John Badham

Biography

John MacDonald Badham (born August 25, 1939) is an English film director, best known for films Saturday Night Fever (1977), Blue Thunder (1983), WarGames (1983), Short Circuit (1986), Stakeout (1987), Bird on a Wire (1990) and others. Biography Badham was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, the son of Mary Iola (née Hewitt), an actress. Badham's website states that his father "was a U S Army general" who "moved the family back to...Alabama". Henry Lee Badham Jr married Mary Hewitt secondly, his first wife Lottie (née Austin) is buried beside Henry and Mary at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama. Henry Lee Badham Jr was an aviator in both world wars and was posthumously inducted into the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame in 2007. After retirement from the US Air Force as a Brigadier General, Henry L Badham Jr became a businessman, involved with the development of the Ensley and Bessemer regions near Birmingham, Alabama. This same line of business had brought his father, Henry Lee Badham Sr, into association with Walker Percy, grandfather of writer Walker Percy. John Badham was raised in Birmingham, Alabama in the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen in 1950. He attended Indian Springs School in Alabama and college at Yale University. Badham had worked for television for years before his breakthrough in 1977 with Saturday Night Fever. Starring John Travolta, the film is recognized as the most representational of the 1970s disco era. WarGames (1983), starring Matthew Broderick, is his other signature film, renowned for its take on popular Cold War fears of nuclear terror and holocaust as well as of amateur hacking. In addition to his numerous film credits, Badham has also directed and produced for TV, including credits for Rod Serling's Night Gallery and the A&E television series The Beast. He has also contributed commentary to the web series Trailers From Hell. Family Badham is the older brother (by 13 years) of Mary Badham, Oscar-nominated for To Kill a Mockingbird. Brother and sister have never worked together on the same project, however. Though she's younger, all of Mary's acting credits preceded John's film/television credits by several years. John's former wife is veteran model Jan Speck, 15 years his junior, of The New Treasure Hunt fame. She has had assorted cameo roles in many of his projects, starting in the 1980s. Filmography The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) Saturday Night Fever (1977) Dracula (1979) Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981) Blue Thunder (1983) WarGames (1983) American Flyers (1985) Short Circuit (1986) Stakeout (1987) Bird on a Wire (1990) The Hard Way (1991) Point of No Return (1993) Another Stakeout (1993) Drop Zone (1994) Nick of Time (1995) Incognito (1998) TV films The Senator (also known as The Bold Ones: The Senator), NBC (1970) Sarge, NBC, (1971) The Impatient Heart, NBC (1971) The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes, Night Gallery (also known as Rod Serling's Night Gallery), NBC (1971) Camera Obscura, Night Gallery, NBC (1971) Green Fingers, Night Gallery, NBC (1971) The Girl with the Hungry Eyes, Night Gallery, NBC (1972) You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan, Night Gallery, NBC (1972) The Doll of Death, Night Gallery, NBC (1972) (Uncredited) No Place to Run, (1972) The Sixth Sense, ABC (1972) Isn't It Shocking?, ABC (1973) The Godchild, ABC (1974) The Gun, ABC (1974) Reflections of Murder, ABC (1974) The Law, NBC (1974) Sunshine, NBC (1975) The Keegans, CBS (1976) Relentless: Mind of a Killer (also known as Mood Indigo), NBC (1993) The Jack Bull, HBO (1999) The Last Debate, Showtime (2000) (from Wikipedia)