Davis, Andrew 1947-

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DAVIS, Andrew 1947-

(Andy Davis)

PERSONAL: Born 1947, in Chicago, IL; son of Nathan Davis. Education: Attended Harand Camp of the Theater Arts.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212-1825.

CAREER: Director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Cinematographer for films, including Private Parts (also known as Blood Relations), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 1972; Hit Man, MGM, 1972; Cool Breeze, MGM, 1972; The Slams, MGM, 1973; Lepke, Warner Bros., 1975; Paco, 1975; Mansion of the Doomed (also known as Eyes, Eyes of Dr. Chaney, House of Blood, Massacre Mansion, and The Terror of Dr. Chaney), Group 1 International Distributing Org., 1977; Crash! (also known as Akaza, the God of Vengeance and Death Ride), 1977; Over the Edge, Orion, 1979; Angel, New World Pictures, 1984; and (Vietnam sequence) Above the Law (also known as Nico), Warner Bros., 1988. Assistant camera operator for films, including Medium Cool, 1969; and Whacked, 2002. Cinematographer for television movie Hot Rod (also known as Rebel of the Road), 1979. Director of films, including Stony Island (also known as My Main Man from Stony Island), 1978; The Final Terror (also known as Bump in the Night, Campsite Massacre, and The Forest Primeval), Comworld Pictures, 1983; Code of Silence, Orion, 1985; Above the Law (also known as Nico), Warner Bros., 1988; The Package, Orion, 1989; Under Siege, Warner Bros., 1992; The Fugitive, Warner Bros., 1993; Steal Big, Steal Little, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995; Chain Reaction, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1996; A Perfect Murder, Warner Bros., 1998; Collateral Damage, Warner Bros., 2002; and Holes, Walt Disney Pictures, 2003. Producer of films, including Stony Island (also known as My Main Man from Stony Island), 1978; Above the Law (also known as Nico), Warner Bros., 1988; (with others) The Package, Orion, 1989; Steal Big, Steal Little, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995; Chain Reaction, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1996; and Holes, Walt Disney Pictures, 2003. Actor in movies, including (as Harriot) Roanoak (television movie), 1986; and (as Levanthian Steward) Oscar and Lucinda, 1997. Appeared as himself in the films Chicago Filmmakers on the Chicago River, 1998; and Derailed: Anatomy of a Train Wreck, 2001. Story editor of television series, including Sorority Life (also known as Sorority Life, UC Davis and [second season] Sorority Life SUNY Buffalo), 2002; and Fraternity Life (also known as SUNY Buffalo), 2003.

WRITINGS:

SCREENPLAYS

(With Andre Marquis and Robert Vincent O'Neill) Paco, 1975.

(With Tamar Simon Hoffs) Stony Island (also known as My Main Man from Stony Island), 1978.

(As Andy Davis) Beat Street, 1984.

(With Steven Pressfield, Steven Seagal, and Ronald Shusett) Above the Law (also known as Nico), Warner Bros., 1988.

(With others) Steal Big, Steal Little, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995.

SIDELIGHTS: Andrew Davis is best known for directing such big-budget action films as Under Siege and The Fugitive. He also wrote the script for one such film, Above the Law, which is notable for being the screen debut of action hero Steven Seagal. Because of this history, many people were surprised in 1995 when Davis wrote and directed the character-driven comedy Steal Big, Steal Little, which stars Andy Garcia as both halves of a set of twins. One twin, the laid-back Ruben, just inherited a huge estate in southern California; the other twin, the scheming, cigar-smoking Robby, wants to defraud his brother out of the estate, carve it up, and sell it for profit. This film, which is often described as "Capra-esque" (referring to classic film director Frank Capra, who made such feel-good films about common people as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life) "displays all the earmarks of a labor of love," Mick LaSalle wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Boston Herald, June 3, 1998, Paul Sherman, interview with cast and crew of A Perfect Murder, p. 39.

Chicago, August, 1993, Penelope Mesic, review of The Fugitive, pp. 31-32.

Daily Variety, April 17, 2003, review of Holes, p. 8.

