Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (born August 8, 1963) is an American film director and producer.

Early life, family and education

Turteltaub was born on August 8, 1963, in New York City, one of two children born to comedy writer Saul Turteltaub (best known for his work on Sanford and Son) and his wife, Shirley Steinberg. His parents are both Jewish. Turteltaub graduated from Wesleyan University and the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Career

Jon Turteltaub has directed successful mainstream films for the Walt Disney Studios, including; 3 Ninjas (1992), Cool Runnings (1993), While You Were Sleeping (1995), Phenomenon (1996), Instinct (1999), Disney's The Kid (2000), National Treasure (2004), as well as its 2007 sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010), as well as The Meg (2018) for Warner Brothers. Turteltaub produced the CBS television series Jericho. He also directed the show's first three episodes. In 1996, his production company Junction Entertainment had a film deal with Disney, and in 2006, signed a deal with Paramount Television, which would soon become CBS Paramount Network Television. In 2020, Turteltaub directed two episodes of NBC's musical TV series Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist including the episode "Zoey's Extraordinary Glitch", which The Hollywood Reporter listed as one of the 10 best episodes of television that year.

Personal life

Turteltaub is married to British television writer and producer Amy Eldon. Their family resides in Malibu, California, next door to his in-laws. Amy's brother photojournalist Dan Eldon was stoned to death alongside several other journalists in Somalia in 1993. Turteltaub serves on the Creative Council of Represent.Us, a nonpartisan anti-corruption organization. Ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Turteltaub directed an anti-Trump video for the Lincoln Project.

Filmography

Film Television