Mark L. Lester

Mark L. Lester (born November 26, 1946) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known as a prolific director of cult films, including the disco musical ''Roller Boogie'' (1979), the vigilante thriller film ''Class of 1984'' (1982), the Stephen King adaptation ''Firestarter'' (1984), the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film ''Commando'' (1985), the action-comedy ''Armed and Dangerous'' (1986), starring John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Meg Ryan and the buddy movie ''Showdown in Little Tokyo'', starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee.

Early life

Mark L. Lester was born 26 November 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Career

"Now people want to make films to get into festivals, we made films to get into drive-ins." - Mark L. Lester

After his debut in 1970 with the documentary film ''Twilight of the Mayas'', Lester quickly became a prolific B-movie director/producer/writer, initially making his mark with a trio of road movies designed for the drive-in market: '' Steel Arena'' (1973), ''Truck Stop Women'' (1974), and ''Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw'' (1976). In 1977, he directed the high-concept thriller ''Stunts'', an early outing for New Line Cinema, starring Robert Forster, Joanna Cassidy, and Richard Lynch, with a score composed by Michael Kamen. Two years later, he capitalized on the disco trend with ''Roller Boogie'', starring Linda 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 bygone Disco Era. He then made the exploitation action crime-thriller ''Class of 1984'', a film revolving around violence in an inner-city school. The Canadian-made production, which featured an early appearance by Michael J. Fox, was controversial at the time of release, but has since gained cult status .

"...many of my films have a revenge theme. It’s something I’ve only recently noticed, but revenge and conflict are elements that often return in my stories and the final act is usually the resolution of that conflict. I come from a very visual, not a word-based, way of conceiving films, and to me that resolution must articulate itself visually and in the most spectacular way possible. What you are underlining is essentially the manifestation of the character’s, or characters’, inner anger and frustration, which end up exploding. I think Class of 1984 (1982) is a perfect example of this." - Mark L. Lester (2021)

Lester entered the mainstream in 1984 with the Stephen King adaptation '' Firestarter''.

I was at the "Midsummer Night’s Dream" Playboy Mansion party, sitting in my pajamas next to Joel Silver. He said he had this script, and maybe I could direct it. I said, "Fabulous, can I read the script? He said, "No, if you read the script you’re not gonna want to do the movie." - Mark L. Lester (2015)

Lester had his biggest hit the following year with ''Commando'', a big-budget, Joel Silver-produced, Arnold Schwarzenegger action film that grossed over $57 million worldwide. In 1986, he directed and produced his first comedy, '' Armed and Dangerous'', starring John Candy, Eugene Levy and Meg 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 company Davis Entertainment for 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 directed ''Class of 1999'', a semi-sequel to ''Class of 1984'', starring Malcolm McDowell, Pam Grier, and Stacy Keach. In 1991, he directed the cult classic ''Showdown in Little Tokyo'', starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee.

Lester also founded American World Pictures, an independent production and distribution company. Other films include the thrillers '' Hitman's Run'' (1999) and '' Blowback'' (2000), and the TV movie ''Pterodactyl'' (2005), produced for the Sci 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 film '' Poseidon Rex'' on location in Belize. The production was disrupted briefly when lead actor Corin Nemec was severely injured during a boating accident while the Belizean Coast Guard was transporting the cast to set; Nemec was later replaced by ''Charmed'' co-star Brian Krause.

A critic describes his career as having an ''exploitation'' period, a ''commercial'' period and a ''DTV'' period.

Personal life

On 14 March 1992, 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) Lester, who is a musician and singer-songwriter.

Filmography

Film

Director

Direct-to-video

TV movies

Executive producer
* '' Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon'' (2008) (Also story writer)
* ''Dragonwasps'' (2012)

References

External links

* https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mark-l-lester/
* https://www.the-numbers.com/person/647490401-Mark-L-Lester
*
*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Mark L.
1946 births
Living people
American male screenwriters
Film producers from Ohio
Film directors from Ohio
American action film directors
American horror film directors