Andrew Davis (filmmaker)

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Andrew Davis (filmmaker) bigraphy, stories - Film

Andrew Davis (filmmaker) : biography

21 November 1946 –

Andrew Davis (born November 21, 1946) is an American film director, producer and cinematographer who has directed a number of action thrillers including Code of Silence, Above the Law, Under Siege and The Fugitive.

Filmography

  • 1978: Stony Island
  • 1982: The Final Terror
  • 1985: Code of Silence
  • 1988: Above the Law
  • 1989: The Package
  • 1992: Under Siege
  • 1993: The Fugitive
  • 1995: Steal Big Steal Little
  • 1996: Chain Reaction
  • 1998: A Perfect Murder
  • 2002: Collateral Damage
  • 2003: Holes
  • 2006: The Guardian

Davis received nominations for Golden Globe and DGA awards in the Best Director category for his work on The Fugitive.

Collaborations

Davis often casts different actors more than once in his films, except A Perfect Murder. Nathan Davis (his now deceased father), Tommy Lee Jones, Ron Dean and Joseph F. Kosala are his most frequent collaborations.

Actors

Actor The Final Terror Code of Silence Above the Law The Package Under Siege The Fugitive Steal Big Steal Little Chain Reaction Collateral Damage Holes The Guardian
Raymond Cruz
Nathan Davis
Ron Dean
Danny Goldring
Pam Grier
Tommy Lee Jones
Joseph F. Kosala
Jane Lynch
Joe Pantoliano
Andy Romano
Chelcie Ross
Steven Seagal
Henry Silva
Eddie Bo Smith Jr.
Sela Ward
Tom Wood

Biography

Davis was born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and has directed several films using Chicago as a backdrop. He is the son of actor Nathan Davis and Metta Davis and the brother of musician Richard "Richie" Peter Davis (co-founder of the cover band Chicago Catz) and Jo Ellen Friedman.

After attending the Harand Camp of the Theater Arts summer camp program and Bowen High School, Davis went on to study journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was not long before his interest in civil rights and anti-war issues converged with his growing interest in film-making. Davis was mentored by acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler with whom he worked on Medium Cool and began his film career as a cameraman on blaxploitation films like The Hit Man, Cool Breeze and The Slams in the 1970s.

His first feature film as a director was the semi-biographical story Stony Island. The film was finally released on DVD on April 24th 2012, thirty-four years after its theatrical release. Davis later directed such films as The Fugitive, Under Siege, Above the Law (both starring Steven Seagal), Code of Silence, Holes, The Package and The Guardian. Davis also directed the cutscenes for the videogame Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

In October 2006, he told a London press conference that he intends to make a film fusing the novels Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes and Tom Jones by Henry Fielding.