Jonathan Sanger

Jonathan Sanger is the Co-Managing Partner of Grand Illusions Entertainement.

Jonathan’s most recent film as a producer is THE PRODUCERS – THE MUSICAL (based on the Mel Brooks Broadway musical), which completed principal photography in May 2005, for Universal Pictures (US) and Sony Pictures (foreign territories). It stars the original cast – Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, plus Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell and was released in the U.S. Christmas 2005.

Jonathan’s films have received a total of 3 Academy Awards, 21 Academy Award nominations, the British Academy Award and the French Cesar (their equivalent).

In 1978, Jonathan made his solo debut as a producer by interesting Mel Brooks’ new production company, Brooksfilms, Ltd., in a small film to be directed by David Lynch in England. THE ELEPHANT MAN, an emotionally wrenching story photographed in black and white and starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins, made a strong impact on critics and audiences alike, and was rewarded with eight Academy Award nominations in 1980 including Best Picture, as well as, the British Academy Award for Best Motion Picture and the French Cesar Award. Jonathan Sanger’s next project as producer was the equally passionate story of actress Frances Farmer. FRANCES, starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley and Sam Shepard, resulted in two Oscar nominations, for Lange as Best Actress and Stanley as Best Supporting Actress.

In 1985, he made his directorial debut with CODE NAME: EMERALD, a World War II spy drama filmed in Paris for NBC’s feature film division starring Ed Harris, Max Von Sydow and Eric Stoltz. That same year, Jonathan Sanger produced THE DOCTORS AND THE DEVILS, a 20th Century Fox film starring Jonathan Price, Timothy Dalton and Twiggy. In 1986, he executive produced FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR for Walt Disney Productions. The film received the Best Picture Award from the Academy of Family Films and Television.

In 1987, Sanger formed Chanticleer Films and created The Discovery Program. This non-profit program industry professionals opportunities to to cross over into directing. Forty-two short films were produced, including the Academy Award winning and internationally acclaimed RAY’S MALE HETEROSEXUAL DANCE HALL as well as the 1992 Academy Award winner, SESSION MAN. Additionally, Chanticleer received seven more Academy Award nominations for the program, and all the Discovery Program shorts have won awards at international film festivals. The Discovery Program also helped open up the cable and foreign television markets for short films. Discovery Program films have aired on PBS and currently can be seen on Showtime as well as many international markets.

Jonathan Sanger has directed more than fifteen episodic television shows, including TWIN PEAKS, WISEGUY, and L.A. LAW. He also wrote and directed the short film entitled PEACEMAKER with Lucas Haas for PBS’ American Playhouse, which won the Houston International Film Festival’s First Prize for Best Short Subject in 1989.

Sanger’s first television movie was CBS’s CHILDREN OF THE BRIDE starring Rue McClanahan, Patrick Duffy and Kristy McNichol. From 1991 to 1993, Jonathan Sanger directed three more television movies: NBC’s CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, starring Betty White and Leslie Nielsen, NBC’s JUST MY IMAGINATION, starring Jean Smart and Tom Wopat and ABC’s OBSESSED starring Shannen Doherty and William Devane.

He also Executive Produced LUSH LIFE, a movie for Showtime starring Jeff Goldblum and Forest Whitaker and directed DOWN CAME A BLACKBIRD, starring Laura Dern, Raul Julia, and Vanessa Redgrave for Showtime Networks, which was nominated for three Cable Ace Awards.

During the winter and spring of 1996 Jonathan Sanger produced MR. AND MRS. SMITH, a television pilot, for Warner Brothers and CBS. Immediately following, Jonathan was hired by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner (C/W Productions) to Executive Produce the Warner Brothers feature, WITHOUT LIMITS, starring Billy Crudup and Donald Sutherland, written and directed by Robert Towne.

Subsequently, Jonathan joined C/W Productions where he supervised all of their productions through 2003 including SUSPECT ZERO and VANILLA SKY, starring Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz, written and directed by Cameron Crowe.

In 2000, Jonathan produced (with Ed Elbert) his first large format ("Imax") film, 'NSYNC, BIGGER THAN LIVE, a concert film of America's hottest pop music group.

Jonathan has also been a speaker and panelist at various film conferences most recently the 2006 Strategic Research Institute’s Film Finance and Distribution Summit.

Jonathan received a Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. He spent three years in the Peace Corps in South America and speaks fluent Spanish. He is married to Carla Sanger, founder and head of “LA’s BEST”, the nation’s largest after-school program, and has two sons. They live in Los Angeles.