Chris Columbus
Biography
Christopher Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker who was born on September 10, 1958, in Spangler, Pennsylvania. He studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he developed an interest in filmmaking. During the mid-1980s, he wrote screenplays for several teen comedies, including Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes. He made his directorial debut with the teen adventure Adventures in Babysitting in 1987. Columbus subsequently gained recognition for directing the highly successful Christmas comedies Home Alone in 1990 and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in 1992, followed by the comedy Mrs. Doubtfire, which starred Robin Williams.
Career overview
Christopher Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker who was born on September 10, 1958, in Spangler, Pennsylvania. He studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he developed an interest in filmmaking. During the mid-1980s, Columbus wrote screenplays for several teen comedies, including Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes. He subsequently made his directorial debut with the teen adventure film Adventures in Babysitting in 1987.
Columbus gained recognition soon after directing the highly successful Christmas comedies Home Alone in 1990 and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in 1992. He followed these projects with the comedy Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993, which starred Robin Williams and proved to be another box-office success for the filmmaker. Known primarily for his directing work, Columbus has built a career spanning numerous known credits in the film industry.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
103 titles- Gremlins 3 (2027) Producer
- Gremlins 3 (2027) Director
- Gremlins 3 (2027) Original Film Writer
- The President's Cake (2026) Executive Producer
- Werwulf (2026) Executive Producer
- The Thursday Murder Club (2025) Director
- The Thursday Murder Club (2025) Producer
- John Candy: I Like Me (2025) as Self - Director, Home Alone
- The Voyage Out (2025) Executive Producer
- Nosferatu (2024) Producer
- Dìdi (弟弟) (2024) Executive Producer
- Child Star (2024) as Self - Director
- Music by John Williams (2024) as Self - Filmmaker
- 100 Years of Warner Bros. (2023) as Self
- Chupa (2023) Producer
- Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022) as Self
- Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022) Executive Producer
- The Exiles (2022) Executive Producer
- Cusp (2021) Executive Producer
- Scoob! (2020) Executive Producer
- The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020) Director
- The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020) Producer
- The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020) Screenplay
- Yes, God, Yes (2020) Executive Producer
- Reunited Apart (2020) as Self
- The Lighthouse (2019) Executive Producer
- The Movies That Made Us (2019) as Self
- The Christmas Chronicles (2018) Producer
- I Kill Giants (2017) Producer
- Patti Cake$ (2017) Producer
- Menashe (2017) Executive Producer
- The Witch (2016) Executive Producer
- The Young Messiah (2016) Producer
- Tallulah (2016) Producer
- It Had to Be You (2016) Executive Producer
- Pixels (2015) Director
- Pixels (2015) Producer
- Mediterranea (2015) Producer
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) Producer
- Little Accidents (2014) Executive Producer
- From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures (2014) as Self
- Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous: Making Gremlins (2014) as Self
- Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) Executive Producer
- Daniel Radcliffe: Being Harry Potter (2012) as Self
- Applebaum (2012) Director
- Applebaum (2012) Executive Producer
- The Help (2011) Producer
- French Exchange (2011) Executive Producer
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) Director
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) Producer
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) Producer
- I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) Director
- I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) Producer
- Creating the Wizarding World - Behind the Scenes of Harry Potter (2009) as Director
- The Cove (2009) Thanks
- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) Executive Producer
- Fog City Mavericks (2007) as Self
- Night at the Museum (2006) Producer
- No Day But Today: The Story of 'Rent' (2006) as Self
- Fantastic Four (2005) Executive Producer
- Rent (2005) Director
- Rent (2005) Producer
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Producer
- Christmas with the Kranks (2004) Screenplay
- Christmas with the Kranks (2004) Producer
- The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) as Self
- The Magic Touch of Harry Potter (2004) as Self
- Building a Scene (2003)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Director
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Executive Producer
- Capturing the Stone: A Conversation with the Filmmakers (2002)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) Director
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) Executive Producer
- Monkeybone (2001) Executive Producer
- Bicentennial Man (1999) Director
- Bicentennial Man (1999) Producer
- Stepmom (1998) Director
- Stepmom (1998) Producer
- Jingle All the Way (1996) Producer
- Nine Months (1995) Producer
- Nine Months (1995) Screenplay
- Nine Months (1995) Director
- Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Director
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) as Man in Toy Store (uncredited)
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) Director
- Only the Lonely (1991) Director
- Only the Lonely (1991) Screenplay
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) Characters
- Home Alone (1990) Director
- Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989) Screenplay
- Heartbreak Hotel (1988) Director
- Heartbreak Hotel (1988) Writer
- Adventures in Babysitting (1987) Director
- Galaxy High School (1986) Writer
- Galaxy High School (1986) Creator
- The Goonies (1985) Screenplay
- Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) Screenplay
- Gremlins (1984) Writer
- Reckless (1984) Writer
- I Think I'm Going to Like it Here (1980) Director
- Labyrinth 2 Producer
- A Christmas Carol Producer
- 3-D Rocks Director
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Chris Columbus best known for?
Chris Columbus is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including The President's Cake (2025), Werwulf (2026), The Thursday Murder Club (2025), The Thursday Murder Club (2025).
When and where was Chris Columbus born?
Chris Columbus was born on September 10, 1958 in Spangler, Pennsylvania, USA.
How many credits does Chris Columbus have?
Chris Columbus has accumulated over 103 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1980 to 2027.
What is Chris Columbus's background in cinema and television?
Christopher Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker who was born on September 10, 1958, in Spangler, Pennsylvania. He studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he developed an interest in filmmaking. During the mid-1980s, he wrote screenplays for several teen comedies, including Gremlins, T...