John Byrum

John Byrum (born March 14, 1947 in Winnetka , Illinois ) is an American director and screenwriter .

The Midwestern boy went to New York and studied at film school there. There Byrum was able to work on The Muppets as Jim Henson's assistant . At the same time he wrote scripts for the American version of the children's program Sesame Street . He started his film career in 1975 as a writer for the flop Have a Nice Weekend . In the same year he got the chance to work as a director. For his directorial debut close-ups he was able to work with Richard Dreyfuss . The 1976 film Harry and Walter Go to New York , for which he wrote the script from one of his own stories, was very successful. At Heart Beat 1980 he served as both a director and a writer. The two main actors Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek received praise for their work. Byrum furnished his productions very lavishly, but compared to the original pieces they remained pale. The reviews of his work were harsh, the audience stayed away. When The Whopee Boys also failed in 1986, Byrum decided to move on to television.

His television contributions were not very numerous: After his debut on NBC in 1985 , Byrum directed the film Murder from Above in 1991, starring Hunter S. Thompson . Set up as a pilot for a series, the film was not very successful. With his next project he was at least better received by the critics, even if the viewers in 1992 were not particularly impressed with Middle Ages . As a screenwriter for series, Byrum was in great demand. The Watcher from 1995 and especially the television film Dream Couples - Over Night to Star were successful series. The television film he was involved in production was actually planned as early as 1995 with Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt . But the couple separated and the project could not be completed until 1999 with Scott Speedman .

John Byrum now lives in Connecticut with his second wife, Karin, and their two children .

Filmography (a selection)

• 1974: Close-ups (inserts) - direction, screenplay
• 1975: Mahogany (Mahogany) - co-script
• 1976: And tomorrow a thing will be shot (Harry and Walter Go to New York) - screenplay
• 1980: Heart Beat - director, screenplay
• 1981: The Curse of the Sphinx (Sphinx) - screenplay
• 1984: The Razor's Edge (The Razor's Edge) - Director, Screenplay
• 1986: The Whoopee Boys (The Whoopee Boys) - Director
• 1991: Murder in High Places - director, screenplay
• 2000: Dream Couples - Overnight Star (Duets) - Screenplay, Production

Web links

• John Byrum in the Internet Movie Database (English)