Mark L. Lester

For the actor born in 1958, seeMark Lester.

Mark L. Lester
Born	(1946-11-26)November 26, 1946 Cleveland, Ohio,U.S.
Occupation(s)	Film director,film producer,screenwriter
Notable work	Roller Boogie Class of 1984 Firestarter Commando Armed and Dangerous Showdown in Little Tokyo

Mark L. Lester(born November 26, 1946) is an Americanfilm director,screenwriter,andproducer.He is known as a prolific director ofcult films,including thediscomusicalRoller Boogie(1979), the vigilante thriller filmClass of 1984(1982), theStephen KingadaptationFirestarter(1984), theArnold Schwarzeneggeraction filmCommando(1985), the action-comedyArmed and Dangerous(1986), starringJohn Candy,Eugene Levy,andMeg Ryanand the buddy movieShowdown in Little Tokyo,starringDolph LundgrenandBrandon Lee.

Career

After his debut in 1970 with the documentary filmTwilight of the Mayas,Lester quickly became a prolificB-moviedirector/producer/writer, initially making his mark with a trio ofroad moviesdesigned for thedrive-inmarket:Steel Arena(1973),Truck Stop Women(1974), andBobbie Jo and the Outlaw(1976). In 1977, he directed the high-concept thrillerStunts,an early outing forNew Line Cinema,starringRobert Forster,Joanna Cassidy,andRichard Lynch,with a score composed byMichael Kamen.Two years later, he capitalized on the disco trend withRoller Boogie,starringLinda Blair.The film had a significantly higher budget than his previous films and was the first to be distributed by a major studio, to modest success. While it received negative reviews upon its initial release, it has since gained cult status as a proverbial time capsule of the bygoneDisco Era.He then made the exploitation action crime-thrillerClass of 1984,a film revolving around violence in an inner-city school. The Canadian-made production, which featured an early appearance byMichael J. Fox,was controversial at the time of release, but has since gained cult status.

Lester entered the mainstream in 1984 with theStephen KingadaptationFirestarter,and had his biggest hit the following year withCommando,a big-budget,Joel Silver-produced,Arnold Schwarzeneggeraction film that grossed over $57 million worldwide. In 1986, he directed and produced his first comedy,Armed and Dangerous,starringJohn Candy,Eugene LevyandMeg Ryan.In 1986, he formed Original Pictures, replacing his original production company Mark L. Lester Pictures, he had earlier established in the late 1970s, and had five films planned, source from the work of public domain with a $66 million budget.In 1987, he, by way of Mark Lester Films, had signed with upstart film production companyDavis Entertainmentfor production of $5–10 million action films, which Davis produced, Lester directed and independently funded by two independent studios, and 70% of each pictures could be obtained for presale use.In 1990, he directedClass of 1999,a semi-sequel toClass of 1984,starringMalcolm McDowell,Pam Grier,andStacy Keach.In 1991, he directed the cult classicShowdown in Little Tokyo,starringDolph LundgrenandBrandon Lee.

Lester also founded American World Pictures, an independent production and distribution company. Other films include the thrillersHitman's Run(1999) andBlowback(2000), and the TV moviePterodactyl(2005), produced for theSci Fi Channel.In 2012, he formed a new distribution company called Titan Global Entertainment.

In January 2013, almost 10 years after directing his last picture, Lester helmed the filmPoseidon Rexon location in Belize. The production was disrupted briefly when lead actorCorin Nemecwas severely injured during a boating accident while the Belizean Coast Guard was transporting the cast to set;Nemec was later replaced byCharmedco-starBrian Krause.

Personal life

Lester married Dana Dubovsky, with whom he had two children: Jason and Justin. The couple divorced in 2010. Lester also has a daughter from a prior relationship, Janessa (James), who is a musician and singer-songwriter.

Filmography

Film

Director

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer
1971	Twilight of the Mayas	Yes	Yes	No
1973	Steel Arena	Yes	Yes	Yes
1974	Truck Stop Women	Yes	Yes	Yes
1975	White House Madness	Yes	Yes	No
1976	Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw	Yes	Yes	No
1977	Stunts	Yes	No	No
1979	Roller Boogie	Yes	No	No
1982	Class of 1984	Yes	Executive	Yes
1984	Firestarter	Yes	No	No
1985	Commando	Yes	No	No
1986	Armed and Dangerous	Yes	No	No
1990	Class of 1999	Yes	Yes	Story
1991	Showdown in Little Tokyo	Yes	Yes	No
1993	Extreme Justice	Yes	No	No
1995	Night of the Running Man	Yes	Yes	No
1998	Double Take	Yes	Yes	No
	Misbegotten	Yes	Yes	No
1999	Hitman's Run	Yes	Yes	No
2000	Blowback	Yes	Yes	No
2003	Lady Jayne: Killer	Yes	Yes	No
	Stealing Candy	Yes	Yes	Story
	White Rush	Yes	Yes	No
2010	Groupie	Yes	Executive	No
2013	Poseidon Rex	Yes	Yes	No
2014	Dragons of Camelot	Yes	Yes	No

Executive producer The Funhouse(1981) Instinct to Kill(2001) Bad Karma(2002) The Wisher(2002) Day of Wrath(2006) Jurassic Attack(2013) Toxin(2015) The Gardener(2020)

Producer Tricia's Wedding(1971) (Short film) Devil's Prey(2001) Beauty and the Beast(2009) Sand Sharks(2012) Social Animals(2018) High Resolution(2018) Sleeping With My Student(2019)

Direct-to-video

Year	Title	Director	Producer
1996	Public Enemies	Yes	Yes
1997	The Ex	Yes	Yes
1999	The Base	Yes	Yes
2000	The Base 2: Guilty as Charged	Yes	Yes

TV movies

Year	Title	Director	Producer
1979	Gold of the Amazon Women	Yes	No
2000	Sacrifice	Yes	Yes
	The Base 2: Guilty as Charged	Yes	Yes
2005	Pterodactyl	Yes	Yes
2007	Wraiths of Roanoke	No	Yes
2011	Sinbad and the Minotaur	No	Yes
	Jabberwock	No	Yes

Executive producer

• Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon(2008) (Also story writer)
• Dragonwasps(2012)

External links

• Mark L. LesteratIMDb