TWISTER

JAN DE BONT

Dutch-born director Jan de Bont made a stunning directorial debut with the action blockbuster Speed, starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

Jan began making 8-millimeter films as a child in Eindhoven, Holland. Continuing his fascination with film throughout his schooling, he attended the Film Academy in Amsterdam. Influenced by the trend of independent, low-budget filmmaking in 1950s Paris, Jan became a prominent figure in the Dutch New Wave movement of young filmmakers. Jan learned all aspects of filmmaking, from camera and sound to production design and editing, while making his first professional documentaries in film school and founding his own production company.

Jan then became a sought-after director of photography. For his body of work in Holland, Jan was awarded a Kodak Camera Award (equivalent to an Oscar) and the Rembrandt Award (the Dutch version of the People's Choice Award). In 1993, Jan was offered his first directing opportunity on feature film Speed, which immediately established him as one of Hollywood's foremost action directors.

HELEN HUNT

Helen Hunt (Jo Harding) has won two Golden Globe Awards, three American Comedy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award and three Emmy Award nominations for her starring role in the comedy series Mad About You. Helen also serves as a producer of the acclaimed series.

On the big screen, Helen’s credits include The Waterdance, Kiss of Death, Mr. Saturday Night, Peggy Sue Got Married, Next of Kin, Miles From Home and Project X. After shooting Project X, Helen left Los Angeles for New York, determined to break into theater. She performed on Broadway in Thornton Wilder's classic Our Town, co-starring Eric Stoltz and Spalding Gray.

BILL PAXTON

Bill Paxton (Bill Harding) recently completed filming on The Evening Star, the sequel to the Oscar-winning Terms of Endearment. Prior to that, Bill wrapped production on the independent feature Traveler in which he plays a modern-day grifter from a family of Irish gypsies. He also serves as producer for the project.

In the Academy Award-winning Apollo 13, Bill starred opposite Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon for director Ron Howard. He also appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in yet another box-office triumph, True Lies, which reunited him with director James Cameron. This marked the third collaboration between James and Bill following Aliens and The Terminator.

Bill got his start in Hollywood working as a set designer in 1974. After working on several features, he decided to change pace and moved to New York to study acting. Upon returning to Los Angeles, he began accumulating acting credits, first in low-budget horror films and later in major motion pictures, including the John Hughes comedy Weird Science.

MICHAEL CRICHTON

Michael Crichton, called the "father of the techno-thriller," has written such novels as The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Sphere, Disclosure, Rising Sun, Jurassic Park and The Lost World.

His novels have been translated into 20 languages. Seven of them have been adapted for the screen, including the recent hits Disclosure and Jurassic Park. With Steven Spielberg directing, The Lost World will be Michael's next literary work adapted for the big screen.

Michael has directed six films, among them Westworld, Coma and The Great Train Robbery. He also expanded his horizons to television with great success as the creator and executive producer of the much-honored series ER, the number-one prime-time drama during its debut season.

ANNE-MARIE MARTIN

Anne-Marie Martin has been involved in the entertainment industry for 18 years, appearing in numerous films, television programs and stage productions. Some of her credits include a feature role for three years on the television daytime drama Days of Our Lives and a co-starring role on the television series Sledgehammer. After taking time off to raise her daughter, Anne-Marie re-entered the entertainment world as a screenwriter for Twister, her first screenplay. The concept for the movie was conceived by Anne-Marie, who then co-wrote the project with her husband, Michael Crichton.


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