English-born "Army brat" John Badham is the son of English actress Mary Hewitt and the stepson of an American Army general. Raised in Alabama and schooled at Yale, he cut his teeth producing and directing for TV before making his feature debut with The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976). Badham's breakthrough credit was the box office smash Cumartesi gecesi ateşi (1977), made the following year; other hits on his resume include Mavi yıldırım (1983), Savaş Oyunları (1983), and Short Circuit (1986).