John Mark Robinson

Last updated
John Mark Robinson
Born (1948-07-19) July 19, 1948 (age 75)
Toronto, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
Alma materAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, Director, Producer, Actor
Years active1973–present
Spouse Linda DeScenna
Children3

John Mark Robinson (born 19 July 1948) is an entrepreneur, director, and actor. [1] [2] Films he directed have included Roadhouse 66 , Kid , and All Tied Up . [3] [4] He also directed the music videos for various musical artists including Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Ramones, Pretenders, Bob Seger and Santana. Robinson is the founder and CEO of Tap&Go EV Ltd., owner operator of Vancouver Prop & Costume, and President of Boffi Los Angeles, having previously served as president of Modern Props. Robinson holds Patent No. 10,277,960 for his co-invention of a method and system for seeding video programs with episodic interactive items.

Contents

Early life

Robinson was born in Toronto, Ontario. He graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. [5]

Music, television, and film career

Robinson founded the Modern Productions in 1980 to direct and produce music videos for artists under the banner. In 1983, he directed Roadhouse 66, starring Willem Dafoe, released by Universal Pictures. In 1990, he directed the movie Kid released by Focus Features. [6] [7] Robinson directed the television show Martha Stewart Living in 1991. He also directed the movie Motowns Mustang in 1992 and All Tied Up in 1993. [8] [9]

During his career, Robinson has directed and produced music videos for Bob Dylan ("Sweetheart Like You"), Bob Marley ("Redemption Song"), [5] Pretenders, [10] Tina Turner ("What's Love Got to Do with It?"), [11] Ramones ("Rock 'n' Roll High School"), Santana ("Hold On"), [12] Pat Benatar, and George Thorogood ("Bad to the Bone"). [13]

Design career

Robinson is also a design professional, having served as president of Modern Props in both Los Angeles and Vancouver. [14] He is the owner and operator of Vancouver Prop & Costume in Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as a partner in the Milanese a kitchen and bath design company Boffi Los Angeles. [5] Vancouver Prop & Costume rents props and costumes for use in motion pictures, commercials, and television. Robinson has assembled tens of thousands of pieces that can be used. He purchased the selection of props from 20th Century Fox in 2005, and has continued to build the collection. [15] He later founded Tap Media Labs, a company that adds content information to online videos for viewers, based in Vancouver and Los Angeles. [5]

Personal life

Robinson married Linda DeScenna in 2017. [5]

Discography

Music videos

YearTrackArtistRecords
1983 Sweetheart Like You [16] Bob Dylan CBS Records
1980Redemption Song Bob Marley Island Records
1982Hold On / The Nile Carlos Santana CBS Records
1982Makin' Thunderbirds Bob Seger Capitol Records
1980Rock'n'Roll Radio Ramones Sire Records
1980Rock'n'Roll High

School

Ramones Sire Records
1984What's Love Got to Do with It Tina Turner Capitol Records
1982Bad to the Bone George Thorogood EMI Records
1979

1980

1984

Brass in Pocket

Tattooed Love Boys

Show Me

The Pretenders Warner Bros. Records
1982Think I'm In Love

Shakin

Eddie Money CBS Records
1987Set Me Free Los Lobos Warner Bros. Records
1986When You Love Someone

Back in Stride Again

Frankie Beverly and Maze Capitol Records
1984

1983

1983

Solid

Babies

High Rise

Ashford & Simpson Capitol Records

Credits

YearTelevisionRoleNotes
1981 The Facts of Life Actor
1979 In Search of Historic Jesus (Documentary)Actor
1979 Butch and Sundance: The Early Days Actor [17]
1978 The Bastard Actor [18]
1978 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Actor [19]
1978 Eight Is Enough Actor [20]
1977 The San Pedro Beach Bums Actor [21] [22]
1977 The Love Boat Actor [23]
1976 One Day at a Time Actor
1976 Electra Woman and Dyna Girl Actor [24]
1976 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Actor
1975 Harry O Actor
1975 Insight Actor
1974 Chopper One Actor
1973 Chase Actor
1973 The Six Million Dollar Man Actor
1973 Mod Squad Actor

