Stephen Herek

Last updated
Stephen Herek
Born (1958-11-10) November 10, 1958 (age 65)
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1986–present
Notable work Critters
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
The Mighty Ducks
The Three Musketeers
Mr. Holland's Opus
101 Dalmatians

Stephen Herek (born November 10, 1958) is an American film director. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he studied film at the University of Texas at Austin. He is best known for directing the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure .

Contents

Career

His career as a film director took off in 1986 with the cult horror classic Critters followed by the hit comedy Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure in 1989. [1] He then directed Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead in 1991 and became a regular director for The Walt Disney Company throughout the decade, helming The Mighty Ducks in 1992, The Three Musketeers in 1993, [2] the highly successful live-action 1996 remake of 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close, and the Eddie Murphy comedy Holy Man in 1998. He also directed the critically acclaimed drama Mr. Holland's Opus in 1995.

In the 2000s, Herek directed the 2001 movie Rock Star , a film about a rockstar wannabe and his favorite rock group, Steel Dragon, starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. After the underwhelming performances of Life or Something Like It in 2002 and Man of the House in 2005, Herek has stayed mainly in the television and direct-to-DVD market, helming films like Picture This , Into the Blue 2: The Reef , and The Chaperone , as well as two Dolly Parton TV specials.

Filmography

Film

Director

YearTitleNotes
1986 Critters Also writer
1989 Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
1991 Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
1992 The Mighty Ducks
1993 The Three Musketeers
1995 Mr. Holland's Opus
1996 101 Dalmatians
1998 Holy Man Also producer
1999Black Sabbath: Time MachineShort film/music video
2001 Rock Star
2002 Life or Something Like It
2005 Man of the House
2008 Picture This Direct-to-video
2009 Dead Like Me: Life After Death
2009 Into the Blue 2: The Reef
2011 The Chaperone
2015 The Great Gilly Hopkins
2021 Afterlife of the Party
2023 Dog Gone
2024 Our Little Secret Post-production [3]

Executive producer

Television

TV movies

TV series

YearTitleNotes
2002 The Mind of the Married Man Episode "The Pony Ride"
2013 Dallas Episode: "False Confessions"
Lucky 7 Episode "All In"
2014 Betrayal Episode "Sharper Than a Serpant's Tooth..."
2015 Rush Hour Episode "The Dark Night"
2015–2016 Hawaii Five-0 3 episodes
2016–2018 MacGyver 7 episodes
Also co-executive producer of 40 episodes

Awards and nominations

YearTitleAssociationResults
1988 Critters Fantasporto Award for Best Film Nominated
1990 Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Nominated
1997 Mr. Holland's Opus Christopher Award for Motion Pictures Won
2014 Jinxed DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs Nominated
2016 Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors Christopher Award for TV & Cable Programs Won
Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema Nominated
The Great Gilly Hopkins Heartland Film Award for Truly Moving Picture award Won
Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors MovieGuide Award for Most Inspiring TV Program Won
2017 Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love Won

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References

  1. "Stephen Herek". January 1997.
  2. "FILM / Production Notes: By Stephen Herek, the director of the latest" . Independent.co.uk . 23 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25.
  3. Grobar, Matt (2024-01-22). "Lindsay Lohan & Kristin Chenoweth To Star In Netflix Holiday Pic Our Little Secret". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2024-01-22.