Mark L. Lester<\/b> (born November 26, 1946) is an American writer, producer, and director, primarily of action films.<\/p>\n
After his debut in 1970 with the film Just Can’t Reach<\/a><\/i>, he went on to make his mark with such memorable drive-in fare as Truck Stop Women<\/a><\/i> and Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw<\/a><\/i>. In 1979, he jumped on the disco bandwagon with Roller Boogie<\/a><\/i> starring Linda Blair<\/a>, to modest success. He then made the exploitation thriller Class of 1984<\/a><\/i>, which was a source of controversy at the time of release, but has since gained cult status.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He entered the mainstream in 1984 with Stephen King<\/a>‘s Firestarter<\/a><\/i> and had his biggest hit in 1985 with Commando<\/a><\/i>, an Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/a> action film that grossed over $57 million worldwide. He also directed and produced his sole comedy, Armed and Dangerous<\/a><\/i> starring John Candy<\/a>, Eugene Levy<\/a> and Meg Ryan<\/a> in 1986. In 1989, he directed Class of 1999<\/a><\/i>, a loose sequel to Class of 1984<\/a><\/i>. Then in 1990, he directed the cult classic Showdown in Little Tokyo<\/a><\/i> starring Dolph Lundgren<\/a> and Brandon Lee<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He also founded American World Pictures, an independent production and distribution company. Recent films include The Base