Andy Tennant | |
|---|---|
 Tennant at the 2011 Dallas International Film Festival | |
| Born | June 15, 1955 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Education | Homewood-Flossmoor High School |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, director, actor, dancer |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse | Sharon Kay Johnson (m. 1993) |
| Children | 4 |
Andrew Wellman Tennant (born June 15, 1955) is an American screenwriter, film and television director, actor, and dancer.
Tennant was born June 15, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His father was Don Tennant, a creative advertising talent with Leo Burnett Agency in Chicago. As a boy, he spent his summers on Old Mission Peninsula in northern Michigan and at Camp Minocqua in northern Wisconsin. He graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in 1973. He studied theater under John Houseman at University of Southern California.
In 1978, he was cast as an extra of a dancing role in the musical adaptation film Grease starring actor John Travolta and singer/actress Olivia Newton-John. That same year, he was cast as an extra in a dancing role in the musical comedy film adaptation of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band . His next role as an actor was in the 1979 period comedy film 1941 as Babyface directed by Steven Spielberg featuring the ensemble cast of Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Toshiro Mifune and Robert Stack. He was cast in the comedy film Midnight Madness as Melio - Blue Team in 1980. He was cast as Boy Greaser in the sequel musical romantic-comedy Grease 2 starring actor Maxwell Caulfield and actress Michelle Pfeiffer in 1982. Tennant quit acting and began writing and producing with his first project being the NBC made-for-television movie Moving Target in 1988 starring actor/comedian Jason Bateman, singer/actress Chynna Phillips and actor Jack Wagner. He branched out to directing, making his directorial debut in 1989 for the ABC coming-of-age comedy-drama series The Wonder Years directing the season 3 episode "Math Class" starring actor Fred Savage. He worked as a director and producer for two episodes of the NBC adaptation of the 1980s John Hughes film Ferris Bueller starring actor Charlie Schlatter in 1990. He directed four episodes from season 1 of the Fox sitcom Parker Lewis Can't Lose starring actor Corin Nemac (1990). He directed the TNT made-for-television drama movie Keep the Change starring actor William Petersen in 1992. He directed the unaired pilot episode of the Fox comedy series Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures a spin-off of the 1980s film series originally starring actor Keanu Reeves in 1992. He directed the made-for-television movie Desperate Choices: To Save My Child starring actress Joanna Kerns and actor Bruce Davison in 1992. He directed an episode of the Fox sitcom Great Scott! starring actor Tobey Maguire in 1992. He directed the made-for-television movie What She Doesn't Know in 1992. He directed the ABC made-for-television drama movie The Amy Fisher Story starring actress Drew Barrymore in 1993. He directed two episodes of the Fox weird western series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. starring actor Bruce Campbell in 1993. He directed an episode of the CBS crime/drama series South of Sunset starring actor Glenn Frey in 1993. He directed an episode of the ABC series The Byrds of Paradise starring actor Timothy Busfield in 1994. He directed an episode of the Fox science fiction/fantasy series Sliders starring actor Jerry O'Connell in 1995.
He made his feature film directorial debut in 1995 with the comedy/family film It Takes Two starring actress/comedienne Kirstie Alley, actor/comedian Steve Guttenberg and actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. He directed the romantic comedy film Fools Rush In starring actor/comedian Matthew Perry and actress Salma Hayek in (1997). He directed and wrote the romantic/drama film Ever After: A Cinderella Story re-teaming with Drew Barrymore in (1998). He directed the biographical drama film Anna and the King loosely based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, which give a fictionalized account of the diaries of Anna Leonowens starring Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster and actor Chow Yun-fat in (1999). He directed the romantic/comedy film Sweet Home Alabama starring actress Reese Witherspoon in (2002). He returned to television to directed as well as co-produce an episode of the Fox drama series The American Embassy starring actress Arija Bareikis in (2002). He returned to direct the romantic comedy film Hitch starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes in (2005). He directed the made-for-television Fox movie The Wedding Album starring actor Bruno Campos and actress Tara Summers in (2006). He directed the romantic comedy/adventure film Fool's Gold starring actor Matthew McConaughey and actress Kate Hudson in (2008). He directed the made-for-television movie Operating Instructions in (2009). He directed the action/romantic-comedy film The Bounty Hunter starring actor Gerard Butler and actress Jennifer Aniston in (2010). He directed the made-for-television movie Thunderballs in (2011). He served as an executive producer for the ESPN sports newsmagazine series E:60 earning three Emmy nominations and one win from (2011-2016). He directed an episode of the Amazon Video web series Betas starring actor Joe Dinicol in (2013). He directed the comedy film Wild Oats starring actresses Shirley MacLaine and Jessica Lange in (2016). He directed two episodes of the Netflix web series The Kominsky Method starring actor Michael Douglas in (2018).
