John Badham (born August 29, 1939) is an American film and television director, best known for directing the films Saturday Night Fever (1977), Dracula (1979), Blue Thunder (1983), WarGames (1983), Short Circuit (1986), Stakeout (1987), Bird on a Wire (1990), The Hard Way (1991), Point of No Return (1993), Drop Zone (1994), and Nick of Time (1995). He is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, a two-time Hugo Award nominee, and a Saturn Award winner. He is also a Professor at Chapman University.
Badham was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, the son of actress Mary Hewitt. When he was five, Badham moved with his mother and stepfather—a U.S. Army brigadier general—to his stepfather's hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, and became a naturalized American citizen in 1950. He attended Yale University, earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy and then Master of Fine Arts in 1966. From 1964 to 1970, Badham served as a medic in the United States Air Force and the California National Guard.
Badham worked in television for years, on Universal Television series like Cannon and The Bold Ones. He then directed several acclaimed TV movies, including Isn't It Shocking? (1973) and The Law (1974). His first feature film was The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings in 1976.
His breakthrough came in 1977 when he replaced John G. Avildsen as the director of Saturday Night Fever, a massive worldwide hit starring John Travolta. His choices after that film were wildly eclectic, ranging from the action thriller Blue Thunder (1983) to the comedy-drama Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981) to the comedy thriller Stakeout (1987) and its sequel Another Stakeout (1993). WarGames (1983), starring Matthew Broderick, is his other signature film, renowned for its take on popular Cold War fears of nuclear terror as well as being one of the first films to deal with the subculture of amateur hacking. Another sizable hit was Short Circuit (1986), a comedy about a robot who comes to life.
In addition to his numerous film credits, Badham has also continued to direct and produce for TV, including credits for Rod Serling's Night Gallery, the A&E television series The Beast, TV movies like HBO's The Jack Bull (1999), and episodes of series including Crossing Jordan and Criminal Minds. He has also contributed commentary to the web series Trailers from Hell.
In 1986, he signed a two-year development deal with production company Universal Pictures, in order to develop various film projects. Badham is a Professor at Chapman University.
Badham has been considered to direct films that ended up being directed by others, such as The Wiz (1978), Brubaker (1980), First Blood (1982), Staying Alive (1983), The Dead Zone (1983), Starman (1984), Project X (1987), Short Circuit 2 (1988), Ghost Dad (1990), Patriot Games (1992), The Firm (1993) and Dragonheart (1996).
Badham's sister, Mary Badham, is an actress who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as "Scout" Finch in the film To Kill a Mockingbird.
The Impatient Heart, NBC (1971)
No Place to Run, ABC (1972) (uncredited)
Isn't It Shocking?, ABC (1973)
Reflections of Murder, ABC (1974)
Floating Away, Showtime (1998)
The Last Debate, Showtime (2000)
The Bold Ones: The Senator, NBC (1971)
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, NBC (1972)
Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, ABC (1973)
The Streets of San Francisco, ABC (1973)