Mark L. Lester

Mark L. Lester (born November 26, 1946) is an American writer, producer, and director, primarily of action films.

Personal Life

Lester married Dana Dubovsky, who he now works with and had two children, Jason and Justin. He also has a daughter, Janessa (James), who is a musician and singer-songwriter, from a prior relationship.

Career

After his debut in 1970 with the film Just Can't Reach, he went on to make his mark with such memorable drive-in fare as Truck Stop Women and Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw. In 1979, he jumped on the disco bandwagon with Roller Boogie starring Linda Blair, to modest success. He then made the exploitation thriller Class of 1984, which was a source of controversy at the time of release, but has since gained cult status.

He entered the mainstream in 1984 with Stephen King's Firestarter and had his biggest hit in 1985 with Commando, an Arnold Schwarzenegger action film that grossed over $57 million worldwide. He also directed and produced his sole comedy, Armed and Dangerous starring John Candy, Eugene Levy and Meg Ryan in 1986. In 1989, he directed Class of 1999, a loose sequel to Class of 1984. Then in 1990, he directed the cult classic Showdown in Little Tokyo starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee.

He also founded American World Pictures, an independent production and distribution company. Recent films include The Base, an action film; the thrillers Blowback and Hitman's Run; and for TV, Pterodactyl (produced for the Sci Fi Channel). In 2012, after getting a divorce from Dubovsky, he formed a new distribution company called Titan Global Entertainment.

Other credits include Night of the Running Man, Extreme Justice, and Stunts.

Selected Filmography

• Just Can't Reach (1970)
• Twilight of the Mayas (1971)
• Steel Arena (1973)
• Truck Stop Women (1974)
• White House Madness (1975)
• Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)
• Stunts (1977)
• Gold of the Amazon Women (1979) (TV)
• Roller Boogie (1979)
• Class of 1984 (1982)
• Firestarter (1984)
• Commando (1985)
• Armed and Dangerous (1986)
• Class of 1999 (1990)
• Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
• Extreme Justice (1993)
• Night of the Running Man (1995)
• Double Take (1997)
• The Ex (1997)
• Misbegotten (1998)
• Hitman's Run (1999)
• The Base (1999)
• Blowback (2000)
• Stealing Candy (2002)
• Betrayal (2003)
• White Rush (2003)
• Pterodactyl (2005)
• Groupie (2010)
• Poseidon Rex (2014)

External links

• Mark L. Lester at the Internet Movie Database