John Linson

The son of producer Art Linson, whose credits include 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and 1999's "Fight Club," John Linson has followed in his father's footsteps to become a producer for film and television. Linson began work as an actor (his first role was in "Car Wash," which his father produced, and was a production assistant and a music video producer before moving into film production. His first big production credit was for 1998's "Great Expectations," which he co-produced with his father and executive producer Deborah Lee. The Charles Dickens adaptation starred Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow and was a box-office hit for Linson, opening the door to future production opportunities. After producing the twin period-pieces "Sunset Strip" and "Lords of Dogtown," Linson became the executive producer on the FX series "Sons of Anarchy" in 2008. Detailing the lives of members of a Northern California motorcycle club, the material of "Sons of Anarchy" was close to Linson, a motorcycle enthusiast himself. In 2010, Linson returned to the '70s for "The Runaways," the biopic of the teenage girl rock group responsible for the hits "Cherry Bomb" and "Queens of Noise." Starring Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie, "The Runaways" was well received by critics, though it failed to find an audience at the box office.