Jonathan Sanger

Jonathan Sanger (born April 21, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American film, television, and theater producer and director.

Jonathan Sanger
Born	(1944-04-21) April 21, 1944 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.A
Nationality	American
Citizenship	United States
Occupation	Film Director, Producer, Media Consultant
Years active	1971–present
Notable work	The Elephant Man, Vanilla Sky, Flight of the Navigator, Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall, Frances
Spouse(s)	Carla Sanger
Children	David Sanger and Christopher Sanger

Early life and career

Sanger spent much of his early childhood traveling with his family around Central and South America. Sanger's interest in theater stemmed from his undergraduate years at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was Chairman of the Board of The Pennsylvania Players, and President of the Performing Arts Council. At the graduate level, Sanger attended the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, studying documentary and biography based filmmaking. After graduating, Sanger joined the Peace Corps in a special program with an emphasis on television and film production. Sanger was assigned to help create an Educational Television station in Montevideo, Uruguay. He later transferred to Bogotá, Colombia, to make films for ICODES, the Colombian Institute of Social Development. After his Peace Corps term was completed, Sanger worked on documentary films in Ecuador, Chile and Mexico for NBC's International Zone. Soon after, he became Associate Editor for Americás, a cultural magazine published by The Organization of American States, where he wrote and translated articles. Sanger was contracted by the Encyclopædia Britannica to write the article on Bogotá, Colombia for Britannica 3.[1][2][3]

Film

In 1971, Sanger was accepted as a member of the Directors Guild of America Training Program, and worked on several films shot in New York City, among which were Across 110th Street, Harry and Tonto and Next Stop, Greenwich Village. Moving to Los Angeles in 1976, Sanger worked for Lorimar Television on the network Television series The Blue Knight and Eight Is Enough. In 1978, he was Mel Brooks' Assistant Director on High Anxiety, which led to a long professional association. For Brooks' wife, Anne Bancroft's feature directorial debut Fatso, Sanger served as Associate Producer. During this period, Sanger had acquired the rights to the script of The Elephant Man.[4] Sanger bought the script to Brooks' newly created independent production company, and The Elephant Man was chosen as the company's first project; it was Sanger's debut feature film producing credit. It received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and was awarded the BAFTA Award for Best Film in 1980 and the French César Award for Best Foreign Film.[5][6][7]

Film producing

Sanger has produced over fifty films, shorts and documentaries, including the 1982 film Frances,[8][9][10] a biography starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley and Sam Shepard. Sanger joined Cruise/Wagner Productions (Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner's production company) in 1996. He executive produced Without Limits,[11] Suspect Zero and Vanilla Sky[12][13] as well as supervising production on Mission: Impossible 2[14] as well as all the Cruise/Wagner Productions over his six years with that company. Other films produced by Sanger include Flight of the Navigator [15] for Walt Disney Productions, The Doctor and the Devils for Twentieth Century Fox, The Producers,[16] 100 Feet, and Paraíso Travel[17][18][19][20]

Directing career

Among Sanger's directing credits are: Code Name: Emerald,[21] a World War II spy drama; Down Came a Blackbird[22][23] a television film for Showtime Networks, nominated for three CableACE Awards; and several movies-of-the-week for NBC, CBS and ABC. In addition to writing numerous episodic television shows, Sanger also wrote and directed the short film Peacemaker, with Lukas Haas, for PBS' American Playhouse, which was awarded the Best Short Subject at the Houston International Film Festival.[24][25]

Chanticleer Films

In the late 1980s Sanger partnered with fellow producer Jana Sue Memel to create Chanticleer Films as an umbrella company for The Discovery Program. The mission statement of this company was to create an opportunity for film professionals (writers, editors, actors, sound mixers, cinematographers, etc.) to direct a 35mm feature-quality short film. Hundreds of professionals applied for the five directing spots available annually. In the eight years of Sanger's involvement, over forty five films were made; ten were nominated for an Academy Award, and three won. The first film produced by Sanger for the program, Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall, won the Academy Award for Best Short Film in 1988.[26][27][28]

The Academy Film Archive houses the Chanticleer Films Discovery and Directed by Shorts Collection, consisting of 35mm prints and elements for more than sixty short films.[29]

Theater

In 2008, Sanger produced his first musical, the true story of Florence Greenberg, pioneer rock and roll record producer, entitled Baby It's You.[30] The musical started as a workshop production in a West Hollywood theater before moving to the Pasadena Playhouse. Warner Brothers Theatrical Ventures and Universal Music Group became producing partners, and the show made its Broadway debut in March 2010. Sanger has several other musicals in development and also directed his first play, the dystopian drama, The Birthday Present - 2050 in 2010.[20][31]

Filmography

All films, he was producer unless otherwise noted.

