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Joe Dante

Born Nov. 28, 1946
Morristown, New Jersey, USA
79 years old

Joseph James Dante Jr. (born November 28, 1946) is an American filmmaker, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984) alongside its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with 1960s radicalism and cartoon comedy. Dante's output includes the films Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), …

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Joseph James Dante Jr. (born November 28, 1946) is an American filmmaker, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984) alongside its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with 1960s radicalism and cartoon comedy. Dante's output includes the films Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998), and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). His work for television and cable include the social satire The Second Civil War (1997), episodes of the anthology series Masters of Horror ("Homecoming" and "The Screwfly Solution") and Amazing Stories, as well as Police Squad! and Hawaii Five-0. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Dante, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

187 titles
44 Directing
31 Acting
7 Production

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Directing (44)

Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016)

Small Soldiers (1998)

Hawaii Five-0 (2010)

Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)

Innerspace (1987)

The 'Burbs (1989)

MacGyver (2016)

The Howling (1981)

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Piranha (1978)

CSI: NY (2004)

The Hole (2009)

Explorers (1985)

Burying the Ex (2014)

Police Squad! (1982)

Matinee (1993)

Masters of Horror (2005)

Nightmare Cinema (2018)

The Twilight Zone (1985)

Witches of East End (2013)

Amazing Stories (1985)

Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

Show all (44)

Eerie, Indiana (1991)

The Screwfly Solution (2006)

The Second Civil War (1997)

Trapped Ashes (2006)

Homecoming (2005)

Hollywood Boulevard (1976)

Night Visions (2001)

The Movie Orgy (1968)

Splatter (2009)

Runaway Daughters (1994)

Splatter (2009)

The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy (1996)

Haunted Lighthouse 4-D (2003)

Rebel Highway (1994)

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Preshow (1994)

Picture Windows: Lightning (1995)

Picture Windows (1995)

The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes

Acting (31)

Gremlins (1984)

Mogwai / Gremlins (voice) (uncredited)

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Grandpa Fred Director (uncredited)

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

Jailer

Innerspace (1987)

Vectorscope Employee (uncredited)

Piranha (1978)

Scuba Diver #2 (uncredited)

Sleepwalkers (1992)

Lab Assistant

Oscar (1991)

Face on the Cutting Room Floor

Tales of Halloween (2015)

Prof. Milo Gottlieb

The Silence of the Hams (1994)

Dying Man

Eating Raoul (1982)

Busboy (uncredited)

The Butterfly Room (2012)

Cab Driver

Cannonball (1976)

Kid

Eerie, Indiana (1991)

Director

Hollywood Boulevard (1976)

Party Waiter (uncredited)

Blast Vegas (2013)

Salesman #2

The Creeps (2025)

Uncle John

Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy (2005)

Razzennest (2022)

Joe Dante

Eaten Alive! The Rise and Fall of the Italian Cannibal Film (2015)

Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness (2020)

Host

Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi (2020)

Host

Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp (2020)

Host

The Orson Welles Show (1979)

Member of Studio Audience

The AckerMonster Chronicles!

Show all (31)

Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’ (2003)

Welcome to Werewolfland (2004)

Class of '79: 40 Years of Rock 'N' Roll High School (2019)

Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern (2026)

Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell

Tidal Wave (1975)

To Be... A Film Favorite (2012)

Production (7)

Trafficked (2017)

Executive production

Camp Cold Brook (2018)

Executive production

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2023)

Consulting Producer

Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994)

Associate production

The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy (1996)

Trail of Blood (2011)

The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes

Editing (6)

The Howling (1981)

Piranha (1978)

Grand Theft Auto (1977)

The Arena (1974)

Hollywood Boulevard (1976)

The Movie Orgy (1968)

Writing (2)

Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979)

Story

Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991)

Characters

Crew (2)

Corman's World (2011)

Thanks

Thanks

Appearances (109)

Sad Hill Unearthed (2018)

Self - Filmmaker

In Search of Darkness (2019)

Self

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

Self

Corman's World (2011)

Self - Filmmaker

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (2009)

Self

American Grindhouse (2011)

Himself

Love, Antosha (2019)

Self

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies (2020)

