Chris Columbus in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Following the phenomenal worldwide success of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, director CHRIS COLUMBUS (DIRECTOR and EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) returns to the helm of the second film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s much loved books.
Prior to this, Columbus is perhaps best known for directing one of the highest grossing motion pictures comedies of all time, Home Alone, and its hugely successful follow-up, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
In 1998, Columbus also directed the drama Stepmom with Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. Other directing credits include: Nine Months, which he also wrote and produced, and the hit comedy Mrs. Doubtfire starring Robin Williams and Sally Field.
Columbus was born in Spangler, Pennsylvania and grew up outside of Youngstown, Ohio. As a youngster, he aspired to draw cartoons for Marvel Comics and eventually discovered that comic books resemble movie storyboards. In high school, he began making 8mm films and drawing his own storyboards (which he continues to do for his films today). After high school, he enrolled in the Directors Program at New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.
Columbus first attained success as a screenwriter. While still in college he sold his first script Jocks, a semi-autobiographical comedy about a Catholic schoolboy who tries out for a football team.
After graduating from NYU, Chris wrote a small town drama entitled Reckless, based on his experiences as a factory worker in Ohio. He gained prominence in Hollywood writing several original scripts for Steven Spielberg: the 1984 comedy thriller Gremlins, the 1985 adventure Goonies and the fantasy Young Sherlock Homes, which was directed by Barry Levinson.
These screenwriting achievements led Chris to directing his first feature Adventures in Babysitting. A meeting with John Hughes brought Columbus to the helm on Home Alone, the first of three films together including Only the Lonely, which he directed from his own screenplay.
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