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Joe Dante

Director

Joe Dante

  • Born: 28 November 1946, Kingston, New York, USA
  • Estimated net worth: 10 million USD

Joe Dante is a renowned American director and producer known for his work in the horror and science fiction genres. He gained fame for films such as 'Gremlins' and 'The Howling,' which showcase his unique blend of humor and horror. Dante is celebrated for his…

About Joe Dante

Joe Dante is a renowned American director and producer known for his work in the horror and science fiction genres. He gained fame for films such as 'Gremlins' and 'The Howling,' which showcase his unique blend of humor and horror. Dante is celebrated for his innovative storytelling and distinctive visual style, often incorporating elements of pop culture into his films.

Born
28 November 1946, Kingston, New York, USA
Known for
Directing
Height
5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Spouses
Helen B. (1997-present)
Children
2; Elizabeth Dante, Jennifer Dante
Parents
Joe Dante Sr., Mary Dante
Estimated net worth
10 million USD

Fun facts about Joe Dante

  • Joe Dante began his career as an editor for Roger Corman's films, which significantly influenced his directing style.
  • He is known for frequently collaborating with actor Dick Miller, who appeared in many of his films.

Famous Joe Dante quotes

“They're here!”
Gremlins, 1984
“You know, the best part about being a kid is that you can believe in things.”
Explorers, 1985
“I think there's a little bit of fear in everybody.”
The Howling, 1981

Joe Dante: coming up

  • The First Five Minutes... The Title Design Legacy of Dan Perri (Movie, self)27 November 2026

Credits and dates: TMDB.

Joe Dante filmography

Cast (140)

