Jonathan Roberts (born May 10, 1956) is an American screenwriter,
television producer and author. He is known for having co-written Disney's ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...
''.
Life and career
Born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Roberts studied
English literature at
Brown University and took a summer graduate program on book and magazine publishing at
Harvard before launching his career.
His first written work was on ''The 80s: A Look Back'' and ''
The Official Preppy Handbook
''The Official Preppy Handbook'' (1980) is a tongue-in-cheek humor reference guide edited by Lisa Birnbach and written by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Birnbach. It discusses an aspect of North American culture descri ...
'', which became a ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' bestseller.
Roberts's first screenplay credit was on ''
The Sure Thing
''The Sure Thing'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy romance film written by Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Roberts and directed by Rob Reiner. The film stars John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Lindfors, and Nicollette Sheridan. The film chron ...
'' in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. He later went on to write for ''
Fast Times
''Fast Times'' is an American sitcom based on the 1982 movie ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' that was produced by Amy Heckerling, who directed the original film. It ran for 7 episodes on CBS from March 3 until April 23, 1986. Cameron Crowe, who ...
'', in which he also served as
producer.
Roberts then joined
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's story department and worked on the award-winning
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
animated feature ''The Lion King'' with
Irene Mecchi
Irene Mecchi (born September 21, 1949) is an American screenwriter and playwright, whose prominent works include screenplays for several Disney animated films. She co-authored the screenplays for ''The Lion King'' (1994), ''The Hunchback of Notre ...
and
Linda Woolverton
Linda Woolverton (born December 19, 1952) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist, whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals. She is the first woman to have wr ...
.
He also co-wrote the screenplays for ''
James and the Giant Peach
''James and the Giant Peach'' is a popular children's novel written in 1961 by British author Roald Dahl. The first edition, published by Alfred Knopf, featured illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. There have been re-illustrated versions of ...
'' and ''
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story ...
'' while at Disney.
Roberts served as producer on ''
Beverly Hills 90210'' and ''
Head of the Class
''Head of the Class'' is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network.
The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at the fictional Millard Fillmor ...
''.
Filmography
*''
The Sure Thing
''The Sure Thing'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy romance film written by Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Roberts and directed by Rob Reiner. The film stars John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Lindfors, and Nicollette Sheridan. The film chron ...
'' (with
Steven L. Bloom) (1985)
*''
Fast Times
''Fast Times'' is an American sitcom based on the 1982 movie ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' that was produced by Amy Heckerling, who directed the original film. It ran for 7 episodes on CBS from March 3 until April 23, 1986. Cameron Crowe, who ...
'' (1986) (TV) (also Producer)
*''
Once Bitten'' (with
David Hines and
Jeffrey Hause) (1985)
*''
Head of the Class
''Head of the Class'' is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network.
The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at the fictional Millard Fillmor ...
'' (1989–1990) (TV) (Co-Producer)
*''
Beverly Hills 90210'' (1991–1992) (TV) (also Co-Producer)
*''
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey'' (1993) (uncredited writer)
*''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...
'' (with
Irene Mecchi
Irene Mecchi (born September 21, 1949) is an American screenwriter and playwright, whose prominent works include screenplays for several Disney animated films. She co-authored the screenplays for ''The Lion King'' (1994), ''The Hunchback of Notre ...
and
Linda Woolverton
Linda Woolverton (born December 19, 1952) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist, whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals. She is the first woman to have wr ...
) (1994)
*''
James and the Giant Peach
''James and the Giant Peach'' is a popular children's novel written in 1961 by British author Roald Dahl. The first edition, published by Alfred Knopf, featured illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. There have been re-illustrated versions of ...
'' (with
Steven L. Bloom and
Karey Kirkpatrick
Karey Kirkpatrick is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. His films include Chicken Run, ''The Rescuers Down Under'', '' James and the Giant Peach,'' ''Over the Hedge'', ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'', ''Charlotte's Web'', and ...
) (1996)
*''
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story ...
'' (with
Tab Murphy,
Irene Mecchi
Irene Mecchi (born September 21, 1949) is an American screenwriter and playwright, whose prominent works include screenplays for several Disney animated films. She co-authored the screenplays for ''The Lion King'' (1994), ''The Hunchback of Notre ...
,
Bob Tzudiker
Robert "Bob" Tzudiker (born August 28, 1953) is an American writer and actor. Tzudiker is best known for co-creating and writing the screenplay for ''Newsies'' along with his wife Noni White, which was based on the real-life Newsboys' strike of ...
, and
Noni White
Noni White is an American writer and actress. White is best known for co-creating and writing the screenplay for ''Newsies'' along with her husband Bob Tzudiker, which was based on the real-life Newsboys' strike of 1899. Newsies began as a "cl ...
) (1996)
*''
Jack Frost
Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, ...
'' (with
Steven L. Bloom,
Mark Steven Johnson and
Jeff Cesario
Jeff Cesario (born March 30, 1953) is an actor, comedian, producer and writer who has written and produced for ''Dennis Miller Live'' and ''The Larry Sanders Show''. He has appeared on ''Adam Carolla'', ''The Larry Sanders Show'', ''The Tonight Sho ...
) (1998)
*''
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
'' (2000) (additional screenplay material)
*''
The Emperor's New Groove
''The Emperor's New Groove'' is a 2000 American animated slapstick comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 40th animated film produced by the studio, it was directed by Mark Dindal and p ...
'' (2000) (uncredited writer)
*''
Monsters, Inc.'' (2001) (additional screenplay material)
Bibliography
*''
The 80s: A Look Back at the Tumultuous Decade 1980–1989'' (1979)
*''
The Official Preppy Handbook
''The Official Preppy Handbook'' (1980) is a tongue-in-cheek humor reference guide edited by Lisa Birnbach and written by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Birnbach. It discusses an aspect of North American culture descri ...
'' (1980)
*''
How to California'' (1984)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Jonathan
Living people
1956 births
Writers from Boston
Brown University alumni
American non-fiction writers
American male screenwriters
Animation screenwriters
Film producers from Massachusetts
American male non-fiction writers
Screenwriters from Massachusetts
Walt Disney Animation Studios people