J. F. Lawton

J.{{nbsp}}F.{{nbsp}}Lawton is the son of author and novelist Harry Lawton and pianist Georgeann Leona Lawton ({{nee|Honegger}}).{{cite news|url=http://tcm.com:80/tcmdb/participant.jsp?participantId=110043%7C0&afiPersonalNameId=null|title=Biography for J. F. Lawton|work=TCMDb}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The couple met in Berkeley, California while attending the University of California. The couple later moved to Riverside, where Harry was hired as a reporter for The Press-Enterprise, and where J.{{nbsp}}F. was born.

As a child, J.{{nbsp}}F. Lawton had severe dyslexia, which made school life difficult. It took him many years of practice and hard work to manage his learning disability.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/deorllewin/safle/abertawe/pages/j_f_lawton.shtml|title=J. F. Lawton|work=BBC News|access-date=December 21, 2019|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127111710/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/deorllewin/safle/abertawe/pages/j_f_lawton.shtml|url-status=live}}

When Lawton was still in elementary school, his father's novel, Willie Boy: A Desert Manhunt, was made into a film starring Robert Redford.{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173EA22CAA494CC2B779958D6896|author=Greenspan, Roger|date=December 19, 1969|title=Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 9, 2017|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115055434/https://www.nytimes.com/reviews/movies|url-status=live}} During the making of Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, Harry would take J.{{nbsp}}F.{{nbsp}}to the set, exposing his son to the process of filmmaking. From that moment on, fascinated, Lawton determined that he would become a screenwriter. Always curious, Lawton would observe his surroundings and write about them, although due to his dyslexia, it would take him double the time to put his stories down on paper.

In high school, Lawton continued to write short stories, plays, and scripts. After graduating from John W. North High School in Riverside, he enrolled at California State University in Long Beach, to study filmmaking. There he wrote, directed, and edited two short films, The Artist and Renaissance. The first was a futuristic thriller in which the main character kills his victims, takes their pictures, and puts them in his art exhibitions. The second, Renaissance, was a short horror film in which a sadistic sexual predator dominates and kills his victim every night, but revives her the next morning only to start the cycle all over again. Both shorts won awards on the college film festival circuit.

After college, Lawton moved to Los Angeles, settling near Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue, one of the areas of Los Angeles with the highest crime rate at the time.{{cite news|url=http://www.laweekly.com/2005-04-28/news/pirates-pimps-artists-and-anarchy|author=Dan Kapelovitz|date=April 28, 2005|title=Pirates, Pimps, Artists and Anarchy|publisher=LA Weekly|access-date=May 17, 2009|archive-date=November 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113131749/http://www.laweekly.com/2005-04-28/news/pirates-pimps-artists-and-anarchy/|url-status=live}} Living among prostitutes, pimps, drug users and dealers, and homeless people; the setting gave Lawton a wide range of inspiration for his stories.{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/inside_pretty_woman_prHGec6DQgeak4vAIY8RVO|author=Larry Getlen|date=March 23, 2010|title=Inside Pretty Woman|newspaper=New York Post|access-date=March 25, 2010|archive-date=March 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325011606/http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/inside_pretty_woman_prHGec6DQgeak4vAIY8RVO|url-status=live}} He wrote many screenplays while working at several post-production companies.{{cite news|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/03/pretty-woman-original-ending|author=Kate Erbland|date=March 23, 2015|title=The True Story of Pretty Woman's Original Dark Ending|publisher=Vanity Fair|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=January 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128004806/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/03/pretty-woman-original-ending|url-status=live}}

