Jack Cummins

Jack Cummins, born and raised in Cedar Rapids, IA and a graduate of the University of Iowa, began his film career in New York, serving as a unit manager on "The Groove Tube" and second assistant director for "Mean Streets" and "The Lords of Flatbush". After moving to Los Angeles in 1975, Cummins found a great deal of steady work as an assistant director and second unit director. His credits include "Airplane"(1980), "The Howling"(1980), "Runaway Train"(1985), "Breaking In"(1989) and "The Scout"(1994). He produced the cult hit "Reform School Girls" and co-produced "Highlander II"(1990), "The Addams Family"(1991) and "Amos and Andrew"(1993). Cummins worked on the film "Needful Things", both as producer and second assistant director. An occasional writer of screenplays and articles, he also directed short films for NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in the early 1980's and the anthology of Cummins' short films, entitled "Bloody Bottlecaps" premiered at FILMEX and is part of the permanent collection of the Long Beach Museum of Art.

• Also Credited As:
  John Cummins
• Born:
  November 15, 1948 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
• Died:
  April 22, 1998.
• Job Titles:
  Producer, Director, Screenwriter, 2nd unit director, Author

Significant Others

• Wife: Becky Cummins.

Education

• University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, speech and dramatic arts, BA

Milestones

• 1973 Worked as a second assistant director on Mean Streets
• 1974 Worked as a unit manager on The Groove Tube and second asssistant director on The Lords of Flatbush
• 1975 Moved to Los Angeles and continued to work as an assistant director and second unit director on films such as Airplane (1980), The Howling (1980), Runaway Train (1985), Breaking In (1989) and The Scout (1994)
• 1986 Produced the cult hit Reform School Girls
• 1994 Produced and worked as second assistant director on Needful Things
• Co-produced Highlander II (1990), The Addams Family (1991) and Amos and Andrew (1993)
• Directed shorts for NBC s Saturday Night Live in the early 1980 s