Self

Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018)

Self

In Search of Darkness: Part II (2020)

Self

Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010)

Self

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2012)

Self

24×36 (2016)

Self

In Search of Tomorrow (2022)

Self - Interviewee

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex (2015)

Self

In Search of Darkness: Part III (2022)

Self

Great Performances (1971)

Self

That Guy Dick Miller (2014)

Self

The Real History of Science Fiction (2014)

Himself

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2018)

Self

The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee (2024)

Self

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007)

Self

100 Scariest Movie Moments (2004)

Self

The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time (2022)

Self

Show all (109)

Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994)

Self

A Fuller Life (2013)

Self - Reader (segment "Sicily Black and Blue")

Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film (2019)

Self

She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein' (1999)

Self / Host

Cinerama Adventure (2002)

Self

Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion (1992)

Himself

Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years (2018)

Self

Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters (2019)

Self

Tales of the Uncanny (2020)

Self

42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street (2015)

Self

Hollywood Rated 'R' (1997)

Self

Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation (2000)

Self

Out of Print (2014)

Self

The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry (2010)

Self

Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre (2000)

Self

Soylent Green and Red Alert: When Reality Catches Up with Fiction (2022)

Self

A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! (2011)

Self - Interviewee

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster (2021)

Self

Boorman and the Devil (2026)

Self

Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen (2004)

Self

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters (2024)

Self

Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel (1978)

Self

Trailer War (2012)

Himself

Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX (2008)

Self

Karloff: The Gentle Monster (2006)

Self

Lugosi: The Dark Prince (2006)

Self

There Goes the Neighborhood: The Making of The 'Burbs (2014)

Self

Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time (2020)

Self - Host

Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet (2006)

Self

Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie Trailer (2009)

Self

Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous: Making Gremlins (2014)

Self

It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures (2001)

Self

Long Live the King (2016)

himself

Sharksploitation (2024)

Self

The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (1986)

Self

The Flesh and the Fury: X-posing Twins of Evil (2012)

Self - Director

A Century of Cinema (1994)

Self

Bugs Bunny's 80th What's Up, Doc-umentary! (2020)

Self (archive footage)

From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures (2014)

Self

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection (2005)

Self

The Magical World of Chuck Jones (1992)

Self

The Perfect Scary Movie (2005)

Self

Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror (2014)

Self - Director

Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman (2007)

Self

Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director (2024)

Himself

Mario Bava: Operazione paura (2004)

Self / Host

Monsterland (2009)

Self

Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs (1999)

Self

Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon (2006)

Self

Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema (2021)

Self

Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida (2021)

Self [archival]

Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story (2022)

Self - Interviewee

Direct Your Own Damn Movie! (2009)

Self

Hitchcocked! (2006)

Self

Il castello dell'orrore (2004)

self

Making a Monster Movie: Inside 'the Howling' (1981)

Self

Making The Earth Stand Still (2001)

Self

Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz (2004)

Self

Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr. (2010)

Self

RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World” (2008)

Self

Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein (2007)

Himself

The Art of Crime (2004)

Himself

The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie (2012)

Self

The Hatching of Spider Baby (2007)

Himself

The Horror Hall of Fame II (1991)

Self

The Return of the Living Dead: The Decade of Darkness (2007)

Self

The Vincent Price Legacy (2025)

Himself

The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth (2010)

Self

Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy (1991)

Self

Fulci in the House: The Italian Master of Splatter (2009)

Self

Gremlins, an american nightmare! (2026)

Himself

House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before! (2013)

Self

Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf (2019)

Self

Mary Woronov: Cult Queen

Self

Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur (2017)

Self

Produce Your Own Damn Movie! (2011)

Self

RKO, A Story made in Hollywood (2010)

Himself

Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace (2026)

Self

The Bloodiest Show on Earth: Making Vampire Circus (2010)

Self

The Fear Is Real (2018)

Self

The First Five Minutes... The Title Design Legacy of Dan Perri (2026)

self

The Future of Fear (2011)

Self

The Thunder Road: Making 'Explorers'

Self

Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 Conspiracy (2016)

Himself

We Come In Pieces: The Rebirth of the Horror Anthology Film (2014)

Self