ANDREW DAVIS (Producer/Director) is a filmmaker with a reputation for directing intelligent action thrillers, most notably the Academy Award®-nominated box-office hit, “The Fugitive,” starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The film received seven Academy Award® nominations including Best Picture and earned Jones a Best Supporting Actor award. Davis garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director and a Directors Guild of America nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Direction.
In reviewing “The Fugitive,” film critic Roger Ebert commended Davis, noting that he “transcends genre and shows an ability to marry action and artistry that deserves comparison with Hitchcock, David Lean, and Carol Reed. He paints with bold, visual strokes.”
Davis is the son of parents who met in a repertory theater company in Chicago, where he was raised. (His father, Nathan, plays Stanley’s Grandfather in “Holes.”) He received his degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and began his work in motion pictures as an assistant cameraman to renowned cinematographer and director Haskell Wexler on the 1969 classic “Medium Cool.” Wexler’s ultra-realistic approach was to have a great influence on Davis, who then became a director of photography on numerous award-winning television commercials and documentaries, as well as on studio and independent features. In 1976, joined by many of his 20 fellow cinematographers, Davis challenged the IATSE union’s restrictive studio roster system in a landmark class action suit that forced the industry to open its doors to young technicians in all crafts.
Davis made his directorial debut in 1978 with the critically acclaimed independent musical, “Stony Island,” which he also co-wrote and produced. It was followed by the thriller “The Final Terror” for producer Joe Roth, which starred then-newcomers Darryl Hannah, Joe Pantoliano, Rachel Ward and Adrian Zmed. Davis then co-wrote the screenplay for Harry Belafonte’s rap musical “Beat Street” before moving into the director’s chair fulltime for Mike Medavoy with “Code of Silence.” Davis directed, co-produced and co-wrote “Above the Law,” Steven Seagal’s feature debut. Davis then directed “The Package,” starring Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones. In “Under Siege,” Davis teamed Steven Seagal with Tommy Lee Jones, resulting in Fall 1992’s top-grossing picture.
Davis’ other directorial credits include “Collateral Damage,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; “A Perfect Murder,” starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Viggo Mortensen; “Chain Reaction,” starring Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman; and “Steal Big, Steal Little,” starring Andy Garcia and Alan Arkin.
Davis’ production company, Chicago Pacific Entertainment, is based out of Santa Barbara.
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