Tennant married Fine Art and Cultural Photographer, Sharon Kay Johnson February 13, 1993. [1] The couple have four children, three of whom are triplets. They currently reside in Los Angeles, California. [2]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | It Takes Two | Yes | No | [3] [4] |
| 1997 | Fools Rush In | Yes | No | [5] [6] |
| 1998 | Ever After: A Cinderella Story | Yes | Yes | [7] [8] |
| 1999 | Anna and the King | Yes | No | [9] [10] |
| 2002 | Sweet Home Alabama | Yes | No | [11] [12] |
| 2005 | Hitch | Yes | No | [13] [14] |
| 2008 | Fool's Gold | Yes | Yes | [15] [16] |
| 2010 | The Bounty Hunter | Yes | No | [17] [18] |
| 2016 | Wild Oats | Yes | No | [19] [20] |
| 2020 | The Secret: Dare to Dream | Yes | Yes | |
| TBA | Unit 234: The Lock Up | Yes | No | [21] |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Grease | Dancer #19 |
| Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band | Dancer | |
| 1979 | 1941 | Babyface |
| 1980 | Midnight Madness | Melio - Blue Team |
| 1982 | Grease 2 | Boy Greaser |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-1991 | The Wonder Years | Yes | No | No | Episodes "Math Class" and "Heartbreak" |
| 1990 | Ferris Bueller | Yes | Yes | No | Directed episode "Sloan Again, Naturally", wrote episode "Stand-In Deliver" |
| 1990-1991 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose | Yes | No | No | 4 episodes |
| 1992 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures | Yes | No | No | Episode "Unaired Pilot" |
| Great Scott! | Yes | No | No | Episode "Pyrrhic Lyric" | |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Yes | No | No | Episodes "Socrates’ Sister" and "Brisco for the Defense" |
| South of Sunset | Yes | No | No | Episode "Satyricon" | |
| 1994 | The Byrds of Paradise | Yes | No | No | Episode "In Todd We Trust" |
| 1995 | Sliders | Yes | No | No | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2002 | The American Embassy | Yes | No | Yes | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2011-2016 | E:60 | No | No | Executive | Documentary series; 58 episodes; |
| 2013 | Betas | Yes | No | No | Episode "Lowdown" |
| 2018-2021 | The Kominsky Method | Yes | No | No | 11 episodes |
| 2023 | Bookie | Yes | No | No | 5 episodes |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Moving Target | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1992 | Keep the Change | Yes | No | No |
| Desperate Choices: To Save My Child | Yes | No | No | |
| What She Doesn't Know | No | Yes | No | |
| 1993 | The Amy Fisher Story | Yes | No | No |
| 2006 | The Wedding Album | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2009 | Operating Instructions | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2011 | Thunderballs | Yes | No | No |
| Year | Title | Award/Nomination |
|---|---|---|
| 2011-2016 | E:60 | Sports Emmy award for Outstanding Sports Journalism (2014) Nominated - News & Documentary Emmy award for Outstanding Feature Story (2015) Nominated - News & Documentary Emmy award for Outstanding Feature Story (2016) |
Rosalie Anderson MacDowell is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell is known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. She has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been a spokeswoman for L'Oréal since 1986.
Christopher Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, including Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, Adventures in Babysitting (1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).
Jason Morgan Ritter is an American actor. The son of John Ritter and Nancy Morgan, he is known for his work in television series such as Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005), Gravity Falls (2012–2016), Another Period (2015–2018), Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (2017–2018), and Raising Dion (2019–2022), and Matlock (2024-). For his portrayal of Mark Cyr on NBC's Parenthood (2010–2014), Ritter was nominated for the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor.
Vivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress, producer and television host. Fox began her career on Soul Train (1982–1983) and played roles on the daytime television soap operas Days of Our Lives (1988) and Generations (1989–1992). In prime time, she starred opposite Patti LaBelle in the NBC sitcom Out All Night (1992–1993). Fox's breakthrough came in 1996, with roles in two box-office hit films, Roland Emmerich's Independence Day and F. Gary Gray's Set It Off.
Patricia Helen Heaton is an American actress. She began her career appearing in a recurring role in the ABC drama series, Thirtysomething (1989–1991), and later appearing in the comedy films Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Beethoven. Heaton went on to star in the short-lived sitcoms Room for Two (1992–93), Someone Like Me (1994) and Women of the House (1995) before landing the role of Debra Barone in the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005).
