JJ ABRAMS
Creator & Executive Producer
Screenwriter of such films as
Armageddon,
Forever Young, and
Regarding Henry, J.J. Abrams made his first step into television with
Imagine Television and
Touchstone Television's series
Felicity, which ran for 4 seasons (1998 - 2002). He was the show's co-creator and executive producer, and he also co-wrote the theme song and made his directorial debut with a two-part episode in the series' first season.
Those days J.J. Abrams serves as creator and executive producer of
Alias and
Lost.
In Alias J.J. wrote and directed the pilot and season one's finale, and composed the series' theme music as well.
He is the creator, writer and executive producer of Lost. He also wrote and directed 2 episodes.
Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Abrams developed a passion for movies at the age of eight when his grandfather took him on the Universal Studios Tour. That night, J.J. asked his father if he could use his Super 8mm camera to make his own films and, after much cajoling, his father conceded.
Over the next 10 years, Abrams made countless amateur films, which he entered in various student film festivals, winning a number of awards. It was through these festivals that, at age 13, Abrams met Matt Reeves, his collaborator on Felicity.
Abrams attended Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York where, during his senior year, he teamed with a friend to write a feature film treatment. Purchased by Touchstone Pictures, the treatment was the basis for
Taking Care of Business, Abrams' first produced film, which starred Charles Grodin and James Belushi. He followed that up with
Regarding Henry starring Harrison Ford, and
Forever Young starring Mel Gibson. Abrams then collaborated with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay on the summer 1998 blockbuster
Armageddon.
His feature producing credits include
The Pallbearer, directed by Reeves, and the independent film
The Suburbans with Jennifer Love Hewitt. He was an actor in the movies
Six Degrees of Separation and
Diabolique. In 2001 Abrams co-wrote and produced
Joy Ride, for Twentieth Century Fox, directed by John Dahl. He continues to balance both film and television.
Abrams, his wife and their two young children divide their time between Los Angeles and Maine.