John Harrison's illustrious career in the film and television industry began with his work as a director of rock videos and as a 1st Assistant Director for renowned horror director George A. Romero, whose notable films include Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Creepshow (1982). Harrison's collaboration with Romero extended to writing and directing multiple episodes of Romero's classic television series, Tales from the Darkside (1983),before he went on to helm the film Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) for Paramount Pictures, which earned him the prestigious Grand Prix du Festival at Avoriaz, France.
In addition to his work in horror, Harrison co-wrote the animated feature film Dinosaur (2000) for Disney and adapted Clive Barker's fantasy novels, including Abarat, also for Disney. He reunited with his mentor George Romero in the fall of 2006 to produce Romero's film Diary of the Dead (2007).
Harrison's versatility as a writer and director is evident in his work on the action-suspense thriller Blank Slate (2008),a twenty-episode micro-series that aired on TNT in the fall of 2008. He also wrote and directed Clive Barker's Book of Blood (2009),which was released in the fall of that year.
One of Harrison's most notable achievements is his six-hour miniseries adaptation of Frank Herbert's monumental bestseller, Dune (2000),which he directed and won an Emmy Award for. The miniseries was a critical and commercial success, premiering in the United States and subsequently internationally, both in its broadcast premieres and on home video.
Harrison's work on Children of Dune (2003),a six-hour miniseries that encompassed the next two novels of Frank Herbert's mythic adventure series, was also an Emmy winner for the Sci-Fi Channel.
