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Renny Harlin (born 15 March 1959) is a Finnish
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...
, producer, and
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. ...
who has made his career in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. His best-known films include '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master'', ''
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane ''The Adventures of Ford Fairlane'' is a 1990 American action comedy mystery film directed by Renny Harlin and written by David Arnott, James Cappe, and Daniel Waters based on a story by Arnott and Cappe. The film stars comedian Andrew Di ...
'', ''
Die Hard 2 ''Die Hard 2'' (also known by its tagline ''Die Harder'')The film's onscreen title is ''Die Hard 2'', as also given at the initial home-video release'official website The film's original advertising used "Die Harder" as a tagline, and many rele ...
'', '' Cliffhanger'', '' The Long Kiss Goodnight'', and '' Deep Blue Sea''. Harlin's films have grossed over $520 million in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
and over $1.2 billion in the worldwide aggregate box office, making him the 151st highest-grossing director in the global film market , and the most internationally successful Finnish filmmaker in terms of revenue. His 1993 film ''Cliffhanger'' is in the ''
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' for the costliest aerial stunt ever performed. His 1995 film '' Cutthroat Island'' held the Guinness World Record for the former category "Largest box office loss".


Early life, family and education

Harlin was born Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola in Riihimäki,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
. His father was Oiva Harjola (formerly Harlin), a chief
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
at Riihimäki Hospital, and his mother was Liisa Koskiluoma, a
nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
. Since 1987, Renny's surname has been Harlin, his father's original surname. Renny has a half-brother, Veli-Pekka Harjola, who competed at the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...
in sprint canoeing.


Career


Early years

After studying at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Harlin started his career in the film business in the beginning of the 1980s, directing commercials and company films for companies like Shell. Later, he worked as a buyer for a Finnish
film distributor A film distributor is responsible for the marketing of a film. The distribution company may be the same with, or different from, the production company. Distribution deals are an important part of financing a film. The distributor may set the ...
and met fellow Finn Markus Selin in Los Angeles in 1982. They became friends and started writing a
screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...
called "Arctic Heat", which later evolved into '' Born American'', with Mike Norris in the leading role. They secured financing from the U.S., and in 1986, ''Born American'' became the most expensive Finnish film ever. It opened in the U.S. in over 1,000 theaters. By July 9, 1986, he set up his own production company with partner Markus Selin, Larmark Productions, with the first two projects went low-budget, and it was a
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
-based production company. Harlin moved to Los Angeles and got a job from
Irwin Yablans Irwin Yablans (born July 25, 1934) is an American independent film producer and distributor known for his work in the horror film industry. His brother, Frank Yablans, was also a producer. Life and career Yablans was born to a Jewish family i ...
, who offered him a script of ''
Prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...
'' to film. The film was made with a low budget and distributed with only 42 copies. In the same year, 1988, he got a job from
New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...
to direct '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master'' (1988) after meeting producer Robert Shaye, who at first did not want Harlin to direct the film. It became the highest-grossing film in the series until the 2003 release of ''
Freddy vs. Jason ''Freddy vs. Jason'' is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a crossover between the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' and ''Friday the 13th'' series, being the eighth installment ...
'', and its budget was seven times greater than the original '' A Nightmare on Elm Street''.