Entertainment Weekly, October 23, 1992, Owen Gleiberman, review of Under Siege, p. 44; April 2, 1993, Ty Burr, review of Under Siege, p. 58; August 13, 1993, Owen Gleiberman, review of The Fugitive, pp. 52-53; April 26, 1996, Michael Sauter, review of Steal Big, Steal Little, p. 68; August 9, 1996, Owen Gleiberman, review of Chain Reaction, pp. 40-41; August 16, 1996, Owen Gleiberman, review of Chain Reaction, p. 48; June 12, 1998, review of A Perfect Murder, p. 43.

Film Journal International, March, 2002, Harry Haun, review of Collateral Damage, p. 103; May, 2003, Doris Toumarkine, review of Holes, p. 41.

Films in Review, September-October, 1993, Andy Pavelczak, review of The Fugitive, pp. 328-329.

Independent (London, England), December 12, 1996, Ryan Gilbey, review of Steal Big, Steal Little, p. 4; June 28, 1997, Liese Spencer, review of Steal Big, Steal Little, p. 19.

Maclean's, August 9, 1993, Brian D. Johnson, review of The Fugitive, p. 52; February 18, 2002, review of Collateral Damage, p. 54.

National Catholic Reporter, September 3, 1993, Joseph Cunneen, review of The Fugitive, p. 13; May 16, 2003, Joseph Cunneen, review of Holes, p. 16;

National Review, September 6, 1993, John Simon, review of The Fugitive, p. 70; July 20, 1998, John Simon, review of A Perfect Murder, pp. 51-52.

New Republic, September 20, 1993, Stanley Kauffmann, review of The Fugitive, p. 36.

Newsweek, September 4, 1989, David Ansen, review of The Package, p. 68; August 9, 1993, David Ansen, review of The Fugitive, p. 57; June 15, 1998, David Ansen, review of A Perfect Murder, p. 70.

New York, August 16, 1993, David Denby, review of The Fugitive, pp. 57-58; June 15, 1998, David Denby, review of A Perfect Murder, pp. 49-50.

New Yorker, November 16, 1992, Michael Sragow, review of Under Siege, pp. 130-132; August 16, 1993, Anthony Lane, review of The Fugitive, pp. 93-93.

Palm Beach Post, February 8, 2002, "Spotlight on . . . Andrew Davis," p. 18.

People, September 4, 1989, Ralph Novak, review of The Package, p. 13; October 26, 1992, Ralph Novak, review of Under Siege, pp. 20-21; August 16, 1993, Ralph Novak, review of The Fugitive, p. 17; August 12, 1996, Leah Rozen, review of Chain Reaction, p. 19.

Premiere, August, 2001, Christopher Kelly, review of The Fugitive, p. 95; October, 2001, review of Collateral Damage, p. 97; February, 2002, Susannah Gora, review of Collateral Damage, p. 17.

Rolling Stone, August 19, 1993, Peter Travers, review of The Fugitive, p. 84.

San Francisco Chronicle, April 26, 1996, Mick LaSalle, review of Steal Big, Steal Little, p. D14; April 18, 2003, Mick LaSalle, review of Holes, p. I1.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 18, 2003, interview with Davis and Louis Sachar, p. E1.

Sight and Sound, October, 1992, Kim Newman, review of The Fugitive, pp. 45-46; March, 1993, Nigel Floyd, review of Sight and Sound, pp. 53-54; July, 1996, Liese Spencer, review of Steal Big, Steal Little, p. 51; July 20, 1998, John Simon, review of A Perfect Murder, pp. 51-52.

Spectator, October 2, 1993, Mark Steyn, review of The Fugitive, p. 38; October 17, 1998, Mark Steyn, review of A Perfect Murder, pp. 58-59.

Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), April 13, 2003, Jeff Strickler, interview with Davis, p. 13F.

Time, August 9, 1993, Richard Schickel, review of The Fugitive, p. 57.

Variety, April 6, 1988, review of Above the Law, p. 12; August 23, 1989, review of The Package, p. 28; October 12, 1992, Emanuel Levy, review of Under Siege, pp. 185-186; August 9, 1993, Leonard Klady, review of The Fugitive, p. 34; August 16, 1993, Andy Marx, "Davis Comes In from the Cold," p. 7; September 18, 1995, Leonard Klady, review of Steal Big, Steal Little, p. 94; July 29, 1996, Leonard Klady, review of Chain Reaction, p. 58; June 1, 1998, Leonard Klady, review of A Perfect Murder, p. 33; February 11, 2002, Todd McCarthy, review of Collateral Damage, pp. 40-41.