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Joe Dante

Personal Information

Known ForDirecting
GenderMale
Birth DateNov 28, 1946 (79 years old)
Zodiac Sign♐Sagittarius
Place of BirthMorristown, New Jersey, USA
Career Span1968 – Present (59 yrs)
Known Credits169 Titles
Official Links
IMDbWWikidata
DirectingPopularity Score 2.5

Joe Dante

Also known as:Joseph James Dante Jr.
Total Works

169

146 movies • 23 shows

Avg Rating

6.6 / 10

across rated releases

Box Office

—

worldwide gross

Global Reach

#3

TMDB star index

Biography

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.

Signature Roles & Milestones

Gremlins
7.1
Gremlins
1984•movie
as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice) (uncredited)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
6.5
as Grandpa Fred Director (uncredited)
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
7.2
Role: Director
Small Soldiers
6.6
Small Soldiers
1998•movie
Role: Director

Photos & Headshots5

Full Filmography & Credits

Showing 169 titles featuring Joe Dante

Gremlins
7.1
Gremlins
1984•movie

as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice) (uncredited)

Gremlins 2: The New Batch
6.5

as Grandpa Fred Director (uncredited)

DC's Legends of Tomorrow
7.2

Role: Director

Small Soldiers
6.6
Small Soldiers
1998•movie

Role: Director

Beverly Hills Cop III
5.9

as Jailer

Hawaii Five-0
7.7
Hawaii Five-0
2010•series

Role: Director

Looney Tunes: Back in Action
6.4

Role: Director

Innerspace
6.8
Innerspace
1987•movie

as Vectorscope Employee (uncredited)

The 'Burbs
6.8
The 'Burbs
1989•movie

Role: Director

MacGyver
7.3
MacGyver
2016•series

Role: Director

The Howling
6.6
The Howling
1981•movie

Role: Editor

Twilight Zone: The Movie
6.5

Role: Director

Piranha
6.0
Piranha
1978•movie

as Scuba Diver #2 (uncredited)

CSI: NY
7.3
CSI: NY
2004•series

Role: Director

The Hole
5.8
The Hole
2009•movie

Role: Director

Sleepwalkers
6.1
Sleepwalkers
1992•movie

as Lab Assistant

Oscar
6.4
Oscar
1991•movie

as Face on the Cutting Room Floor

Tales of Halloween
5.7
Tales of Halloween
2015•movie

as Prof. Milo Gottlieb

Burying the Ex
5.6
Burying the Ex
2014•movie

Role: Director

Explorers
6.3
Explorers
1985•movie

Role: Director

Police Squad!
7.9
Police Squad!
1982•series

Role: Director

Matinee
6.7
Matinee
1993•movie

Role: Director

Masters of Horror
7.2
Masters of Horror
2005•series

Role: Director

Nightmare Cinema
5.8
Nightmare Cinema
2018•movie

Role: Director

The Twilight Zone
7.7
The Twilight Zone
1985•series

Role: Director

Witches of East End
7.3
Witches of East End
2013•series

Role: Director

Amazing Stories
7.5
Amazing Stories
1985•series

Role: Director

The Silence of the Hams
4.8

as Dying Man

Amazon Women on the Moon
5.9

Role: Director

Rock 'n' Roll High School
6.3

Role: Story

Eating Raoul
6.4
Eating Raoul
1982•movie

as Busboy (uncredited)

The Butterfly Room
5.7
The Butterfly Room
2012•movie

as Cab Driver

Cannonball
5.6
Cannonball
1976•movie

as Kid

Sad Hill Unearthed
7.0
Sad Hill Unearthed
2018•movie

as Self - Filmmaker

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
7.0

as Self

In Search of Darkness
7.5

as Self

Trafficked
6.6
Trafficked
2017•movie

Role: Executive Producer

Corman's World
7.0
Corman's World
2011•movie

as Self - Filmmaker

Eerie, Indiana
7.5
1 eps
Eerie, Indiana
1991•series

as Director

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
6.5

as Self

American Grindhouse
6.7

as Himself

The Screwfly Solution
5.7

Role: Director

Love, Antosha
7.4
Love, Antosha
2019•movie

as Self

Grand Theft Auto
5.3
Grand Theft Auto
1977•movie

Role: Editor

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies
6.5

as Self

The Second Civil War
6.1

Role: Director

Trapped Ashes
5.1
Trapped Ashes
2006•movie

Role: Director

Homecoming
5.9
Homecoming
2005•movie

Role: Director

Machete Maidens Unleashed!
6.6

as Self

Eli Roth's History of Horror
6.4
5 eps

as Self

The Arena
5.3
The Arena
1974•movie

Role: Editor

Hollywood Boulevard
5.6

as Party Waiter (uncredited)

