J. F. Lawton

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Jonathan Fredrick Lawton is a screenwriter and director. Screen credits include Pretty Woman, Mistress, Blankman, Under Siege, and under the assumed name JD Athens Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death and Pizza Man starring Bill Maher.

He is the son of Harry Lawton who wrote the book Tell them Willie Boy's Here which was made into a film starring Robert Blake and Robert Redford. Harry also founded the Creative Writing Program at the University of California at Riverside as well as helping found the California Museum of Photography and the Malki press.

Lawton studied filmmaking at California State University, Long Beach and then wrote a number of screenplays, one of which, Three Thousand, was selected by the prestigious Sundance Institute for their screenwriting workshop.

Three Thousand was later purchased by Disney Studios and the title changed to Pretty Woman. The film was directed by Garry Marshall and starred Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. It became the largest grossing live action film in Disney history with over $400 million in world wide box office. Lawton was nominated for a Writer's Guild of America Award and a British Academy Award for this screenplay.

He executive produced his next original screenplay, Under Siege starring Tommy Lee Jones and Steven Seagal for Warner Bros. It broke records for a fall theatrical release and a successful sequel followed Under Siege II: Dark Territory.

Lawton co-wrote Mistress with Barry Primus. He also wrote and directed The Hunted, which starred Christopher Lambert and John Lone for Universal Pictures. He co-wrote Blankman and Chain Reaction. He created and exec produced the Sony Television hit syndicated show V.I.P. starring Pamela Anderson through a successful five year run. Lawton's latest film, Dead or Alive, will be released in 2006 and he is developing Under Siege III.

His brother is the folk artist, George Lawton.