Breakthrough and the 1990s

After the success of '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master'', Harlin was set to direct the science-fiction thriller '' Alien 3''. He was attached to the project for a little over a year, but he left due to creative differences with the producers. The comedy ''
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane ''The Adventures of Ford Fairlane'' is a 1990 American action comedy mystery film directed by Renny Harlin and written by David Arnott, James Cappe, and Daniel Waters based on a story by Arnott and Cappe. The film stars comedian Andrew Di ...
'' and the action thriller ''
Die Hard 2 ''Die Hard 2'' (also known by its tagline ''Die Harder'')The film's onscreen title is ''Die Hard 2'', as also given at the initial home-video release'official website The film's original advertising used "Die Harder" as a tagline, and many rele ...
'' were edited simultaneously and released a week apart in 1990. The former flopped, but the latter was a commercial success. Harlin achieved critical acclaim the following year when he produced '' Rambling Rose'' through his own Midnight Sun Pictures for director Martha Coolidge. The film won Best Feature at the 1992
Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic gla ...
and earned its star and Harlin's then-partner
Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born to actor Bruce Dern and act ...
a Best Actress Oscar nomination at the 1992 Academy Awards. Harlin, Markus Selin and a number of other businessmen founded the indoor amusement park Planet FunFun in
Kerava Kerava (; sv, Kervo) is a town and municipality within the Uusimaa region of Finland. The municipalities of Vantaa, Sipoo and Tuusula are adjacent to Kerava, which is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area. The town has a population of () ...
, Finland, in 1992, which included everything from a tropical park to a cinema park, the latter of which Harlin also gave his own special stamp to by loaning his film sets and props to special theme rooms. The park also hosted
sports competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...
s and filmed
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
. However Planet FunFun was short-lived, closing in 1995. 1993's action thriller '' Cliffhanger'' was Harlin's first film with
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
. Harlin's career suffered a blow with the pirate adventure film '' Cutthroat Island'' in 1995, which starred Harlin's then-wife, Geena Davis. ''Cutthroat Island'' was one of the biggest box-office bombs of all time, losing $147 million and leading to the bankruptcy of
Carolco Pictures Carolco Pictures, Inc. was an American independent film studio that existed from 1976 to 1995, founded by Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna. Kassar and Vajna ran Carolco together until 1989, when Vajna left to form Cinergi Pictures. Carolco hit ...
. Harlin did go on to have moderate success with '' Long Kiss Goodnight'', starring Samuel L. Jackson and Davis in 1996, and the science fiction horror film '' Deep Blue Sea'' in 1999.


2000s

Harlin wanted to direct a movie based on
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
, but unable to secure the rights, he instead produced the film ''Driven'' in 2001, based on the American
Champ Car Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ...
series. Harlin took over directing the action mystery film '' Mindhunters'' when the original director Peter Howitt dropped out, but the release was delayed by studio conflicts. Harlin went on to re-shoot a more traditional horror version of '' Exorcist: The Beginning'' (2004), after the studio was unhappy with the version cut by director
Paul Schrader Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first received widespread recognition through his screenplay for Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collabo ...
, which was more of a psychological drama. ''Mindhunters'' was released in the US in 2005. Harlin directed the WWE Studios action movie '' 12 Rounds'', starring
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
. It was released in March 2009. In 2009, Harlin directed an independent war film in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. The film, ''
5 Days of War ''5 Days of War'' is a 2011 action film directed by Renny Harlin. The story is about the Russo-Georgian War over the Russian-backed breakaway autonomous republic of South Ossetia in Georgia, including the events leading up to the conflict. The ...
'', was a story about the 2008 war between
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
and
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
in the region of South Ossetia. The film included real-life figures, including Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, played by Andy García.


2010s and move to China

Harlin next directed the 2013 film '' Devil's Pass'', set in Russia's
Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...
and loosely based on the Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959, when nine experienced hikers were found dead. Harlin then directed ''
The Legend of Hercules ''The Legend of Hercules'' is a 2014 American 3D action fantasy film directed by Renny Harlin, written by Daniel Giat and Sean Hood, and starring Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins, Roxanne McKee, and Liam Garrigan. It was distributed by Lions ...
'', which opened in theatres on 10 January 2014. One of two Hercules movies released in 2014 – the other being ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...
'', starring
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
– it was critically panned and was a box-office bomb. Harlin directed the 2016 action comedy film '' Skiptrace'', which starred
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
alongside Johnny Knoxville and Fan Bingbing. He then directed the 2018 film ''
Legend of the Ancient Sword ''Legend of the Ancient Sword'' ( zh, 古剑奇谭之流月昭明) is a Chinese fantasy-adventure-action film directed by Renny Harlin and based on the video game '' Gu Jian Qi Tan 2''. The film was released worldwide on October 1, 2018. Plot Due ...
'' for Alibaba Pictures, based on a Chinese
role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing only $1.25 million against a budget of $11 million. More recently, his film '' The Misfits'' received U.S. and international deals. In 2021, he was selected as jury member at 11th Beijing International Film Festival for Tiantan Awards.


