene M. Pace, Robert D. Kochman, Joanne Rivituso, and Joanne Sedwick) for his work on CBS Daytime's ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'', and worked on '' Another World'' (

NBC Daytime NBC Daytime was the daytime programming block of NBC. It historically featured many soap operas, game shows, and talk shows. Its main competitors were CBS Daytime and ABC Daytime. Game shows were discontinued from NBC Daytime's lineup in 1994 a ...

), ''

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

'' and ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focu ...

'' (as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

in November 1985 - December 1986)."

Theatre

His theater credits include ''Happily Ever After'', ''And That's the Way It Was'', ''Solo for Two Voices'', ''Towards Zero'', and ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...

''.

Personal life

He is married to Jolie Barnett. They are members of

Kehillat Israel Kehillat Israel is a Reconstructionist congregation in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. They are one of two Reconstructionist synagogues in greater Los Angeles (the other being the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue). Their senior rabbi is Amy Bern ...

.Kehillat Israel: "COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY"
retrieved December 5, 2016

Filmography as director

*'' Calendar Girl'' (1993) *''

See Spot Run ''See Spot Run'' is a 2001 American comedy film about a mailman who takes in a stray bullmastiff, the titular Spot, only to learn that he is a trained FBI dog that has escaped from a witness protection program and is targeted for attacking a ...

'' (2001) *''

Malibu's Most Wanted ''Malibu's Most Wanted'' is a 2003 American comedy film written by and starring Jamie Kennedy and co-starring Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, Blair Underwood, Regina Hall, Damien Dante Wayans, Ryan O'Neal, and Snoop Dogg. The film is written by t ...

'' (2003) *''

'' (2006) *''

Deck the Halls "Deck the Hall” is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862. ...

'' (2006) *'' Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son'' (2011) *'' Thunderstruck'' (2012) *''

'' (2020)

References

External links

*http://www.luc.edu/umc/newsroom/inthenews/021306_5.pdf *http://www.easterntalent.net/talent/bill-berner/ *http://www.emmys.com/shows/john-larroquette-show * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitesell, John American television directors Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Iowa Falls, Iowa Film directors from Iowa American Reconstructionist Jews Whitesell family