Steve De Jarnatt is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and short-story author.[1]
Background and education
De Jarnatt grew up in Longview, Washington. His father, Arlie De Jarnatt, was a teacher and public representative who taught history and civics at Monticello Middle School and later R.A. Long High School. He also served five terms as a Democratic Party member of the Washington House of Representatives and six years as a state senator. De Jarnatt's mother, Donna, was an artist who also taught at St. Helens Elementary School and Monticello Middle.[2][3]
De Jarnatt himself attended R.A. Long, graduating in 1970. Although he was a successful sprinter at high school (where he set several records), he chose Occidental College in Los Angeles, rather than take a track scholarship to a local public university, because he preferred the Southern Californian climate and environment. De Jarnatt first took an interest in film during his time at Occidental; attracted by "access to good film equipment," he subsequently attended The Evergreen State College, from which he graduated in 1974. He later studied at the American Film Institute.[2][4][5]
Career
De Jarnatt is perhaps best known for writing and directing the nuclear-apocalypse thriller Miracle Mile (1988)[6] and directing the sci-fi film Cherry 2000 (1987). In 1983, Miracle Mile was chosen by American Film magazine as one of the ten best unproduced screenplays circulating in Hollywood.[6] That same year, De Jarnatt received his first screen credit as one of the writers of Strange Brew, a comedy starring Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as their respective SCTV characters Bob & Doug McKenzie.
His short story, "Rubiaux Rising", appeared in the 2009 edition of The Best American Short Stories, as selected by author Alice Sebold.[7] A collection of De Jarnatt's stories, Grace for Grace, was published in 2020.[8][9]