YearTitleCharacterRating
2026Boorman and the Devil MovieSelf8.0
2026Gremlins, an american nightmare! MovieHimself
2026Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern MovieUnknown character
2026Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace MovieSelf
2025The Creeps MovieUncle John4.5
2025The Vincent Price Legacy MovieHimself9.0
2024Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters MovieSelf7.7
2024Sharksploitation MovieSelf6.8
2024Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director MovieHimself7.5
2024The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee MovieSelf7.5
Show 130 more credits
YearTitleCharacterRating
2022In Search of Darkness: Part III MovieSelf7.5
2022Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story MovieSelf - Interviewee10.0
2022Razzennest MovieJoe Dante5.2
2022Soylent Green and Red Alert: When Reality Catches Up with Fiction MovieSelf6.9
2022The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time TVSelf6.6
2022Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow TVUnknown character7.0
2022In Search of Tomorrow MovieSelf - Interviewee6.8
2021Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida MovieSelf [archival]7.0
2021Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster MovieSelf6.3
2021Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema MovieSelf7.0
2020Bugs Bunny's 80th What's Up, Doc-umentary! MovieSelf (archive footage)8.0
2020Tales of the Uncanny MovieSelf7.0
2020In Search of Darkness: Part II MovieSelf7.7
2020Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies MovieSelf6.5
2020Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp MovieHost6.8
2020Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi MovieHost5.7
2020Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time TVSelf - Host7.2
2020Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness MovieHost6.0
2019Class of '79: 40 Years of Rock 'N' Roll High School MovieUnknown character
2019Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf MovieSelf
2019Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters MovieSelf7.6
2019Love, Antosha MovieSelf7.4
2019In Search of Darkness MovieSelf7.5
2019Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film MovieSelf6.8
2018Sad Hill Unearthed MovieSelf - Filmmaker7.0
2018The Fear Is Real MovieSelf
2018Eli Roth's History of Horror TVSelf6.4
2018King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen MovieSelf6.4
2018Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years MovieSelf7.3
2017Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur MovieSelf
2016Long Live the King Moviehimself5.2
201624×36 MovieSelf6.8
2016Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 Conspiracy MovieHimself
2015Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex MovieSelf7.2
2015Tales of Halloween MovieProf. Milo Gottlieb5.7
201542nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street MovieSelf7.8
2015Eaten Alive! The Rise and Fall of the Italian Cannibal Film MovieUnknown character7.6
2014Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous: Making Gremlins MovieSelf7.2
2014From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures MovieSelf7.0
2014There Goes the Neighborhood: The Making of The 'Burbs MovieSelf4.1
2014Out of Print MovieSelf5.7
2014Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror MovieSelf - Director6.0
2014We Come In Pieces: The Rebirth of the Horror Anthology Film MovieSelf
2014The Real History of Science Fiction TVHimself6.8
2014That Guy Dick Miller MovieSelf7.0
2013House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before! MovieSelf
2013A Fuller Life MovieSelf - Reader (segment "Sicily Black and Blue")6.6
2013Blast Vegas MovieSalesman #23.4
2012Trailer War MovieHimself7.2
2012The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie MovieSelf7.0
2012Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan MovieSelf7.4
2012The Butterfly Room MovieCab Driver5.7
2012The Flesh and the Fury: X-posing Twins of Evil MovieSelf - Director3.8
2012To Be... A Film Favorite MovieUnknown character
2011Corman's World MovieSelf - Filmmaker7.0
2011A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! MovieSelf - Interviewee8.1
2011The Future of Fear MovieSelf
2011Produce Your Own Damn Movie! MovieSelf
2011American Grindhouse MovieHimself6.7
2010The Bloodiest Show on Earth: Making Vampire Circus MovieSelf
2010Machete Maidens Unleashed! MovieSelf6.6
2010The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry MovieSelf6.0
2010RKO, A Story made in Hollywood MovieHimself
2010Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr. MovieSelf7.0
2010The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth MovieSelf7.0
2009Nightmares in Red, White and Blue MovieSelf6.5
2009Fulci in the House: The Italian Master of Splatter MovieSelf
2009Direct Your Own Damn Movie! MovieSelf5.0
2009Monsterland MovieSelf6.5
2009Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie Trailer MovieSelf6.5
2008RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World” MovieSelf8.0
2008Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX MovieSelf6.6
2007Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story MovieSelf7.8
2007Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein MovieHimself9.5
2007The Return of the Living Dead: The Decade of Darkness MovieSelf6.0
2007Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman MovieSelf9.0
2007The Hatching of Spider Baby MovieHimself7.0
2006Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet MovieSelf4.7
2006Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon MovieSelf7.0
2006Lugosi: The Dark Prince MovieSelf7.6
2006Hitchcocked! MovieSelf6.0
2006Karloff: The Gentle Monster MovieSelf7.6
2005The Perfect Scary Movie MovieSelf7.7
2005Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy MovieUnknown character9.3
2005Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection MovieSelf8.0
2004Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz MovieSelf9.0
2004100 Scariest Movie Moments TVSelf7.9
2004The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing MovieSelf7.0
2004Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen MovieSelf6.5
2004The Art of Crime MovieHimself8.0
2004Mario Bava: Operazione paura MovieSelf / Host6.5
2004Il castello dell'orrore Movieself8.0
2004Welcome to Werewolfland MovieUnknown character9.0
2004Leçon de Cinéma TVSelf7.0
2003Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’ MovieUnknown character7.0
2002Cinerama Adventure MovieSelf7.7
2001Making The Earth Stand Still MovieSelf8.0
2001It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures MovieSelf7.4
2000Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation MovieSelf7.1
2000Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre MovieSelf6.1
1999Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs MovieSelf8.5
1999She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein' MovieSelf / Host7.8
1997Hollywood Rated 'R' MovieSelf5.3
1994Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror MovieSelf7.3
1994Beverly Hills Cop III MovieJailer5.9
1994The Silence of the Hams MovieDying Man4.8
1994A Century of Cinema MovieSelf8.3
1992The Magical World of Chuck Jones MovieSelf8.0
1992Sleepwalkers MovieLab Assistant6.1
1992Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion MovieHimself7.2
1991The Horror Hall of Fame II MovieSelf2.0
1991Eerie, Indiana TVDirector7.5
1991Oscar MovieFace on the Cutting Room Floor6.4
1991Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy MovieSelf
1990Gremlins 2: The New Batch MovieGrandpa Fred Director (uncredited)6.5
1987Innerspace MovieVectorscope Employee (uncredited)6.8
1986The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal MovieSelf7.3
1984Gremlins MovieMogwai / Gremlins (voice) (uncredited)7.1
1982Eating Raoul MovieBusboy (uncredited)6.4
1981Making a Monster Movie: Inside 'the Howling' MovieSelf9.0
1979The Orson Welles Show MovieMember of Studio Audience8.0
1978Piranha MovieScuba Diver #2 (uncredited)6.0
1978Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel MovieSelf7.7
1976Cannonball MovieKid5.6
1976Hollywood Boulevard MovieParty Waiter (uncredited)5.6
1975Tidal Wave MovieUnknown character
1971Great Performances TVSelf6.1
TBAMary Woronov: Cult Queen MovieSelf
TBAMamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell MovieUnknown character
TBAThe AckerMonster Chronicles! MovieUnknown character1.0

Crew (61)

