Brian Levant
Brian Michael Levant (born August 6, 1952) is an American television and film director, writer and producer.[1]
Brian Levant | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 6, 1952 Highland Park, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Film director television director film producer television producer screenwriter |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse(s) | Alison Logan |
| Children | 3 |
Levant was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He started his career in 1976 as a writer for the TV series Happy Days. He also wrote for, among other TV shows, The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy and Still the Beaver.
He is best known for directing the films Beethoven,[1] The Flintstones, Jingle All the Way, Snow Dogs and Are We There Yet?.[1]
Levant's work is generally disliked by film critics.[2] In response to the criticism, Levant responded, "I'm making movies for the audience that I was when I was sitting at home watching Garfield Goose and The Three Stooges on WGN...To read those reviews is an act of self-flagellation, but reviews be damned when you're at Blockbuster, and you're seeing family after family grab one of your movies off the shelf off a Friday night. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that."[2]
Filmography
Film
| Title | Year | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Problem Child 2 | 1991 | Yes | Directorial debut | ||
| Beethoven | 1992 | Yes | |||
| The Flintstones | 1994 | Yes | |||
| Jingle All the Way | 1996 | Yes | |||
| Leave It to Beaver | 1997 | Yes | |||
| The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas | 2000 | Yes | |||
| Snow Dogs | 2002 | Yes | |||
| Are We There Yet? | 2005 | Yes | |||
| Beethoven's Big Break | 2008 | Story | Direct-to-video | ||
| The Spy Next Door | 2010 | Yes | |||
| A Christmas Story 2 | 2012 | Yes | Yes | Direct-to-video | |
| Sophia Grace & Rosie's Royal Adventure | 2014 | Yes | Yes | Direct-to-video | |
| Max 2: White House Hero | 2017 | Yes | Limited released | ||
| Police Academy | TBA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Announced |
Television
| Title | Year | Director | Producer | Writer | Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Days | 1976–84 | Supervising | Yes | Writer (14 episodes) / Producer (44 episodes) | ||
| The Jeffersons | 1977 | Story | Episode: "Jefferson Airplane" | |||
| Please Stand By | 1978 | Yes | 1 episode | |||
| Brothers and Sisters | 1979 | Yes | 2 episodes | |||
| The Bad News Bears | 1979–80 | Yes | Yes | Writer (2 episodes) / Producer (12 episodes) | ||
| Mork & Mindy | 1981–82 | Yes | Yes | Writer (2 episodes) / Producer (22 episodes) | ||
| The New Leave It to Beaver | 1983–89 | Yes | Executive | Yes | Developer | 102 episodes / Director (21 episodes) / Writer (19 episodes) |
| Married... with Children | 1987 | Yes | Episode: "The Poker Game" | |||
| Charles in Charge | 1988–89 | Yes | 2 episodes | |||
| My Secret Identity | 1988–91 | Co-Executive | Yes | Yes | 72 episodes / Writer (Episode: "Pilot") | |
| Poochinski | 1990 | Executive | Yes | Unsold pilot | ||
| Babes | 1990-91 | Executive | 22 episodes | |||
| Problem Child 3: Junior in Love | 1995 | Executive | TV film | |||
| The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space | 1995 | Executive | Story | TV film | ||
| Metropolitan Hospital | 1997 | Yes | Executive | Yes | Unsold pilot | |
| Father Can't Cope | 2000 | Yes | Executive | Yes | Unsold pilot | |
| Grounded for Life | 2001 | Yes | Episode: "Eddie's Dead" | |||
| Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins | 2009 | Yes | Yes | TV film | ||
| Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster | 2010 | Yes | Yes | TV film | ||
| The Game of Love | 2016 | Executive | Yes | TV film |
References
- "Brain Levant". The New York Times. October 11, 2019.
- Liebenson, Donald (January 15, 2010). "'Spy Next Door' reflects on its director". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