During this time, Lawton met producer Charles Band, for whom he would direct his first feature film. Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death is a take-off of both Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Francis Ford Coppola's feature Apocalypse Now. Shot in less than two weeks in Lawton's hometown of Riverside, the film starred his longtime friend, comedian Bill Maher,{{cite news|url=http://hbo.com/billmaher/|title=Real Time with Bill Maher|publisher=HBO|access-date=May 20, 2009|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215224202/https://www.hbo.com/billmaher/|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://rollingstone.com/politics/story/11128590/bill_maher_a_man_for_our_time/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021224909/http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/11128590/bill_maher_a_man_for_our_time/2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 21, 2006 |author=Mark Binelli |date=October 8, 2006|title=A Man for Our Time|publisher=Rolling Stone Magazine}} Playboy Playmate Shannon Tweed{{cite news|url=http://hollywood.com/celebrity/Shannon_Tweed/197396#fullBio|title=Shannon Tweed|publisher=Hollywood.com|access-date=May 20, 2009|archive-date=May 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504001028/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/Shannon_Tweed/197396#fullBio|url-status=live}} and horror actress Adrienne Barbeau.{{cite news|url=https://allmovie.com/artist/adrienne-barbeau-3815|title=Adrianne Barbeau|publisher=Allmovie.com|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=April 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405051731/http://www.allmovie.com/artist/adrienne-barbeau-3815|url-status=live}} It became a cult favorite and late-night cable staple.{{cite news|url=http://film.com/celebrities/j-f-lawton/14645502|title=J. F. Lawton Bio|publisher=Film.com|access-date=May 20, 2009|archive-date=June 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623031319/http://www.film.com/celebrities/j-f-lawton/14645502|url-status=live}}

After Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, Lawton also wrote and directed Pizza Man, a political satire about a pizza delivery man investigating a comical government conspiracy.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/profiles/Film/main/126414/Pizza+Man.html?dataSet=1&query=j+f+lawton|title=Pizza Man|publisher=Variety Magazine|access-date=August 8, 2008}} Bill Maher also starred in the 1991 film Pizza Man, along with comedian Annabelle Gurwitch.{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/119268/Pizza-Man/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101060047/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/119268/Pizza-Man/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 1, 2008|title=Pizza Man (1992)| first=Robin | last=Pogrebin |department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|date=2008| access-date=May 5, 2010}} In both movies, he used the pseudonym J.D.{{nbsp}}Athens.{{cite news|url=http://hollywood.com/celebrity/JF_Lawton/1114454|title=J. F. Lawton Biography|publisher=Hollywood.com|access-date=May 18, 2009|archive-date=October 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007093224/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/JF_Lawton/1114454|url-status=live}}

His script for the film Three Thousand{{cite web|url=http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/03/23/pretty-woman-20th-anniversary/|title=Pretty Woman turns 20|website=Moviefone.com|access-date=March 23, 2010|archive-date=March 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325211949/http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/03/23/pretty-woman-20th-anniversary/|url-status=live}} was accepted by the Sundance Institute in the late 1980s.{{cite web|url=http://hollywood.com/celebrity/JF_Lawton/1114454|title=J. F. Lawton Biography|website=Hollywood.com|date=May 27, 2022|access-date=May 18, 2009|archive-date=October 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007093224/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/JF_Lawton/1114454|url-status=live}} Executives at Touchstone Pictures,{{cite news|url=http://movies.amctv.com/movie/39093/Pretty-Woman/overview|title=Pretty Woman|work=AMC|access-date=May 20, 2009|archive-date=July 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704202108/http://movies.amctv.com/movie/39093/Pretty-Woman/overview|url-status=live}} a division of Walt Disney Studios, became interested in making the movie. He changed the title to Pretty Woman,{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/39093/Pretty-Woman/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021132328/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/39093/Pretty-Woman/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 21, 2012|author=Janet Maslin |department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|author-link=Janet Maslin|date=2012|title=Pretty Woman}} and with over $400{{nbsp}}million in worldwide box