In Search of Darkness: Part II
7.7

as Self

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan
7.4

as Self

Camp Cold Brook
4.8
Camp Cold Brook
2018•movie

Role: Executive Producer

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
8.4

Role: Consulting Producer

Night Visions
7.1
Night Visions
2001•series

Role: Director

24×36
6.8
24×36
2016•movie

as Self

In Search of Tomorrow
6.8

as Self - Interviewee

Blast Vegas
3.4
Blast Vegas
2013•movie

as Salesman #2

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
7.2

as Self

Great Performances
6.1
1 eps
Great Performances
1971•series

as Self

In Search of Darkness: Part III
7.6

as Self

That Guy Dick Miller
7.0

as Self

The Real History of Science Fiction
6.8
1 eps

as Himself

The Creeps
4.5
The Creeps
2025•movie

as Uncle John

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
6.4

as Self

Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever
4.7

Role: Characters

Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
9.3
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee
7.5

as Self

The Movie Orgy
6.8
The Movie Orgy
1968•movie

Role: Director

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
7.8

as Self

100 Scariest Movie Moments
7.9
5 eps

as Self

The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time
6.6
8 eps

as Self

Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror
7.3

as Self

Razzennest
5.2
Razzennest
2022•movie

as Joe Dante

She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
7.8

as Self / Host

Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
6.8

as Self

A Fuller Life
6.6
A Fuller Life
2013•movie

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

Splatter
2.9
Splatter
2009•movie

Role: Director

Cinerama Adventure
7.7
Cinerama Adventure
2002•movie

as Self

Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion
7.2

as Himself

Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years
7.3

as Self

Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
7.6

as Self

Tales of the Uncanny
7.0

as Self

Hollywood Rated 'R'
5.3

as Self

42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street
7.8

as Self

Out of Print
5.7
Out of Print
2014•movie

as Self

The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry
6.0

as Self

Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
7.1

as Self

Eaten Alive! The Rise and Fall of the Italian Cannibal Film
7.6
Soylent Green and Red Alert: When Reality Catches Up with Fiction
6.9

as Self

Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
6.1

as Self

Runaway Daughters
6.0
Runaway Daughters
1994•movie

Role: Director

A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas!
8.1

as Self - Interviewee

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster
6.3

as Self

Splatter
4.3
Splatter
2009•series

Role: Director

Trailer War
7.2
Trailer War
2012•movie

as Himself

Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel
7.7

as Self

Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen
6.5

as Self

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
7.7

as Self

Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness
6.0

as Host

Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi
5.7

as Host

The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy
4.7

Role: Director

Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
6.6

as Self

Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp
6.8

as Host

Karloff: The Gentle Monster
7.6

as Self

Lugosi: The Dark Prince
7.6

as Self

Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time
7.2
3 eps

as Self - Host

Trail of Blood
4.0
Trail of Blood
2011•movie

Role: Producer

Sharksploitation
6.8
Sharksploitation
2024•movie

as Self

It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures
7.4

as Self

The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
7.3

as Self

The Flesh and the Fury: X-posing Twins of Evil
3.8

as Self - Director

Long Live the King
5.2
Long Live the King
2016•movie

as himself

Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
4.8

as Self

Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous: Making Gremlins
7.2

as Self

Haunted Lighthouse 4-D
5.2

Role: Director

Bugs Bunny's 80th What's Up, Doc-umentary!
8.0

as Self (archive footage)

The Magical World of Chuck Jones
8.0

as Self

A Century of Cinema
8.3

as Self

The Perfect Scary Movie
7.7

as Self

From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures
7.0

as Self

Boorman and the Devil
8.0

as Self

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection
8.0

as Self

Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow
7.0
1 eps
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Preshow
9.0

Role: Director

Rebel Highway
8.0
Rebel Highway
1994•series

Role: Director

Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema
7.0

as Self

Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
6.0

as Self

Monsterland
6.5
Monsterland
2009•movie

as Self

Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror
6.0

as Self - Director

Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
9.0

as Self

Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs
8.5

as Self

Mario Bava: Operazione paura
6.5

as Self / Host

Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director
7.5

as Himself

The Orson Welles Show
8.0

as Member of Studio Audience

Picture Windows: Lightning
2.0

Role: Director

Making a Monster Movie: Inside 'the Howling'
9.0

as Self

Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida
7.0

as Self [archival]

The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
7.0

as Self

Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
7.0

as Self

Direct Your Own Damn Movie!
5.0

as Self

The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
7.0

as Self

Hitchcocked!
6.0
Hitchcocked!
2006•movie

as Self

Making The Earth Stand Still
8.0

as Self

The Return of the Living Dead: The Decade of Darkness
6.0

as Self

The Hatching of Spider Baby
7.0

as Himself

Welcome to Werewolfland
9.0
Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’
7.0
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
8.0

as Self

The Vincent Price Legacy
9.0

as Himself

Leçon de Cinéma
7.0
1 eps
Leçon de Cinéma
2004•series

as Self

Picture Windows
10.0
Picture Windows
1995•series

Role: Director

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

as Self

Mary Woronov: Cult Queen

as Self

Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur

as Self

Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 Conspiracy

as Himself

Fulci in the House: The Italian Master of Splatter

as Self

Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf

as Self

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

as Self

Produce Your Own Damn Movie!

as Self

Tidal Wave
Tidal Wave
1975•movie
RKO, A Story made in Hollywood

as Himself

Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace

as Self

Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern
Gremlins, an american nightmare!

as Himself

The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes

Role: Producer