Biography
Chris Columbus is an American filmmaker. Born Christopher Joseph Columbus on 10 September 1958 in Spangler, Pennsylvania, he studied film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He began his career writing screenplays for Gremlins (1984) and The Goonies (1985), then made his directorial debut with Adventures in Babysitting (1987).
Columbus achieved commercial success directing Home Alone (1990), its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) and Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). He later directed the first two Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). He co-founded the production company 1492 Pictures in 1995.
More recent credits include directing Pixels (2015) and, as director and producer, The Thursday Murder Club (2025). He also produced Nosferatu (2024) through his company Maiden Voyage, founded with his daughter Eleanor Columbus.
