DIRECTOR
Joe Dante
Known for DC's Legends of Tomorrow · Hawaii Five-0 · MacGyver
Joseph James Dante Jr. (born November 28, 1946) is an American filmmaker, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984) alongside its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with 1960s radicalism and cartoon comedy. Dante's output includes the films Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998),…
Snapshot 2026-10-15
- Born
- Nov 28, 1946
- Birthplace
- Morristown, New Jersey, USA
- Known For
- Directing
Biography
Joseph James Dante Jr. (born November 28, 1946) is an American filmmaker, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984) alongside its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with 1960s radicalism and cartoon comedy.
Dante's output includes the films Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998), and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). His work for television and cable include the social satire The Second Civil War (1997), episodes of the anthology series Masters of Horror ("Homecoming" and "The Screwfly Solution") and Amazing Stories, as well as Police Squad! and Hawaii Five-0.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Dante, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Known For
Filmography
Movies
The Movie OrgyDirector
1968The Movie OrgyEditor
1968
The ArenaEditor
1974
Tidal Wave
1975
CannonballKid
1976
Hollywood BoulevardParty Waiter (uncredited)
1976Hollywood BoulevardEditor
1976Hollywood BoulevardDirector
1976
Grand Theft AutoEditor
1977
PiranhaScuba Diver #2 (uncredited)
1978PiranhaEditor
1978PiranhaDirector
1978
Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild AngelSelf
1978
Rock 'n' Roll High SchoolStory
1979
The Orson Welles ShowMember of Studio Audience
1979
Making a Monster Movie: Inside 'the Howling'Self
1981
The HowlingDirector
1981The HowlingEditor
1981
Eating RaoulBusboy (uncredited)
1982
Twilight Zone: The MovieDirector
1983
GremlinsMogwai / Gremlins (voice) (uncredited)
1984GremlinsDirector
1984
ExplorersDirector
1985
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George PalSelf
1986
Amazon Women on the MoonDirector
1987
InnerspaceVectorscope Employee (uncredited)
1987InnerspaceDirector
1987
The 'BurbsDirector
1989
Gremlins 2: The New BatchGrandpa Fred Director (uncredited)
1990Gremlins 2: The New BatchDirector
1990AW
Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and FantasySelf
1991
OscarFace on the Cutting Room Floor
1991
Rock 'n' Roll High School ForeverCharacters
1991TH
The Horror Hall of Fame IISelf
1991
Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' CompanionHimself
1992
SleepwalkersLab Assistant
1992
The Magical World of Chuck JonesSelf
1992
MatineeDirector
1993
A Century of CinemaSelf
1994
Beverly Hills Cop IIIJailer
1994
Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of HorrorSelf
1994Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of HorrorAssociate Producer
1994
Runaway DaughtersDirector
1994
The Silence of the HamsDying Man
1994
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - PreshowDirector
1994
Picture Windows: LightningDirector
1995
The Warlord: Battle for the GalaxyProducer
1996The Warlord: Battle for the GalaxyDirector
1996
Hollywood Rated 'R'Self
1997
The Second Civil WarDirector
1997
Small SoldiersDirector
1998
Ray Harryhausen: Working with DinosaursSelf
1999
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'Self / Host
1999
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in AnimationSelf
2000
Mario Bava: Maestro of the MacabreSelf
2000
It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International PicturesSelf
2001
Making The Earth Stand StillSelf
2001
Cinerama AdventureSelf
2002
Haunted Lighthouse 4-DDirector
2003
Looney Tunes: Back in ActionDirector
2003
Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’
2003
Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-ScreenSelf
2004IC
Il castello dell'orroreself
2004
Mario Bava: Operazione pauraSelf / Host
2004MI
Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im PelzSelf
2004TA
The Art of CrimeHimself
2004
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie EditingSelf
2004
Welcome to Werewolfland
2004
HomecomingDirector
2005
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years CollectionSelf
2005
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
2005
The Perfect Scary MovieSelf
2005
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden PlanetSelf
2006
Hitchcocked!Self
2006
Karloff: The Gentle MonsterSelf
2006
Lugosi: The Dark PrinceSelf
2006
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi IconSelf
2006
The Screwfly SolutionDirector
2006
Trapped AshesDirector
2006
Famous Monster: Forrest J AckermanSelf
2007SS
Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald SteinHimself
2007
Spine Tingler! The William Castle StorySelf
2007
The Hatching of Spider BabyHimself
2007
The Return of the Living Dead: The Decade of DarknessSelf
2007
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFXSelf
2008
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”Self
2008CA
Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie TrailerSelf
2009
Direct Your Own Damn Movie!Self
2009
Fulci in the House: The Italian Master of SplatterSelf
2009
MonsterlandSelf
2009
