Christopher Joseph Columbus (born September 10, 1958) is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, including Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, Adventures in Babysitting(1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

The comedy Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), starring Robin Williams, was another box-office success for Columbus. He went on to direct several other films throughout the 1990s, which were mostly met with lukewarm reception. However, he found commercial success again by directing the film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's novels Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) and its sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). In addition to directing, Columbus was a producer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), as well as the drama The Help(2011). He also directed the fantasy Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief(2010) and the 3D action comedy Pixels (2015).

Columbus is the co-founder of 1492 Pictures, a film production company that has produced some of his films since 1995. More recently, he co-founded another production firm with his daughter in 2014 called Maiden Voyage Pictures. In 2017, he launched ZAG Animation Studios, alongside Michael Barnathan, Haim Saban, and Jeremy Zag. Columbus is also known for his collaboration with composer John Williams, with whom he had worked on the film Home Alone and the film series Harry Potter.

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Personal Details

• Born: 1958-09-10 in Spangler, Pennsylvania, USA
• Known For: Directing

Chris Columbus Movies List

Looking for Chris Columbus movies? Here are some of their most popular films and where they rank in their career:

• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
• Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022)
• The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)
• John Candy: I Like Me (2025)
• Music by John Williams (2024)
• Child Star (2024)
• Daniel Radcliffe: Being Harry Potter (2012)
• The Magic Touch of Harry Potter (2004)
• No Day But Today: The Story of 'Rent' (2006)
• From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures (2014)

Explore the complete Chris Columbus movies list and find where to stream them on Watchlist Wizard.