YearTitleRoleRating
2023Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai TVConsulting Producer · Production8.4
2018Camp Cold Brook MovieExecutive Producer · Production4.8
2018Nightmare Cinema MovieDirector · Directing5.8
2017Trafficked MovieExecutive Producer · Production6.6
2016MacGyver TVDirector · Directing7.3
Show 56 more credits
YearTitleRoleRating
2016DC's Legends of Tomorrow TVDirector · Directing7.2
2014Burying the Ex MovieDirector · Directing5.6
2013Witches of East End TVDirector · Directing7.3
2011Corman's World MovieThanks · Crew7.0
2011Trail of Blood MovieProducer · Production4.0
2010Embryo MovieThanks · Crew2.3
2010Hawaii Five-0 TVDirector · Directing7.7
2009Splatter TVDirector · Directing4.3
2009Splatter MovieDirector · Directing2.9
2009The Hole MovieDirector · Directing5.8
2006The Screwfly Solution MovieDirector · Directing5.7
2006Trapped Ashes MovieDirector · Directing5.1
2005Homecoming MovieDirector · Directing5.9
2005Masters of Horror TVDirector · Directing7.1
2004CSI: NY TVDirector · Directing7.3
2003Looney Tunes: Back in Action MovieDirector · Directing6.4
2003Haunted Lighthouse 4-D MovieDirector · Directing5.2
2001Night Visions TVDirector · Directing7.1
1998Small Soldiers MovieDirector · Directing6.6
1997The Second Civil War MovieDirector · Directing6.1
1996The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy MovieProducer · Production4.7
1996The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy MovieDirector · Directing4.7
1995Picture Windows TVDirector · Directing10.0
1995Picture Windows: Lightning MovieDirector · Directing2.0
1994Runaway Daughters MovieDirector · Directing6.0
1994Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror MovieAssociate Producer · Production7.3
1994The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Preshow MovieDirector · Directing9.0
1994Rebel Highway TVDirector · Directing8.0
1993Matinee MovieDirector · Directing6.7
1991Eerie, Indiana TVDirector · Directing7.5
1991Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever MovieCharacters · Writing4.7
1990Gremlins 2: The New Batch MovieDirector · Directing6.5
1989The 'Burbs MovieDirector · Directing6.8
1987Amazon Women on the Moon MovieDirector · Directing5.9
1987Innerspace MovieDirector · Directing6.8
1985Amazing Stories TVDirector · Directing7.5
1985The Twilight Zone TVDirector · Directing7.7
1985Explorers MovieDirector · Directing6.3
1984Gremlins MovieDirector · Directing7.1
1983Twilight Zone: The Movie MovieDirector · Directing6.5
1982Police Squad! TVDirector · Directing7.9
1981The Howling MovieDirector · Directing6.6
1981The Howling MovieEditor · Editing6.6
1979Rock 'n' Roll High School MovieStory · Writing6.3
1978Piranha MovieDirector · Directing6.0
1978Piranha MovieEditor · Editing6.0
1977Grand Theft Auto MovieEditor · Editing5.3
1976Hollywood Boulevard MovieDirector · Directing5.6
1976Hollywood Boulevard MovieEditor · Editing5.6
1974The Arena MovieEditor · Editing5.3
1968The Movie Orgy MovieDirector · Directing6.8
1968The Movie Orgy MovieEditor · Editing6.8
TBAThe Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes MovieDirector · Directing
TBAThe Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes MovieProducer · Production
TBALabrintus MovieDirector · Directing
TBAFear Paris MovieDirector · Directing

Latest releases

Joe Dante in the news

Questions about Joe Dante

What are some of Joe Dante's most famous films?

Joe Dante is best known for films such as 'Gremlins,' 'The Howling,' and 'Innerspace.' These films showcase his talent for blending horror with humor and imaginative storytelling.

Has Joe Dante won any awards?

Joe Dante has received several accolades throughout his career, including the Best Director award at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival for 'The Howling.' He has also been honored at various film festivals for his contributions to cinema.

What was Joe Dante's first film as a director?

Joe Dante's first feature film as a director was 'Hollywood Boulevard' in 1976, which he co-directed with Allan Arkush. This film marked the beginning of his career in feature filmmaking.

What is Joe Dante's style as a director?

Joe Dante's directing style is characterized by a mix of comedy and horror, often featuring satirical elements. He frequently uses practical effects and has a penchant for referencing pop culture in his work.

What impact did Joe Dante have on the horror genre?

Joe Dante has had a significant impact on the horror genre, particularly through his innovative use of special effects and humor. His films have influenced a generation of filmmakers and continue to be celebrated by fans.

Is Joe Dante involved in any television projects?

Yes, Joe Dante has directed episodes for various television series, including 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Masters of Horror,' showcasing his versatility beyond feature films.

What is Joe Dante's estimated net worth?

Joe Dante's estimated net worth is around 10 million USD, reflecting his successful career in film directing and producing.

How has Joe Dante's work been received by critics?

Critics have generally received Joe Dante's work positively, praising his creativity and unique approach to storytelling. Films like 'Gremlins' and 'The Howling' are often cited as classics in horror cinema.