Christopher Joseph Columbus
,
Spangler, Pennsylvania, USA
Birthday
1958-09-10
Occupation
Director, Screenplay
Spouse(s)
Monica Devereux (1983 - present) (4 children)
Years Active
1984–present
Biography
Christopher Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker. Columbus is known for directing movies such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) and for writing movies such as Gremlins (1984) and The Goonies (1985).
Home Alone received a British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Film. Columbus received an Academy Award nomination for producing The Help (2011).
Columbus worked as a screenwriter with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, working on Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985) and Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). He wrote the first episodes of the animated series Galaxy High (1986) and later made his directorial debut with the teen comedy Adventures in Babysitting (1987) and Heartbreak Hotel (1988).
His directorial work includes Home Alone (1990), Only the Lonely (1991), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Nine Months (1995), Stepmom (1998), Bicentennial Man (1999), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Rent (2005), I Love You Beth Cooper (2009), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) and most recently Pixels (2015)
He was the producer of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), the third film in the Harry Potter film series, and received an Academy Award nomination for producing The Help (2011).
Columbus founded his production company named 1492 Pictures in 1995.
The character types preferred by Columbus are the everyday American men, women and children who struggle to uphold family traditions against a changing, sometimes intimidating society. In 1993 he said: "I can understand the validity of showing people the ugliness of the world, but I also think there is a place for movies to leave people with a sense of hope. If your film isn't going to do that, I just don't think it's worth making."
Columbus created the House of Secrets book series with Ned Vizzini and co-founded a new animation studio called ZAG Animation Studios with Saban Capital Group and ZAG Entertainment.
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