office,{{cite news|url=http://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972305,00.html|author=Richard Corliss|date=February 11, 1991|title=New Thrills for Pretty Woman|magazine=TIME|access-date=May 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010220034637/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C33431-1%2C00.html|archive-date=February 20, 2001|url-status=dead}} the movie became the largest grossing live-action film in Disney history. Directed by Garry Marshall, with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts,{{cite news|url=https://boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=5282|title=Pretty Woman|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=January 30, 2009|archive-date=July 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708085855/http://boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=5282|url-status=live}} the film is a story about Vivian Ward, a prostitute who is hired by a wealthy businessman, Edward Lewis, to be his escort for one week while he is in town on business.{{cite web|url=http://film.com/movies/pretty-woman/6167610|title=Pretty Woman|website=Film.com|access-date=October 8, 2005|archive-date=April 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410122402/http://www.film.com/movies/pretty-woman/6167610|url-status=live}} Although they come from different backgrounds and lifestyles, they end up developing a relationship based more on genuine love than money and convenience.{{cite news|url=http://mtv.com/movies/movie/27606/moviemain.jhtml|title=Pretty Woman|publisher=MTV|access-date=May 20, 2009|archive-date=April 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423031537/http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/27606/moviemain.jhtml|url-status=dead}} Pretty Woman was a huge success{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/unforgettable_woman_Z1WVMqjYfmwSZ1GC29NnVK|title=Unforgettable Woman|newspaper=New York Post|access-date=March 23, 2010|archive-date=June 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605182119/http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/unforgettable_woman_Z1WVMqjYfmwSZ1GC29NnVK|url-status=live}} and got Lawton nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award and a British Academy Award for his screenplay.{{cite news|url=http://bafta.org/search.html?q=pretty%20woman&w=true|title=Best Original Screenplay|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|access-date=May 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813223328/http://www.bafta.org/search.html?q=pretty%2520woman&w=true|archive-date=August 13, 2011|url-status=dead}} Julia Roberts won a Golden Globe Award{{cite news|url=http://www1.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29383|title=Julia Roberts Awards|publisher=Golden Globes|access-date=October 1, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414202236/http://www1.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29383|archive-date=April 14, 2013|df=mdy-all}} for her role and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.{{cite news|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp;jsessionid=A18D77FF6DD9F8B7FEF9DE4F8AECA575.jicama?curTime=1242790656777|title=Oscars|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=October 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194626/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp|archive-date=October 29, 2013|url-status=dead}}

Lawton was given an executive producer credit for his next original screenplay, Under Siege,{{cite news|url=http://www.cinemax.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet|title=Under Siege|publisher=Cinemax|access-date=June 8, 2009|archive-date=May 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524064305/http://www.cinemax.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet|url-status=live}} based on his million-dollar spec script Dreadnought.{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/51719/Under-Siege/details|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021131524/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/51719/Under-Siege/details|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-10-21|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|date=2012|title=Under Siege}} The idea came when Lawton, who had served time in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, read that the Navy was retiring the {{USS|Missouri|BB-63}}. The film stars Steven Seagal as a disgraced Navy Seal working as a cook on a battleship. Seagal's character must face off against a psychopathic ex-CIA agent (Tommy Lee Jones), who leads a group of mercenaries on a takeover of the battleship on its final voyage, so he can steal its arsenal of nuclear Tomahawk cruise missiles. A successful sequel followed: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.

With Barry Primus, Lawton co-wrote Mistress, a comedy starring Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Christopher Walken and Martin Landau.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/07/movies/reviews-film-merrily-dealing-and-double-dealing-in-hollywood.html|author=Stephen Holden|date=August 7, 1992|title=Mistress, Merrily Dealing and Double-Dealing in Hollywood|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 9, 2017|archive-date=January 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115190812/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/07/movies/reviews-film-merrily-dealing-and-double-dealing-in-hollywood.html|url-status=live}} The movie is about a Hollywood screenwriter, Marvin Landisman, whose career is going downhill until he meets a has-been hustler-producer who tries to help him revive his career. Starring an all-star cast, Mistress was one of the first films produced by TriBeCa Productions, Robert De Niro's production company; it was released in the summer of 1992.