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Whitman</span> American actor (1928–2020)

Stuart Maxwell Whitman was an American actor, known for his lengthy career in film and television. Whitman was born in San Francisco and raised in New York until the age of 12, when his family relocated to Los Angeles. In 1948, Whitman was discharged from the Corps of Engineers in the U.S. Army and started to study acting and appear in plays. From 1951 to 1957, Whitman had a streak working in mostly bit parts in films, including When Worlds Collide (1951), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Barbed Wire (1952) and The Man from the Alamo (1952). On television, Whitman guest-starred in series such as Dr. Christian, The Roy Rogers Show, and Death Valley Days, and also had a recurring role on Highway Patrol. Whitman's first lead role was in John H. Auer's Johnny Trouble (1957).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Hanson</span> American filmmaker (1945–2016)

Curtis Lee Hanson was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Reno, Nevada, Hanson grew up in Los Angeles. After dropping out of high school, Hanson worked as photographer and editor for Cinema magazine. In the 1970s, Hanson got involved in filmmaking starting with participating to the writing Daniel Haller's The Dunwich Horror (1970) and his directorial debut Sweet Kill (1973), where he lacked creative control to fulfill his vision. While Hanson continued directing, he rose to prominence by being involved in the writing of critically acclaimed films. This includes Daryl Duke's The Silent Partner (1978), Samuel Fuller's White Dog and Carroll Ballard's Never Cry Wolf (1983).

<i>Rugrats</i> 1991–2004 American animated television series

Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently—Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and the twins Phil and Lil, and their day-to-day lives, usually involving life experiences that become much greater adventures in the imaginations of the main characters.

<i>House Party</i> (1990 film) 1990 American comedy film by Reginald Hudlin

House Party is a 1990 American comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin. It stars Christopher "Kid" Reid and Christopher "Play" Martin of the hip hop duo Kid 'n Play, Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou, and B-Fine of Full Force, and Robin Harris with supporting roles by Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J. Johnson, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell and Gene "Groove" Allen, Kelly Jo Minter, John Witherspoon, with a cameo by funk musician George Clinton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robby Krieger</span> American guitarist

Robert Alan Krieger is an American guitarist and founding member of the rock band the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", and "Love Her Madly". When the Doors disbanded following the death of lead singer Jim Morrison, Krieger continued to perform and record with other musicians including former Doors bandmates John Densmore and Ray Manzarek. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doors and is listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. In 2023, Krieger was listed as the 248th greatest guitarist by Rolling Stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Kane</span> American comic book artist, the co-creator of Batman

Robert Kane was an American comic book writer, animator and artist who co-created Batman and most early related characters for DC Comics. He was inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993 and into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Zimmerman</span> American actor (born 1986)

Joseph Paul Zimmerman is an American actor known for his role as Dylan Piper in Halloweentown franchise.

<i>Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid</i> 1973 film by Sam Peckinpah

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a 1973 American revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah, written by Rudy Wurlitzer, and starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jason Robards, Slim Pickens and Bob Dylan. The film is about an aging Pat Garrett (Coburn), hired as a lawman by a group of wealthy New Mexico cattle barons to bring down his old friend Billy the Kid (Kristofferson).

<i>Smallville</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of Smallville, an American television series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, began airing on October 16, 2001, on The WB television network. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to his developing superpowers in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The first season comprises 21 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 21, 2002. Regular cast members during season one include Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Eric Johnson, Sam Jones III, Allison Mack, Annette O'Toole, and John Schneider.

The 1st Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as The Big Ballot, was presented over four episodes of Nickelodeon's movie review program Rated K: For Kids by Kids which aired in 1987. Unlike its successor, the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, the show was less of a televised live event, and more of a pre-produced program. The trophy in this show was a golden teleidoscope. The in-studio hosts for the show were Matt Nespole, Rebecca Schwager, and Mark Shanahan.