Nightmares in Red, White and BlueSelf
2009
SplatterDirector
2009
The HoleDirector
2009E
EmbryoThanks
2010
Machete Maidens Unleashed!Self
2010
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.Self
2010
RKO, A Story made in HollywoodHimself
2010TB
The Bloodiest Show on Earth: Making Vampire CircusSelf
2010
The Man Who Saw Frankenstein CrySelf
2010
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern MythSelf
2010
A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas!Self - Interviewee
2011
American GrindhouseHimself
2011
Corman's WorldSelf - Filmmaker
2011Corman's WorldThanks
2011
Produce Your Own Damn Movie!Self
2011TF
The Future of FearSelf
2011
Trail of BloodProducer
2011
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects TitanSelf
2012
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster MovieSelf
2012
The Butterfly RoomCab Driver
2012
The Flesh and the Fury: X-posing Twins of EvilSelf - Director
2012TB
To Be... A Film Favorite
2012
Trailer WarHimself
2012
A Fuller LifeSelf - Reader (segment "Sicily Black and Blue")
2013
Blast VegasSalesman #2
2013
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!Self
2013
Burying the ExDirector
2014
Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish HorrorSelf - Director
2014
Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous: Making GremlinsSelf
2014
From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the CreaturesSelf
2014
Out of PrintSelf
2014
That Guy Dick MillerSelf
2014TG
There Goes the Neighborhood: The Making of The 'BurbsSelf
2014
We Come In Pieces: The Rebirth of the Horror Anthology FilmSelf
2014
42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious StreetSelf
2015
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein ComplexSelf
2015
Eaten Alive! The Rise and Fall of the Italian Cannibal Film
2015
Tales of HalloweenProf. Milo Gottlieb
2015
24×36Self
2016
Long Live the Kinghimself
2016
Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 ConspiracyHimself
2016
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieurSelf
2017
TraffickedExecutive Producer
2017
Camp Cold BrookExecutive Producer
2018
Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. YearsSelf
2018
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry CohenSelf
2018
Nightmare CinemaDirector
2018
Sad Hill UnearthedSelf - Filmmaker
2018TF
The Fear Is RealSelf
2018CO
Class of '79: 40 Years of Rock 'N' Roll High School
2019
In Search of DarknessSelf
2019
Love, AntoshaSelf
2019
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed FilmSelf
2019
Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal WerewolfSelf
2019
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and MonstersSelf
2019
Bugs Bunny's 80th What's Up, Doc-umentary!Self (archive footage)
2020
In Search of Darkness: Part IISelf
2020
Skin: A History of Nudity in the MoviesSelf
2020
Tales of the UncannySelf
2020
Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight MadnessHost
2020
Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-FiHost
2020
Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and CampHost
2020
Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in FloridaSelf [archival]
2021
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the MonsterSelf
2021
Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop CinemaSelf
2021BK
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the StorySelf - Interviewee
2022
In Search of Darkness: Part IIISelf
2022
In Search of TomorrowSelf - Interviewee
2022
RazzennestJoe Dante
2022
Soylent Green and Red Alert: When Reality Catches Up with FictionSelf
2022
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and MonstersSelf
2024
Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film DirectorHimself
2024
SharksploitationSelf
2024
The Life and Deaths of Christopher LeeSelf
2024
The CreepsUncle John
2025
The Vincent Price LegacyHimself
2025
Boorman and the DevilSelf
2026
Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern
2026
Gremlins, an american nightmare!Himself
2026
Shrinkage: The Making of InnerspaceSelf
2026FP
Fear ParisDirector
L
LabrintusDirector
ME
Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell
Mary Woronov: Cult QueenSelf
TA
The AckerMonster Chronicles!
The Man with Kaleidoscope EyesProducer
The Man with Kaleidoscope EyesDirector
Television
Great PerformancesSelf · 1 eps
1971
Police Squad!Director
1982
Amazing StoriesDirector
1985
The Twilight ZoneDirector
1985
Eerie, IndianaDirector · 1 eps
1991Eerie, IndianaDirector
1991
Rebel HighwayDirector
1994
Picture WindowsDirector
1995
Night VisionsDirector
2001
100 Scariest Movie MomentsSelf · 5 eps
2004
CSI: NYDirector
2004
Leçon de CinémaSelf · 1 eps
2004
Masters of HorrorDirector
2005
SplatterDirector
2009
Hawaii Five-0Director
2010
Witches of East EndDirector
2013
The Real History of Science FictionHimself · 1 eps
2014
DC's Legends of TomorrowDirector
2016
MacGyverDirector
2016
Eli Roth's History of HorrorSelf · 5 eps
2018
Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All TimeSelf - Host · 3 eps
2020
Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow1 eps
2022
The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All TimeSelf · 8 eps
2022
Gremlins: Secrets of the MogwaiConsulting Producer
2023Photos
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