# Stephen Herek

Stephen Herek (born November 10, 1958) is an American film director. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he studied film at the University of Texas at Austin. He is best known for directing the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

## Career

His career as a film director took off in 1986 with the cult horror classic Critters followed by the hit comedy Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure in 1989. He then directed Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead in 1991 and became a regular director for The Walt Disney Company throughout the decade, helming The Mighty Ducks in 1992, The Three Musketeers in 1993, the highly successful live-action 1996 remake of 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close, and the Eddie Murphy comedy Holy Man in 1998. He also directed the critically acclaimed drama Mr. Holland's Opus in 1995.
In the 2000s, Herek directed the 2001 movie Rock Star, a film about a rockstar wannabe and his favorite rock group, Steel Dragon, starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. After the underwhelming performances of Life or Something Like It in 2002 and Man of the House in 2005, Herek has stayed mainly in the television and direct-to-DVD market, helming films like Picture This, Into the Blue 2: The Reef, and The Chaperone, as well as two Dolly Parton TV specials.

## Filmography
### Film

Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1986 | Critters | Also writer |
| 1989 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure | |
| 1991 | Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead | |
| 1992 | The Mighty Ducks | |
| 1993 | The Three Musketeers | |
| 1995 | Mr. Holland's Opus | |
| 1996 | 101 Dalmatians | |
| 1998 | Holy Man | Also producer |
| 1999 | Black Sabbath: Time Machine | Short film/music video |
| 2001 | Rock Star | |
| 2002 | Life or Something Like It | |
| 2005 | Man of the House | |
| 2008 | Picture This | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Dead Like Me: Life After Death | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Into the Blue 2: The Reef | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | The Chaperone | |
| 2015 | The Great Gilly Hopkins | |
| 2021 | Afterlife of the Party | |
| 2023 | Dog Gone | |
| 2024 | Our Little Secret | |
Executive producer
* Reverse Runner (2012)

### Television

TV movies
* The Gifted One (1989)
* Young MacGyver (2003)
* The Cutting Edge: Fire and Ice (2010)
* Jinxed (2013)
* Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors (2015)
* Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love (2016)
* Same Time, Next Christmas (2019)
TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2002 | The Mind of the Married Man | Episode "The Pony Ride" |
| 2013 | Dallas | Episode: "False Confessions" |
| 2013 | Lucky 7 | Episode "All In" |
| 2014 | Betrayal | Episode "Sharper Than a Serpant's Tooth..." |
| 2015 | Rush Hour | Episode "The Dark Night" |
| 2015–2016 | Hawaii Five-0 | 3 episodes |
| 2016–2018 | MacGyver | 7 episodes Also co-executive producer of 40 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Title | Association | Results |
| 1988 | Critters | Fantasporto Award for Best Film | Nominated |
| 1990 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure | Fantasporto Award for Best Film | Nominated |
| 1997 | Mr. Holland's Opus | Christopher Award for Motion Pictures | Won |
| 2014 | Jinxed | DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs | Nominated |
| 2016 | Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors | Christopher Award for TV & Cable Programs | Won |
| 2016 | Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors | Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema | Nominated |
| 2016 | The Great Gilly Hopkins | Heartland Film Award for Truly Moving Picture award | Won |
| 2016 | Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors | MovieGuide Award for Most Inspiring TV Program | Won |
| 2017 | Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love | MovieGuide Award for Most Inspiring TV Program | Won |