Unproduced and upcoming films

In 1999, Harlin began developing the action-comedy ''Nosebleed'' at
New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...
'','' starring
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
as a
window washer A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent mat ...
who foils a terrorist attack to destroy the World Trade Center. The film was delayed after changing studios to MGM in May 2001. After the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
the plot was drastically rewritten ultimately before being completely shelved. Chan later told '' Oriental Daily News'' that the film was scheduled to begin filming at the North Tower less than two hours before it was hit by American Airlines Flight 11, and that he only escaped the attack because he made a last-minute decision to travel to
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
to begin filming '' The Tuxedo'' instead. However, Chan's claim has been criticized as improbable since the production was delayed after the change in studios and since he was contracted for the production of ''The Tuxedo'' in Toronto months before the attacks. Harlin's next project after '' Driven'' was to be a movie adaptation of the
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and ...
short story '' A Sound of Thunder'', but Harlin left the project after a disagreement with Bradbury. Although the director was changed, Harlin was credited as a producer when the finished
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...
was released in 2005. In 2006, Harlin collaborated with Markus Selin to direct a biopic of the Finnish President and Marshal of Finland
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as c ...
, but budget constraints put the project on hold. Instead, Harlin made another foray into low-budget horror with '' The Covenant'', which was another moderate commercial success. In 2007 the Mannerheim film project resumed temporarily and Harlin returned to Finland. The screenplay was written by Heikki Vihinen and Marko Leino, and was scheduled to be the largest film production in Finnish history. Production began in 2008 with Mikko Nousiainen starring as Mannerheim, and the film was to premiere in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
on January 15, 2010. However, 30% of the funding was cut by one of the financiers due to the
Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...
, and the delay meant that the time window for shooting the winter scenes during the spring of 2009 passed. Pre-production finally commenced in 2010, and the project was assigned to
Dome Karukoski Thomas "Dome" August George Karukoski (; born 29 December 1976) is a Finnish film director. He is considered to be one of Finland's most successful film directors, having won over 30 festival awards and having directed six feature films that beca ...
in August 2011. In 2007, it was announced that Harlin would direct an adaptation of the comic-book series '' Brodie's Law''. In 2011 it was reported that he was planning a sequel to '' The Long Kiss Goodnight''. On 16 June 2017 it was announced Harlin will direct ''Hanging Coffins'' for
Shanghai Film Group Shanghai Film Group Corporation () is a film, animation and documentary production company under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group conglomerate. In 2001, it was announced to be a combination of a number of studios, all of which are locate ...
and Shanghai New Wave Films. On 18 June 2017, it was announced Harlin will direct ''Operation Somalia''. The film's story, based on true events, revolves around a rescue operation against Somali pirates mounted by Chinese Special Operations Forces. On 8 May 2018, it was announced Harlin will direct ''Solara'', a Chinese sci-fi epic revolving around an international team that must work together to save Earth from a global catastrophe. On 18 June 2018 it was announced Harlin will direct ''Operation Wild''. On January 19, 2021, it was announced that Harlin will direct the new '' Inspector Palmu'' film, based on a character created by Finnish writer Mika Waltari.


Personal life

Harlin was married to actress Geena Davis from 1993 to 1998. Harlin was unfaithful to Davis and she filed for divorce shortly after her personal secretary, Tiffany Bowne, gave birth to Harlin's first child, Luukas "Luke" Harlin, in August 1997. Since September 2021, Harlin has been married to fitness athlete and school teacher Johanna Harlin née Kokkila. They have a baby girl who was born in
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, Florida, in July 2022. Harlin lived in the United States from the mid-1980s until 2014, when he moved to China. After Harlin finished the shooting of the Finnish film '' Reunion 3: Singles Cruise'' in 2020, he moved to
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
, Bulgaria. He now has daughter Coco Liisa Maria Harlin worh spouse Johanna Harlin.


Filmography


Films


Short films


Television


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harlin, Renny 1959 births Living people Finnish film directors American film directors English-language film directors Finnish emigrants to the United States Mountaineering film directors Action film directors Horror film directors People from Riihimäki 20th-century Finnish male artists 21st-century Finnish male artists Finnish expatriates in China Finnish expatriates in Bulgaria