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John Campbell McTiernan, Jr. is an American film director and producer, best known for his action films and most identifiable with the three films he directed back-to-back: Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October, along with later movies such as Last Action Hero, Die Hard with a... Vengeance, and The Thomas Crown Affair. McTiernan was born in Albany, New York and attended the Juilliard School before graduating with an M.F.A. from the AFI Conservatory. In 1986, he wrote and directed his first feature, Nomads, starring Pierce Brosnan. While not successful, it did land him the job of directing the smash science fiction action film Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the wake of that films' success, he followed it up with a string of hits, including Die Hard starring Bruce Willis; The Hunt for Red October with Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery, and Medicine Man, also starring Connery. In 1993, he helmed Last Action Hero, an action-comedy vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film was rushed into production, and became a victim of its own overblown hype when it opened to mixed reviews and lackluster box office, however it gained a cult following.
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