Film

Year	Film	Notes
1979	A Force of One	Associate producer
1980	Fatso	Associate producer
	The Elephant Man
1982	Frances
1985	Code Name: Emerald	Co-producer
	The Doctor and the Devils
1986	Flight of the Navigator	Executive producer
1988	The Jogger
1990	Heart of the Deal	Executive producer
1991	Without a Pass	Executive producer
1993	House of Cards	Co-producer
1994	Sherwood's Travels
1998	Without Limits	Executive producer
2001	Vanilla Sky	Executive producer
2004	Suspect Zero	Executive producer
2005	The Producers
2008	Paraiso Travel	Executive producer
	100 Feet
2013	Altered Minds	Executive producer
2017	Chapter & Verse
	Marshall

As director

Year	Film	Notes
1985	Code Name: Emerald
1989	Peacemaker	Short film

Second unit director or assistant director

Year	Film	Notes
1976	Next Stop, Greenwich Village	Second assistant director
	One Summer Love	Second assistant director
	Hawmps!	Second assistant director
1977	Thieves	Second assistant director
	Nasty Habits	Assistant director
	High Anxiety	Assistant director
1978	Movie Movie	Assistant director
1980	Below the Belt	Assistant director
1998	Without Limits	Second unit director
2001	Vanilla Sky	Second unit director

Production manager

Year	Film	Notes
1978	Movie Movie	Unit production manager
	The Brink's Job	Production manager
1979	A Force of One	Associate producer
1980	Fatso	Unit production manager
2000	Mission: Impossible 2	Executive in charge of production
2008	100 Feet	Unit production manager

As writer

Year	Film	Notes	Credit
1989	Peacemaker	Short film	Screenplay Story

Miscellaneous crew

Year	Film	Notes
2001	The Others	Production consultant

Thanks

Year	Film	Notes
2007	Americanizing Shelley	Grateful acknowledgment

Television

Year	Title	Notes
1989	Teach 109	Television short Executive producer
	Open Window	Television short Executive producer
1990	The Showtime 30-Minute Movie	Executive producer
1991	American Playhouse	Executive producer
	The Letters from Moab	Television short Executive producer
1992	The Washing Machine Man	Television short Executive producer
	Fifteenth Phase of the Moon	Television short Executive producer
	Another Round	Television short Executive producer
1993	The Last Shot	Television short Executive producer
	Lush Life	Television film
	The Great O'Grady	Television short
	Night Driving	Television short Executive producer
1994	Missing Parents	Television short Executive producer
	18 Minutes in Albuquerque	Television short Executive producer
1995	Take Out the Beast	Television short Executive producer
1996	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	Co-executive producer
1998	Grandpa's Funeral	Television short Executive producer
2015	The wHOLE	Executive producer

As director

Year	Title	Notes
1986	L.A. Law	Episode: "Sidney, the Dead-Nosed Reindeer"
1988	Hothouse	Episodes: "His Mother" "Love and Taxes"
1989−90	Wiseguy	Episodes: "People Do It All the Time" "Hello Buckwheat"
1990	Children of the Bride	Television film
	The Flash	Episode: "Sins of the Father"
	Broken Badges	Episode: "Strawberry"
1991	Twin Peaks	Episode: "Variations and Relations"
	American Playhouse	Episode: "Triple Play II" Segment: "Peacemaker"
	The Commish	Episode: "Behind the Storm Door"
	Chance of a Lifetime	Television film
1992	Obsessed	Television film
	Just My Imagination	Television film
	On the Air	Episode: "Episode #1.4"
1993	The Secrets of Lake Success	Episode: "A Family Affair"
1994	seaQuest DSV	Episode: "The Stinger"
1995	Down Came a Blackbird	Television film
	The Marshal	Episodes: "Land of Opportunity" "Kissing Cousins" "'65-'95"
1996	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	Episode: "The Bob Episode"

Production manager

Year	Title	Notes
1977	Eight Is Enough	Unit production manager
1993	12:01	Television film Unit production manager

Other achievements

In addition to twenty Academy Award nominations and three wins, Sanger has won a Christopher Award, a BAFTA ( BAFTA Award for Best Film ), a César Award, Scholastic Magazine's Bell Ringer Award, and a Cine Golden Eagle Award CINE. Sanger was named Filmmaker-in-Residence at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film And Media Arts during the Spring semester of 2010, and was made Adjunct Professor in 2011, teaching a course in Creative Producing. He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1981, and a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) since 1971, serving on its National Board. His other professional organizations include The Producers Guild of America (PGA), The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). In 2016, McFarland & Co. Inc. published Sanger's new book, Making The Elephant Man: A Producer's Memoir.

