Jonathan Hensleigh Biography

Jonathan Hensleigh worked as a corporate lawyer and investor before getting involved in filmmaking. His career as a screenwriter began with episodes of the ABC TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, executive-produced by George Lucas. Hensleigh's first motion picture screenplay was A Far Off Place (1993), which starred Reese Witherspoon. In 1995 two of his screenplays hit the big screen - Jumanji and Die Hard: With a Vengeance. He also married producer Gale Anne Hurd that year, after they met in the Paramount commissary.

In 1997, Hensleigh branched out into executive-producing with Con Air, starring Nicolas Cage. He worked with his wife for the first time when she produced and he executive-produced and co-wrote the screenplay for Armageddon (1998), which featured an all-star cast that included Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler and Owen Wilson. Unhappy with the directorial work on some of his screenplays, Hensleigh was encouraged by studio executives to direct his next picture, The Punisher (2004). Based on the Marvel Comics hero, the movie was produced by his wife.

Hensleigh lives in Southern California with his wife and her daughter. He is currently working on an action/adventure script for Disney.

Filmography:

The Punisher (2004)