JOHN DAHL
Date of Birth: 1956
Born and raised with his brother, producer and writer Rick, in Billings, Montana, Dahl had an early interest in art, music and drama, which led to his fondness for film. He attended Montana State University, where he earned a B.S. in film production. Following completion of his studies, Dahl moved to Washington, DC, to work as an assistant director. The craving for directing
then became too great, and he went to the American Film Institute in 1982 where
he became a directing fellow. Following his stint at AFI, he worked as a
storyboard artist on commercials and music videos.
He later did the storyboard art for the features, Robocop, Something Wild and Married to the Mob. In 1989, he made his directorial debut
with Kill Me Again (1989), which he co-wrote. The film developed its own cult
following, and led to a second film, Red Rock West (1992) - a familiar
hard-boiled story: seduction, double-crosses, and murder ensue when a stranger
pulls into town and gets confused for a hit man hired to kill the
adulterous wife of the local sheriff. Originally acquired for TV distribution,
the film received such raves on the festival circuit that it was picked up for
theatrical release on a platform basis.
The Last Seduction (1994) starred Linda Fiorentino as a cold-hearted
woman who steals drug money from her scum husband (Bill Pullman) and lures
a country simpleton into a world of treachery and murder. Named one
of the best pictures of the year by many film critics, the film garnered
Fiorentino the Best Actress award from the New York Critics circle and an
Independent Feature Project's Spirit award. Dahl's follow up films,
Unforgettable (1996) and Rounders (1998) weren't half as successful, being
panned by critics and ignored by viewers.
Dahl started off the millennium with another thriller, Joy Ride (2001), followed by a war movie, The Great Raid (2005), neither of which made a dent at the box office. In You Kill Me (2007), he directed a star-filled cast that includes Luke Wilson, Téa Leoni and Ben Kingsley.
He and his wife, Beth, have four children.
Filmography:
You Kill Me (2007)
The Great Raid (2005)
Joy Ride (2001)
Striking Back: A Jewish Commando's War Against the Nazis (1998)
Rounders (1998)
Unforgettable (1996)
The Last Seduction (1994)
Red Rock West (1992)
Kill Me Again (1989)