Jeannot Szwarc
Biography
Jeannot Szwarc (November 21, 1939 - January 14, 2025) was a French film director. Szwarc was born in Paris. He began working as a director in US television during the 1960s, in particular on Ironside. He is also associated with The Rockford Files, Kojak, Night Gallery, JAG, Bones, Numb3rs, and Columbo. His feature films include Bug (1975), Jaws 2 (1978), Somewhere in Time (1980), Supergirl (1984), and Santa Claus: The Movie (1985). Since then, he has mainly directed television movies and series. In 2003, Szwarc joined the crew of The WB television series Smallville as a director. One of the major episodes he directed was "Homecoming", the 200th episode of Smallville. He also directed six episodes of Heroes, at least once for each season.
Known For & Full Filmography7 Titles
Drama Series - 1975, 16 episodes • as Self
A talk show presented by Michel Drucker
Movie - 2007, 2h 15m • as Self
Chronicles the last great American showman, filmmaker William Castle, a master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous audience participation gimmicks.
Movie - 1985, 2h 15m • as Self
A documentary filmed during production of the film "Supergirl" showing the world how and who made it. This interesting featurette includes interviews with the cast and crew along with footage from the film and excerpts from the musical score.
Movie - 2006, 2h 15m • as Self
A 5-part documentary of the history of Superman in the movies. • Origin - Superman in the media and the challenges the Salkinds faced • Vision - Creating the right script, Choosing the right director and casting the right actors • Ascent - The production and launch of a new kind of fantasy film • Crisis - Complications and conflicts between the creative forces behind Superman II • Redemption - Criticisms and burnout of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Movie - 1985, 2h 15m • as Self
This behind-the-scenes documentary follows Team Salkind as they set out to bring Santa's "true" story to the screen. Dudley Moore (Patch) hosts; David Huddleston intros in character as Santa.
Movie - 2000, 2h 15m • as Self
The cast and crew of Somewhere in Time (1980) looks back at the making of the movie in this documentary produced for the special features on the DVD Collector's Edition.
Movie - 2001, 2h 15m • as Self
A documentary giving film fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this sequel to the now-classic horror movie that had viewers too scared to go into the water. Includes interviews with the writer, director, and other members of the creative staff who relate some of their experiences with making the film, as well as giving their views on all the work that went into it.