Steven Douglas Kreisman was an American saxophonist and flautist. He was a member of the famed Los Angeles session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. As a Los Angeles session musician, he worked with Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and Ry Cooder.

<i>The People Speak</i> (film) 2009 American film

The People Speak is a 2009 American documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans. The film gives voice to those who, by insisting on equality and justice, spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history and also illustrates the relevance of this to today's society.

Linda DeScenna is an American set decorator and production designer. She has been nominated for five Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Salling</span> American actor and musician (1982–2018)

Mark Wayne Salling was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series Glee.

Kathleen Garretson is an American television director, producer and podcaster. Garretson has directed episodes of the sitcoms Frasier, 2 Broke Girls, Fuller House and the season one finale of the Punky Brewster reboot in 2021, among others, as well as producing Hallmark's Garage Sale Mystery movies. She received the Frank Capra Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in 2012. Garretson also hosted the hit podcast "Mojo Girl Madness."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobbye Hall</span> American percussionist (born 1950)

Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the Billboard Hot 100.

Bob Burns is an American actor, consultant, producer, archivist and historian of props, costumes, and other paraphernalia from science fiction, fantasy, and horror motion pictures. He is best known for his work with and collection of movie props, particularly from horror and science-fiction movies. He has also had numerous smaller acting roles in movies, including Tracy the Gorilla in the 1975 television show The Ghost Busters.

"John Brown" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Written in October 1962, the song was not included in sessions for Dylan's studio albums in the 1960s, but it was released under his pseudonym "Blind Boy Grunt" on the Folkways Records compilation album Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1 (1963).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood</span> Studio tour of the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is a guided walk-through tour of Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, located in Los Angeles, California. Over a two-to-three-hour period, visitors can glimpse behind the scenes of one of the oldest film studios in the world.

John Zabrucky is an American prop designer and co-founder of Modern Props, Inc., a prop design and rental company that produced and distributed props for film and television productions. Through Modern Props, Zabrucky contributed props to such films as Ghostbusters (1984) and RoboCop (1987), as well as films and TV series in the Star Trek franchise. Zabrucky is known for designing a prop apparatus sometimes informally dubbed "the most important device in the universe", due to its appearances in over 100 films and TV series.

References

  1. "John Mark Robinson". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  2. "Linda DeScenna, Mark Robinson" . Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  3. "The Best Movies Directed by John Mark Robinson". Flickchart. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  4. "John Mark Robinson | Movies and Filmography | AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Linda DeScenna, Mark Robinson". 11 June 2017 via NYTimes.com.
  6. "Kid". Time Out London. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  7. Kid (1990) , retrieved 2018-07-31
  8. "John Mark Robinson". BFI. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  9. All Tied Up (1994) , retrieved 2018-07-31
  10. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (24 October 1981). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. via Google Books.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (18 May 1985). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. via Google Books.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. Liggeri, Domenico (26 August 2013). Musica per i nostri occhi: Storie e segreti dei videoclip. Giunti. ISBN   9788858761106 via Google Books.
  13. "Dwight Twilley's "Girls" video was modeled on Bob Clark's horny teenager romp "Porky's"".
  14. Anderton, Frances (7 August 2003). "CURRENTS: LOS ANGELES -- FURNISHINGS; Props for the Movie Set or Home, And Some That Are Comfy in Both". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  15. "Vancouver Prop and Costume: A cut above". Beyond the News. 30 October 2017.
  16. Robinson, Mark (2009-10-25), Bob Dylan: Sweetheart Like You, Alan Clark, Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar, Bob Dylan, retrieved 2018-07-31
  17. "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  18. "Watch The Bastard (1978) - Project Free Tv". www2.projectfreetv.live. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  19. "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries/Death Surf - The TV IV". tviv.org. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  20. "Eight Is Enough". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  21. "The San Pedro Beach Bums". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  22. "The San Pedro Beach Bums (1977)". BFI. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  23. "John Mark Robinson 1970s guest appearances". www.ultimate70s.com. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  24. "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" Glitter Rock: Part 1 (TV Episode 1976) , retrieved 2018-07-30