Family

Sanger is married to Carla Sanger, and has two sons: David and Christopher Sanger. He has two grandsons, Harrison and Miles Sanger and two grand daughters, Zada and Liliana.

References

1. Binstine, Brabra. "Interview of Jonathan Sanger with President Uribe of Colombia". CARAS Magazine, September 2006, p.92-94.
2. Encyclopædia Britannica. Bogota, Colombia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Macropedia Volume 2, 1978, p. 1183-1184 .
3. George Godwin, Kenneth. Jonathan Sanger. Cagey Films December 10, 1981, p. 39.
4. Kuhn,Joy. The Elephant Man – The Book of the Film. Virgin Books, 1980, p. 22.
5. Kael, Pauline. "Elephant Man". New Yorker, October 27, 1980, p. 178.
6. Summers,Jimmy. "Elephant Man". Box Office, October 1980, cover story.
7. Academy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
8. Kilday, Gregg "Frances". L.A. Herald Examiner, December 2, 1982, cover story.
9. Benson, Shiela. "Frances". L.A. Times Calendar, December 3, 1982, cover story.
10. Pollack, Dale. "Frances". L.A. Times Calendar, December 3, 1982, p. 21.
11. Greg, Kilday. "Without Limits". The Hollywood Reporter, March 16, 1998, p. 14.
12. Turan, Kenneth. "Vanilla Sky". L.A. Times, December 14, 2001, p. 32.
13. Todd, McCarthy. "Vanilla Sky". Variety, December 9, 2001, p. 10.
14. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120755/fullcredits
15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091059/
16. Sternbergh, Adam. "The Producers Movie". New York Magazine, December 2005, pp. 45, 51.
17. Singer, Michael. Film Directors – A Complete Guide. Lone Eagle Publishing Company, August 1992, p. 331.
18. Padgett, Tim. An Honest Look at Illegal Immigration. Time Entertainment, 2008
19. Wallenstein, Joe. Practical Moviemaking, A Hand Book For The Real World. McFarland & Company Publishing, October 25, 2012, pp. 177–178.
20. Cassell, A.R. "Producer Jonathan Sanger Directs The Birthday Present 2050". LA Stage, March 18, 2011.
21. IMDb IMDb'. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
22. Scott, Tony. "Down Came A Blackbird". Variety, October 15, 1995, p. 6.
23. Frink, Jon-Stephen. Cluck! The True Story of Chickens in the Cinema. Virgin Books, October 15, 1981, pp. 60, 128–130.
24. "American Playhouse Peacemaker". Daily Variety, October 1989, p. 27.
25. Singer, Michael. Film Directors – A Complete Guide. Lone Eagle Publishing, November 11, 1990, p. 331.
26. Lieberman,Jane. Chanticleer Films, Discovery Program . L.A.Times , Jan,1,1988 ,p.28.
27. Wilson,John M. Chanticleer Films, Discovery Program . L.A.Times , Jan,6,1991 ,p.33.
28. Singer,Michael. Film Directors - A Complete Guide. Lone Eagle Publishing Company , August,1992 ,p.331.
29. "Chanticleer Films Discovery and Directed by Shorts Collection". Academy Film Archive.
30. Cox,Gordon. Sanger and Sica say 'It's You'. Variety, Oct,20,2010,p.12.
31. L.A.Weekly Theater Critics. The Birthday Present 2050. L.A.Weekly, Mar, 2011 ,p.21.

• Academy Awards (1981) Nominees and Winners (2012). (Film production). Los Angeles, USA: Academy Awards. External link in |title= (help)
• Academy Awards (1988) Nominees and Winners (2012). (Film production). Los Angeles, USA: Academy Awards. External link in |title= (help)
• Loynd, Ray (Special to the Times) (2012). (Print/Web). Los Angeles, USA: Los Angeles Times. External link in |title= (help)
• Tim Padgett, Time Entertainment (2012). (Web/Print). USA: Time. External link in |title= (help)
• Cassell, A.R (Writer) (March 18, 2011). (Film production). Los Angeles, USA: Los Angeles Times. External link in |title= (help)
• Adam Sternbergh (December 12, 2005). (Web/Print). USA: New York Magazine. External link in |title= (help)

loynd, Ray. "'Imagination' an Irresistible Love Story". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

External links

• Jonathan Sanger on IMDb