Director and actor Jon Favreau: biography and filmography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Jon Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. The general public is known for his roles in the films "Party People", "Very Wild Things" and the legendary sitcom "Friends". As a director, he is famous for the Christmas comedy Elf and the blockbusters Iron Man and The Jungle Book. One of the most commercially successful directors of our time.

Childhood and youth

Jon Favreau was born October 19, 1966 in Queens, New York. Has Russian, Italian and French-Canadian roots. He graduated from high school in the Bronx, then went to Queens College. At the same time, he worked in one of the investment banks on Wall Street.

Jon Favreau dropped out a few months before graduation and moved to Chicago, where he joined an improvisational theater troupe. At various times, he performed on stage with future comedians Michael Myers and Tim Meadows.

Career start

In 1993, the young actor was able to get one of the main roles in the sports drama Rudy. The movie was great when it was released.accepted by professional critics, but failed to attract the attention of the audience and failed to return the funds spent on its production following the results of the rental. Nevertheless, over time, the picture has gained cult status.

On the set of Rudy, John met Vince Vaughn, with whom he would work with more than once. In 1994, the actor appeared in the youth comedy PPU. A year later, he played a cameo role in the blockbuster Batman Forever.

First successes

The big break was for Jon Favreau film "Party People". He wrote the script for the film and played the lead role. The project made John himself a star, Vince Vaughn, who played the main character's friend, and young director Doug Liman.

In 1997, Favreau took part in several episodes of the popular series Friends as Monica Geller's boyfriend. A year later, he played one of the main roles in Peter Berg's crime comedy "Very Wild Things".

The actor continued to work actively, several films with his participation were released every year. In 2003, he appeared in the superhero film Daredevil as Foggy Nelson, but most of his scenes were cut. They can only be found in the director's cut of the film.

In 2001 Jon Favreau made his directorial debut. The actor directed the film "Everything is under control" according to his own script, and also played a major role. The film failed at the box office, but received generally positive reviews from critics.

International recognition

BIn 2003, Jon Favreau's second directorial project, the Christmas comedy Elf, starring Will Ferrell, was released. The project received excellent reviews from critics and grossed two hundred and twenty million dollars at the box office.

Favreau's next film as director was the sci-fi film Zatura: A Space Adventure. The production budget was sixty-five million dollars, but the film could not return the money spent. Nevertheless, critics again flattered the work of the director, and the film gained cult status years later.

During this period, Favreau became less likely to work as an actor, appearing only in minor roles. In 2006, it was announced that he would direct the film Iron Man. Released two years later, the blockbuster confidently showed itself at the box office and delighted critics and audiences, marking the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Two years later, John made a sequel to the picture, which was received somewhat worse.

After the success of Iron Man, Jon Favreau was asked to direct The Avengers, but turned it down in favor of Cowboys & Aliens. The film failed at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics. After this unpleasant experience, the director decided to return to his roots and staged the comedy "Chief" with himself in the title role. The picture was warmly received by critics and the public.

For some time there were rumors that John would direct the seventh episode of Star Wars, but the director's next project was the adaptation of The Bookjungle. The film was released in 2016 and earned just under a billion dollars.

At the moment, the director is working on a new version of The Lion King, filmed using the same technology as The Jungle Book. Jon Favreau is also producing a series based on Star Wars. He continues to appear in the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tony Stark's bodyguard, Happy Hogan.

Private life

Jon Favreau has been married to physician Joya Till since 2000. The couple has three children - a son and two daughters. In his free time, John prefers to play tabletop role-playing games and also enjoys poker.