Alfre Woodard is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and two Grammy Awards. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her as one of "The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century". She is a board member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Alice Maud Krige is a South African actress and producer. Her big break came in 1981, when she starred as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the British historical film Chariots of Fire, and as Eva Galli / Alma Mobley in the American supernatural horror film Ghost Story. She received a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in the West End theatre production of Arms and the Man (1981) and later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Jenna Elfman is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1999, and three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. After making her film debut in Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), she has appeared in Krippendorf's Tribe (1998), Dr. Dolittle (1998), EDtv (1999), Keeping the Faith (2000), Town & Country (2001), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), Clifford's Really Big Movie (2004), and Big Stone Gap (2014).
Nancy Ann Travis is an American actress. She began her career on Off-Broadway theater, before her first leading screen role in the ABC television miniseries Harem opposite Omar Sharif. Her breakthrough came in 1987, playing Sylvia Bennington in the comedy film Three Men and a Baby. She later starred in its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady (1990).
Lori Petty is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1990 comedy film Cadillac Man and later starred in films Point Break (1991), A League of Their Own (1992), Free Willy (1993), In the Army Now (1994), The Glass Shield (1994) and played the title role in Tank Girl (1995). She created and starred in the short-lived Fox sitcom Lush Life in 1996 and acted in number of independent movies in her later career.
James Paul Marsden is an American actor. He began his acting career guest starring in the television shows Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1993), Touched by an Angel (1995), and Party of Five (1995). Marsden gained fame for his portrayal of Cyclops in the X-Men film series (2000–2014) and for his roles in the films The Notebook (2004), Superman Returns (2006), Hairspray (2007), Enchanted (2007), 27 Dresses (2008), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). He portrayed John F. Kennedy in the drama film The Butler (2013) and Tom Wachowski in Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and its sequels.
Sophia Myles is an English actress. She is best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in Thunderbirds (2004), Isolde in Tristan & Isolde (2006), Darcy in Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Erika in Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006) and Freya in Outlander (2008).
Kimberly Elise Trammel is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in Set It Off (1996), and later received critical acclaim for her performance in Beloved (1998).
Glynnis O'Connor is an American actress. She made her big screen debut starring in the 1973 romantic drama film, Jeremy. She later starred in the short-lived CBS drama series Sons and Daughters (1974) and the television version of Our Town (1977). She starred in films Ode to Billy Joe, Baby Blue Marine, California Dreaming (1979), Those Lips, Those Eyes (1980), The White Lions (1981), Night Crossing, Melanie and Johnny Dangerously (1984).
Jeannie Berlin is an American film, television and stage actress and screenwriter, the daughter of Elaine May. She is best known for her role in the 1972 comedy film The Heartbreak Kid, for which she received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress. She later played the leading role in Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York (1975), and has acted in films such as Margaret (2011), Inherent Vice (2014), Café Society (2016), The Fabelmans (2022), and You Hurt My Feelings (2023). She also acted in the HBO miniseries The Night Of (2016), the Amazon Prime series Hunters (2020), and the HBO series Succession (2019–2023).
Melissa De Sousa is an American actress. She made her big screen debut playing the leading role in the 1998 comedy film Ride. She starred as Shelby in the 1999 romantic comedy-drama film The Best Man and later reprised her role in its 2013 sequel The Best Man Holiday and the 2022 Peacock series The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
Paul Feig is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing films such as Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), A Simple Favor (2018), and Last Christmas (2019). He often collaborates with actress Melissa McCarthy.
Fool's Gold is a 2008 American romantic action comedy film from Warner Bros. Pictures about a recently divorced couple who rekindle their romantic life while searching for a lost treasure. The film is directed by Andy Tennant and reunites the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days stars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. It received negative reviews from critics and grossed $111 million worldwide.
Taylor Jane Schilling is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Piper Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She made her film debut in the 2007 drama Dark Matter. She also starred as Nurse Veronica Flanagan Callahan in the short-lived NBC medical drama Mercy (2009–2010). Her other films include Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011), the romantic drama The Lucky One (2012), the comedy Take Me (2017), and the science-fiction thriller The Titan (2018).
Broadchurch is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV for three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote all 24 episodes; it was produced by Kudos in association with Imaginary Friends Productions Ltd. The series is set in Broadchurch, a fictional English town on the coast of Dorset; it focuses on Detective Inspector Alec Hardy and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller. Other members of the ensemble cast appearing in all three seasons are Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Arthur Darvill, Carolyn Pickles, Jonathan Bailey, Matthew Gravelle, Charlotte Beaumont and Adam Wilson.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
