Chris Columbus

Born: 10th September 1958
Where: Spangler, Pennsylvania

Chris says that his father gave him his first name because "he thought people would remember it. He had a good sense of humor."

Chris was first inspired to make movies after seeing The Godfather at age 15.

Caught up in horror movies and comic books as a boy, he started making 8mm movies in junior high school, and later enrolled at New York University film school. He sold his first screenplay during his time there.

He was working in a comic book shop when Steven Spielberg bought his script for Gremlins, and brought him to Hollywood, where he went on to write 1984¿s Reckless and two more Spielberg productions, The Goonies and Young Sherlock Holmes.

Chris got his first chance to direct a few years later with the teen comedy Adventures in Babysitting.

In 1990 John Hughes offered him the chance to direct his script of Home Alone which stunned Hollywood by becoming one of the most successful movie comedies ever made. He followed on from this by making the sequel in 1992.

The director had box office success with 1993's Mrs. Doubtfire, a family comedy starring Robin Williams as a divorced dad who dons drag to see his kids.

The actor also provided the high points for Chris' next project, Nine Months, this time in a small role as a Russian obstetrician.

He landed the top job of directing the first two feature adaptations of the popular series of books by J.K. Rowling about a young British boy named Harry Potter who discovers that he is a wizard.

When Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone opened in 2001, it set box-office records.

Within days of the first film's opening, Chris was back on set shooting the second in the series Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.