Lawton worked with radio host and media personality Howard Stern on the script for The Adventures of Fartman, a fictional superhero character created by Stern for The Howard Stern Show.{{cite news|url=http://www.sirius.com/howard100|title=The Howard Stern Show|publisher=Sirius Satellite Radio|access-date=June 16, 2009|archive-date=February 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228203640/http://www.sirius.com/howard100|url-status=live}} With two major studios willing to produce, the movie was put into hold due to a MPAA Film Rating System dispute, as Lawton and Stern felt the content of the film was better suited for a mature audience, and wanted an R-rating for the film instead of a PG-13 rating.{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978768-4,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523214854/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978768-4,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 23, 2011|author=Richard Corliss|author2=Jeffrey Ressner |date=June 28, 1993|title=Hollywood's Summer: Just Kidding|newspaper=Time}} (Requires subscription) The film was put on hold, and Howard Stern included a five-page Fartman story in comics form in his 1995 book, Miss America, which was based on Lawton's script. The book reached number one on The New York Times Best Seller list within days of its release.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/11/business/media/11stern.html|author=Bill Carter|author2=Nat Ives|date=November 10, 2004|title=Howard Stern|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 9, 2017|archive-date=May 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528044506/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/11/business/media/11stern.html|url-status=live}}

For Columbia Pictures, Lawton co-wrote the 1994 film Blankman,{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-02-ca-29997-story.html|author=Jeffrey Wells|date=February 5, 1993|title=A Look Inside Hollywood and the Movies|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165136/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-05-02/entertainment/ca-29997_1_meteor-man|url-status=live}} a film starring and produced by Damon Wayans. (Wayans' character is Darryl{{snds}}a nerdy, comical ghetto superhero with a pure heart, who fights criminals in his own style.){{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B04E5D91739F933A1575BC0A962958260|author=Stephen Holden|date=August 20, 1994|title=A Makeshift Superhero for Not-So-Super Times|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 9, 2017|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115055434/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/20/movies/film-review-a-makeshift-superhero-for-not-so-super-times.html|url-status=live}}

Lawton went on to write and direct The Hunted (1995), a thriller set in Japan starring Christopher Lambert, John Lone, and Joan Chen.{{cite news|url=http://film.com/movies/the-hunted/14585061|title=The Hunted|publisher=film.com|access-date=October 2, 2008|archive-date=July 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725060340/http://www.film.com/movies/the-hunted/14585061|url-status=live}} Written and directed by Lawton,{{cite news|url=http://hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_DETAIL=DETAIL&FOCUS_ID=559790|title=The Hunted|publisher=HBO|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090712021939/http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_DETAIL=DETAIL&FOCUS_ID=559790|archive-date=July 12, 2009|df=mdy-all}} the movie traces Paul Racine, a computer-chip executive from New York on one of his many business trips to Tokyo. Local authorities and a legendary ninja cult get involved in an electric chase{{clarify|date=February 2021}} after a crime occurs in a hotel room.{{cite news|url=http://beyondhollywood.com/the-hunted-1995-movie-review/|author=NIX|date=June 1, 2002|title=The Hunted (1995) Movie Review|publisher=Beyond Hollywood|access-date=May 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102220103/http://www.beyondhollywood.com/the-hunted-1995-movie-review/|archive-date=January 2, 2010|url-status=dead}} The Hunted was released on February 25, 1995, and distributed by Universal Studios. The score, featuring music by the acclaimed Japanese taiko troupe Kodo,{{cite news|url=http://sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/KODO/History/index.html|title=Kodo History|publisher=Sony Music|access-date=May 11, 2007|archive-date=August 26, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050826152033/http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/KODO/History/index.html|url-status=live}} was formally specified by Lawton.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

Lawton's next film project was the action thriller Chain Reaction, which starred Morgan Freeman, Keanu Reeves, and Rachel Weisz.{{cite news|url=http://showbizdata.com/credits.cfm?mid=13665|title=Chain Reaction|publisher=Showbizdata.com|access-date=May 18, 2009|archive-date=July 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716063336/http://showbizdata.com/credits.cfm?mid=13665|url-status=live}} Filmed in Chicago, Illinois,{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9506E0DC153FF931A3575BC0A960958260|author=Janet Maslin|date=February 8, 1992|title=A Scientist, a Discovery, a Plot: Let the Special Effects Begin!|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 9, 2017|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115055434/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/02/movies/a-scientist-a-discovery-a-plot-let-the-special-effects-begin.html|url-status=live}} the movie was released on August 2, 1996, and grossed over $60{{nbsp}}million worldwide.

