Joseph "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director, producer and actor of films generally with comedy and science fiction content. His films include Piranha and The Howling , both from scripts by John Sayles; Segment 3 of Twilight Zone: The Movie ; Gremlins , his first major hit, and its sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch ; Explorers , Innerspace , Amazon Women on the Moon ; The 'Burbs , Matinee , Runaway Daughters , The Second Civil War , The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy , Small Soldiers , Looney Tunes: Back in Action , and Homecoming . In 1995–1996, Dante worked on The Phantom,... and when he was removed from the film, he chose screen credit rather than pay. He was creative consultant on Eerie, Indiana and directed five episodes. He played himself in the series finale. Dante was born in Morristown, New Jersey. His father was a professional golf player. Dante began his movie career working for Roger Corman, similar to Francis Ford Coppola and James Cameron.
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