John Frederick Bailey II, born in Dallas, Texas, made his directorial debut with the fantasy action/adventure film Shogun Cop in 1999, which premiered at the Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival. With a prolific career spanning over two decades, Bailey has worked on a total of 23 scripts that have been brought to the screen, including two in foreign languages, and another 30 that remain unproduced.
As a writer, Bailey has composed narration for numerous documentaries, including bonus features for DVD reissues of classic films such as The Day The Earth Stood Still, Laura, and The Wizard Of Oz. He has also written narration for profiles on actors Gail Russell, Ward Bond, and Sean McClory, as well as screenwriter James Edward Grant. Bailey's work includes narration for Disney short features, including a timeline on Walt Disney, and longer documentaries for The Passion Of The Christ and The Shield.
In addition to his work in film, Bailey has a background in live theatre, directing over 100 stage plays in New York City and various regional, repertory, and stock theaters. He has also written numerous stage pieces, including The Bridgehead, which won First Prize at the Actors Theatre of Louisville's New Play Festival in 1977.
Bailey has been a playwright, author of stage plays such as No Scratch, Rio Pork, Lonesome Canyon, Walkie Talkie, and Dirty Ugly People & Their Stupid Meaningless Lives. His science-fiction comedy, GringoPlanet, was produced on the stage in London in 1982 and again at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1987.
After decades of experience in the film industry, Bailey turned to teaching in 2006. He has taught at the International Academy of Film & Television in the Philippines, where he pioneered a course in Directing Actors, and at the River Hollywood Training School in Tokyo, where he taught acting classes. In 2010, he wrote, directed, and on-screen hosted two 45-minute educational documentaries for IAFT, on Directing and Screenwriting.
Bailey holds a BFA in directing and playwriting from Southern Methodist University and is married to producer Atsuko Ohtani Bailey. They have a son, Angus, born in 2002.
