__NOTOC__ Jonathan Avnet (born November 17, 1949) is an American director, writer and producer. Avnet was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, the son of Joan Bertha (née Grossman) and Lester Francis Avnet, a corporate executive with Avnet (a global distributor of IT & electronics) founded by his paternal grandfather, Charles Avnet. He has two siblings, Carole Avnet Rocherolle and Rosalind Avnet Lazarus. He attended Great Neck North High School in

Great Neck, New York Great Neck is a region contained within Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, which covers a peninsula on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore and includes nine incorporated villages, among th ...

. He entered the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, and he earned a B.A. degree in film and theater arts from

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

in 1971. He is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. Avnet addressed political issues with his fourth film '' Red Corner'' in 1997, a movie about the Chinese legal system, starring

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

and

Bai Ling Bai Ling (, born October 10, 1966) is a Chinese American actress and musician. After acting in numerous Chinese productions, she played small roles in American films such as '' The Crow'' (1994) and '' Nixon'' (1995) before starring as the femal ...

. Because of Gere's presence and support for

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

and the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

, they could not film in China, and the settings had to be recreated in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Avnet, however, did film a few scenes in Beijing and also put in some footage of actual Chinese executions.

Personal life

Avnet has been married to the artist Barbara Brody since 1975. They have three children, Alexandra Avnet Costantino, Jacob Avnet, and Lily Avnet; and six grandchildren.

Filmography

Film Television * '' Call to Glory'' (1984–1985) * '' The Burning Bed'' (1984) * '' Between Two Women'' (1986) * '' Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge'' (1995) * '' Mama Flora's Family'' (1998) * '' Uprising'' (2001) * ''

Boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although t ...

'' (2002–2003) * '' The Starter Wife (miniseries)'' (2007) * '' Justified'' (2010–2015) * '' Have a Little Faith'' (2011) * ''

Sneaky Pete ''Sneaky Pete'' is an American black comedy crime drama television series created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston. The series follows Marius Josipović ( Giovanni Ribisi), a released convict who adopts the identity of his cellmate, Pete Murph ...

'' (2018-2019) * '' Manhunt'' (2020) * '' Justified: City Primeval'' (2023) Broadway Plays * ''

Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot: A Musical (Lovingly) Ripped Off from the Motion Picture ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail) is a musical theatre, stage musical with score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, with lyrics and book ...

'' (2004) * '' The Pillowman'' (2005) * '' The History Boys'' (2006) * '' The Seafarer (play)'' (2007) * '' The Country Girl (1950 play)'' (2008)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avnet, Jon 1949 births Film producers from New York (state) AFI Conservatory alumni American television directors Jewish American screenwriters Living people Writers from Brooklyn Sarah Lawrence College alumni John L. Miller Great Neck North High School alumni Film directors from New York City 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male writers