John Milius

Filmmakers

John Frederick Milius (born April 11, 1944) is an American screenwriter, filmmaker, and producer. His first credited screenplay was on Burt Topper’s The Devil’s 8 (1969), with Christopher George, Fabian, Tom Nardini and Leslie Parrish. He did uncredited script revisions to Don Siegel’s Dirty Harry (1971), with Clint Eastwood, Andy Robinson, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, and John Vernon; while having co-writing credit on the first sequel Magnum Force (1973), with Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Mitchell Ryan, David Soul, Felton Perry, and Robert Urich.

He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), with Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando, Fredric Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, and Dennis Hopper. Other writing and co-writing credits of the 1970s include Evel Knievel (1971), with George Hamilton, Sue Lyon, Bert Freed, and Rod Cameron; The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), with Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, John Huston (who also directed), Stacy Keach, Roddy McDowell, Anthony Perkins, Victoria Principal, Anthony Zerbe, Ava Gardner, and Ned Beatty; Sydney Pollack’s Jeremiah Johnson (1972), with Robert Redford, Will Geer, Allyn Ann McLerie, Stefan Gierasch, and Charles Tyner.

Milius made his directorial debut with Dillinger (1973), with Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Michelle Phillips, Harry Dean Stanton, John Ryan, and Richard Dreyfuss. His other directing credits include The Wind and the Lion (1975), with Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, and Huston; Big Wednesday (1978), with Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary Busey; Conan the Barbarian (1982), with Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Sandahl Bergman, Ben Davidson, Cassandra Gaviola, Gerry Lopez, Mako, Valerie Quennessen, William Smith, and Max von Sydow; Red Dawn (1984), with Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson and Jennifer Grey, Ben Johnson, Stanton, Ron O’Neal, William Smith, and Powers Boothe; Farewell to the King (1989), with Nick Nolte, Nigel Havers, Frank McRae, and Gerry Lopez; Flight of the Intruder (1991), with Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Brad Johnson, Rosanna Arquette, and Tom Sizemore; the tv movie Motorcycle Gang (1994), with Gerald McRaney, Jake Busey, and Carla Gugino; and the tv miniseries Rough Riders (1997), with Tom Berenger, Sam Elliott, Busey, Illeana Douglas, and R. Lee Ermey.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

  • The Devil’s 8 (1969) – directed by Burt Topper – co-writer
  • Evel Knievel (1971) – directed by Marvin J. Chomsky – co-writer
  • Dirty Harry (1971) – directed by Don Siegel – uncredited script revisions
  • The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) – directed by John Huston – writer
  • Jeremiah Johnson (1972) – directed by Sydney Pollack – co-writer
  • Dillinger (1973) – director, writer
  • Magnum Force (1973) – directed by Ted Post – co-writer
  • The Wind and the Lion (1975) – director, writer
  • Jaws (1975)** – directed by Steven Spielberg – uncredited script revisions
  • I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) – directed by Robert Zemeckis – executive producer
  • Big Wednesday (1978) – director, co-writer
  • Hardcore (1979) – directed by Paul Schrader – executive producer
  • Apocalypse Now (1979) – directed by Francis Ford Coppola – co-writer
  • 1941 (1979) – directed by Steven Spielberg – co-story, executive producer
  • Used Cars (1980) – directed by Robert Zemeckis – executive producer
  • Conan the Barbarian (1982) – director, co-writer
  • Uncommon Valor (1983) – directed by Ted Kotcheff – producer
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)** – directed by Steven Spielberg – uncredited script revisions
  • Red Dawn (1984) – director, co-writer
  • Extreme Prejudice (1987) – directed by Walter Hill – co-story
  • Farewell to the King (1989) – director, writer
  • The Hunt for Red October (1990) – directed by John McTiernan – uncredited script revisions
  • Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) – directed by Walter Hill – co-writer
  • Clear and Present Danger (1994) – directed by Phillip Noyce – co-writer
  • Motorcycle Gang (1994) – director – TV movie
  • Eraser (1996) – directed by Chuck Russell – uncredited script revisions
  • Rough Riders (1997) – director, co-writer – miniseries
  • Saving Private Ryan (1998) – directed by Steven Spielberg – uncredited script revisions
  • Texas Rangers (2001) – directed by Tim Miner – co-writer
  • Behind Enemy Lines (2001) – directed by John Moore – uncredited script revisions
  • Milius (2013) – directed by Joey Figueroa & Zak Knutson – himself – documentary