In 1998 Lawton created and executive produced the Sony Pictures Entertainment syndicated show V.I.P. which ran until 2002.{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,33431-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629060503/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,33431-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2009|author=Joel Stein |date=October 31, 1999|title=Babe Tube|publisher=TIME Magazine}}{{cite news|url=https://ew.com/ew/article/0,,275615,00.html|author=Benjamin Svetkey|date=October 3, 2000|title=The Squad|newspaper=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=September 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911033119/https://ew.com/ew/article/0,,275615,00.html|url-status=dead}} The adventure series starred Pamela Anderson as Vallery Irons,{{cite news|url=https://latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-bio-panderson-pg,1,32671.photogallery|title=Pamela Anderson, Life in Pictures|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115055434/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-bio-panderson-pg-photogallery.html|url-status=live}} a small-town girl who comes to Southern California looking for a break, when she stumbles into the glamorous role of heading up a Beverly Hills bodyguard agency called Vallery Irons Protection.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/profiles/TVSeries/Synopsis/32003/VIP.html?dataSet=1 |title=V.I.P.|magazine=Variety}}

In 2006,{{cite news|url=http://beyondhollywood.com/doa-dead-or-alive-2006-movie-review/|author=NIX|date=November 20, 2006|title=DOA: Dead Or Alive (2006) Movie Review|publisher=Beyond Hollywood|access-date=May 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420232047/http://www.beyondhollywood.com/doa-dead-or-alive-2006-movie-review/|archive-date=April 20, 2009|url-status=dead}} Lawton co-wrote for Paramount Pictures a film based on the video game series DOA: Dead or Alive,{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/article/VR1117901576.html?categoryid=1079&cs=1&query=j+f+lawton|author=Ed Meza |date=November 3, 2004|title=DOA deal makes Impact|magazine=Variety}} starring Eric Roberts, Jaime Pressly, and Devon Aoki.{{cite news|url=https://nymag.com/fashion/models/daoki/devonaoki/|title=Devon Aoki: Model Profile|publisher=New York Magazine|access-date=May 1, 2009|archive-date=April 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427201758/http://nymag.com/fashion/models/daoki/devonaoki/|url-status=live}}

Lawton wrote and directed the 2008 film Jackson,{{cite news|url=http://digitalhollywood.com/%231DHSpring/DHSpringTuesday15.html|title=J. F. Lawton|publisher=Digital Hollywood|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520052427/http://www.digitalhollywood.com/|archive-date=May 20, 2009|df=mdy-all}} a comedy-drama-musical starring Barry Primus, Charlie Robinson, Steve Guttenberg, Debra Jo Rupp, and included performances by opera singers Ella Lee, Shawnette Sulker, Clamma Dale and others. The movie takes place on a single day involving two homeless men surviving on Los Angeles's Skid Row. Lawton wrote two songs for the movie, "Downtown Birthday" and "Love Cannot Be". Jackson was shot mainly in Downtown Los Angeles, except for one scene shot in Kentucky.

Lawton has dyslexia and ADHD, and advocates for charities related to those issues. He has expressed concern for environmental issues, human rights, cancer and poverty.{{cite news|url=http://tolucantimes.info/one-on-one/one-on-one-with-screenwriter-j-f-law-ton/|author=Denise Ames|date=April 24, 2015|title=One-on-One with Screenwriter J. F. Lawton|publisher=The Tolucan Times|access-date=May 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610133618/http://tolucantimes.info/one-on-one/one-on-one-with-screenwriter-j-f-law-ton/|archive-date=June 10, 2016|url-status=dead}}

He is married to lawyer and producer Paola Lawton.[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0493369/trivia/?ref_=nm_dyk_trv], J.F. Lawton (online), February 2025

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Category:1960 births

Category:Living people

Category:American male screenwriters

Category:Film directors from California

Category:Television writers from California

Category:Film producers from California

Category:Television producers from California

Category:California State University, Long Beach alumni

Category:Writers from Riverside, California

Category:American male television writers

Category:Writers with dyslexia

Category:People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Category:United States Coast Guard reservists

Category:John W. North High School alumni

Category:Film directors with disabilities

Category:American writers with disabilities