Jonathan D. Krane
Jonathan D. Krane (May 1, 1952 – August 1, 2016)[1] was an American screenwriter,[2] movie producer, talent manager, and studio head.[3] He's most known in Hollywood for his decade and a half partnership with John Travolta, who he managed from 1987 until 2002. Together, they made some of Travolta's biggest films including Look Who's Talking (1989), Phenomenon (1996), Michael (1996), Face/Off (1997), Primary Colors (1998), General's Daughter (1999), Domestic Disturbance (2001), Swordfish (2001) and Basic (2003).[4]
Krane was born in Hollywood, CA, on May 1, 1952. He graduated from Hollywood Hills High at the age of 15,[5] and received his bachelor's degree in liberal arts at St. John's College."Jonathan Krane CV" (PDF).{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)</ref>[6] After finishing his undergraduate work, he lived for one year in England, France, and Greece, independently studying civil liberties in European criminal justice systems before returning to the states to study law at Yale Law School. He was awarded his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1976.
He began his legal career as an associate at Los Angeles law firm of Irell & Manella, specializing in international motion picture taxation and entertainment law. This specialty would expose him to the world of entertainment and set him up for his future career as a talent manager and film producer.
He married actress Sally Kellerman[7] on May 11, 1980, in a private ceremony at Jennifer Jones' Malibu home.[8] In 1989, they adopted newborn twins, Jack and Hannah.[9]
A chance meeting with Blake Edwards at an industry party would change the course of his career. Edwards was reportedly tired of working with the studio system and Krane pitched him his idea for a "new type of film studio." After further discussions, they partnered together to form Blake Edwards Entertainment, where Krane would serve as CEO. Krane would develop and produce the projects so Edwards could focus on writing and directing.
Their first project was the hit film Trail of the Pink Panther, which they followed up with Curse of the Pink Panther the next year. All told, they made seven films together before Jonathan left to expand his own company called Management Company Entertainment (MCE), which he had formed in 1983.[1] The separation was not amicable, with Blake later saying he "was furious with Krane and no longer spoke to him because Krane had made all his contacts through Edwards and then left."[10]
Krane took MCE public in 1987 as "Management Co. Entertainment Group", which made him the youngest CEO of a publicly traded company at the time.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1982 | Trail of the Pink Panther | executive producer |
1983 | Curse of the Pink Panther | executive producer |
The Man Who Loved Women | executive producer | |
1984 | Micki & Maude | executive producer |
1986 | A Fine Mess | executive producer |
That's Life! | producer | |
1987 | Blind Date | executive producer |
1988 | You Can't Hurry Love | producer |
The Chocolate War | producer | |
Slipping into Darkness | producer | |
1989 | The Experts | executive producer |
Getting It Right | producer | |
Catch Me If You Can | producer | |
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. | producer | |
Look Who's Talking | producer | |
Limit Up | producer | |
1990 | Without You I'm Nothing | producer |
Fatal Charm | executive producer producer | |
Look Who's Talking Too | producer | |
1991 | Chains of Gold | producer |
Cold Heaven | producer | |
Convicts | producer | |
1992 | Boris and Natasha: The Movie | producer |
Breaking the Rules | producer | |
1993 | Look Who's Talking Now | producer |
1994 | Love Is a Gun | producer |
1995 | The Point of Betrayal | producer |
1996 | Phenomenon | executive producer |
Michael | producer | |
1997 | Face/Off | executive producer |
Movies Kill | executive producer | |
The Lay of the Land | producer | |
Mad City | executive producer | |
1998 | Primary Colors | executive producer |
1999 | The General's Daughter | executive producer |
2000 | Battlefield Earth | producer |
Lucky Numbers | producer | |
Bar Hopping | producer | |
2001 | Swordfish | producer |
Domestic Disturbance | producer | |
2003 | Basic | producer |
2007 | The Prince and the Pauper: The Movie | executive producer |
2010 | Father of Invention | producer |
References
- ^ "Jonathan D. Krane Biography (1952-)". Film Reference. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ Father of Invention, retrieved 2019-11-27
- ^ "The 'Talking' at MCEG Is Now About What's Next". Los Angeles Times. 1990-02-07. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
- ^ "The Krane Company previous releases". thekranecompany.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ "The 'Talking' at MCEG Is Now About What's Next". Los Angeles Times. 1990-02-07. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
- ^ "Alumni Memoriam 2016".
- ^ "Jonathan D. Krane, Producer of the 'Look Who's Talking' Films, Dies at 65". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
- ^ Kellerman, Sally (2013). Read My Lips: Stories of a Hollywood Life. Weinstein Books. ISBN 1-60286-167-6.
- ^ Friedman, Roger (2015-03-25). "Travolta and Longtime Manager Part Ways". Fox News. Retrieved 2019-11-27.