Jon Avnet

Jon Avnet
Jon Avnet presenting Art Directors Guild award in 2014
Born	Jonathan Michael Avnet (1949-11-17) November 17, 1949 (age 75) Brooklyn, New York City
Education	Sarah Lawrence College (BA) American Film Institute (MFA)
Occupation(s)	Film director, screenwriter, film producer
Known for	Risky Business, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Black Swan.
Spouse	Barbara Brody ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	3
Relatives	Charles Avnet (grandfather)

Jonathan Avnet (born November 17, 1949) is an American director, writer and producer.

Avnet was born in Brooklyn, the son of Joan Bertha (née Grossman) and Lester Francis Avnet, a corporate executive with Avnet (a global distributor of IT & electronics) ^{[1] [2] [3]} founded by his paternal grandfather, Charles Avnet. He has two siblings, Carole Avnet Rocherolle and Rosalind Avnet Lazarus. ^[2] He attended Great Neck North High School in Great Neck, New York. ^[4] He entered the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, and he earned a B.A. degree in film and theater arts from Sarah Lawrence College in 1971. ^[5] He is Jewish. ^[6]

Avnet addressed political issues with his fourth film Red Corner in 1997, a movie about the Chinese legal system, starring Richard Gere and Bai Ling. Because of Gere's presence and support for Tibet and the Dalai Lama, they could not film in China, and the settings had to be recreated in Southern California. Avnet, however, did film a few scenes in Beijing and also put in some footage of actual Chinese executions. ^[5]

Personal life

Avnet has been married to the artist Barbara Brody since 1975. ^[7] They have three children, Alexandra Avnet Costantino, Jacob Avnet, and Lily Avnet; and six grandchildren. ^{[8] [9]}

Filmography

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer
1983	Risky Business	No	Yes	No
1983	Deal of the Century	No	Yes	No
1987	Less than Zero	No	Yes	No
1990	Men Don't Leave	No	Yes	No
1991	Fried Green Tomatoes	Yes	Yes	No
1992	The Mighty Ducks	No	Yes	No
1993	The Three Musketeers	No	Yes	No
1994	D2: The Mighty Ducks	No	Yes	No
1994	The War	Yes	Yes	No
1994	When a Man Loves a Woman	No	Yes	No
1995	Miami Rhapsody	No	Yes	No
1996	Up Close & Personal	Yes	Yes	No
1996	D3: The Mighty Ducks	No	Yes	No
1997	Red Corner	Yes	Yes	No
1997	George of the Jungle	No	Yes	No
1999	Inspector Gadget	No	Yes	No
2000	Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her	No	Yes	No
2000	Steal This Movie	No	Yes	No
2004	Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow	No	Yes	No
2006	Land of the Blind	No	Yes	No
2007	88 Minutes	Yes	Yes	No
2008	Righteous Kill	Yes	No	No
2010	Black Swan	No	Yes	No
2017	Three Christs	Yes	Yes	Yes [10]
2020	Four Good Days	No	Yes	No
2025	The Last Rodeo [11]	Yes	Yes	Yes

Television

• Call to Glory (1984–1985)
• The Burning Bed (1984)
• Between Two Women (1986)
• Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge (1995)
• Mama Flora's Family (1998)
• Uprising (2001)
• Boomtown (2002–2003)
• The Starter Wife (miniseries) (2007)
• Justified (2010–2015)
• Have a Little Faith (2011)
• Sneaky Pete (2018-2019)
• Manhunt (2020)
• Justified: City Primeval (2023)

Broadway Plays

• Spamalot (2004)
• The Pillowman (2005)
• The History Boys (2006)
• The Seafarer (play) (2007)
• The Country Girl (1950 play) (2008)

References

1. "Jon Avnet Biography (1949-)". www.filmreference.com.
2. Reif, Rita (January 15, 1994). "Joan Avnet, Dealer, Collector and Donor Of Art, Is Dead at 80". The New York Times .
3. "L.F. Avnet Dead; Industrialist, 57". The New York Times . January 4, 1970.
4. Famous Great Neck Alumni from the 1960s Archived May 28, 2017, at archive.today , Great Neck School District. Accessed July 21, 2007.
5. "Jon Avnet: Biography". Yahoo Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
6. Weinraub, Bernard (November 4, 2001). "Television/Radio; A Seldom-Seen Holocaust Image: The Resister". The New York Times . Have you ever seen the story of the resistance? Have you ever seen a Jew pick up a gun and kill a German in the Holocaust? asked Mr. Avnet, 51, who is Jewish.
7. "Barbara Brody Avnet". www.barbarabrodyavnet.com.
8. "Avnet, Jon 1949–". encyclopedia.com . Retrieved January 5, 2020.
9. "Alexandra Avnet, Thomas Costantino". The New York Times . May 15, 2010. Alexandra Lester Avnet, a daughter of Barbara Brody Avnet and Jon Avnet of Topanga, Calif., was married at her parents' home Saturday evening to Thomas John Costantino, the son of Carole Costantino and Salvatore Costantino of Grassmere, Staten Island. Rabbi David Baron officiated.
10. "Three Christs" Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
11. Grobar, Matt (October 31, 2024). "Angel Studios Sets Memorial Day 2025 Release For Bull Riding Drama 'The Last Rodeo' From 'Fried Green Tomatoes' Helmer Jon Avnet & Neal McDonough". Deadline. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

External links

• Jon Avnet at IMDb