---
name: "J. F. Lawton"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/j-f-lawton"
fi1m_id: "j-f-lawton"
imdb_id: "nm0493369"
tmdb_id: 1203
wikidata_id: "Q1465970"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "11 August 1960"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-04T22:02:06.782982+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# J. F. Lawton

## Identity

J. F. Lawton

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/j-f-lawton
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** j-f-lawton
- **IMDb ID:** nm0493369
- **TMDB ID:** 1203
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1465970
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._F._Lawton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1465970, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0493369/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1203

Writer. Born 11 August 1960 in Riverside, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 11 August 1960, Riverside, California, USA
- **Active:** 1990–1992
- **Also known as:** J.F. Lawton, Jonathan Frederick Lawton
- **Frequently works with:** [Arnon Milchan](https://film.one/person/arnon-milchan.md), [Steven Reuther](https://film.one/person/steven-reuther.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._F._Lawton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1465970, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0493369/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1203

## Biography

J. F. Lawton is an American screenwriter, producer and director. Born Jonathan Frederick Lawton on 11 August 1960 in Riverside, California, he studied filmmaking at California State University, Long Beach, before moving to Los Angeles and working in post-production. His father was the author Harry Lawton.

Lawton wrote the screenplay for *Pretty Woman* (1990), originally developed as the darker script *3000* and later adapted into the hit romantic comedy directed by Garry Marshall. He received Writers Guild of America and British Academy Award nominations for the film. His other screen credits include *Mistress* (1992), *Under Siege* (1992), *Blankman* (1994), *Chain Reaction* (1996) and *DOA: Dead or Alive* (2006). He wrote and directed *The Hunted* (1995) and created the television series *V.I.P.* (1998–2002). He later wrote the book for the stage musical adaptation of *Pretty Woman*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Under Siege* (1992), Fi1m 77, Screenplay, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/under-siege.md)
- *Pretty Woman* (1990), Fi1m 77, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/pretty-woman.md)

## Complete filmography (13)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Yellow River* (2020), as Additional Writing
- *Jackson* (2008), Director, Executive Producer, Writer
- *DOA: Dead or Alive* (2006), Story, Screenplay
- *V.I.P.* (1998), series, Executive Producer, Creator
- *Chain Reaction* (1996), Screenplay
- *Under Siege 2: Dark Territory* (1995), Characters
- *The Hunted* (1995), Director, Writer
- *Blankman* (1994), Screenplay
- *Under Siege* (1992), Screenplay, Executive Producer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/under-siege.md)
- *Mistress* (1992), Writer
- *Pizza Man* (1991), Writer, Director
- *Pretty Woman* (1990), Writer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/pretty-woman.md)
- *Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death* (1989), Director, Writer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/j-f-lawton