Mark L. Lester was born on November 26, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles. In his youth, his interests lay more in politics than in film, and in 1968 he even chaired a committee called Youth for Senator Eugene McCarthy. Leicester turned to cinema after graduating from the University of California at Northridge with a degree in political science, he went to San Francisco with the idea of making a film proclaiming important socio-political statements.
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Mark L. Lester was born on November 26, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles. In his youth, his interests lay more in politics than in film, and in 1968 he even chaired a committee called Youth for Senator Eugene McCarthy. Leicester turned to cinema after graduating from the University of California at Northridge with a degree in political science, he went to San Francisco with the idea of making a film proclaiming important socio-political statements. By this time, he had already become a passionate film lover and his idol was the director Howard Hawks, who confidently and successfully shot films in various genres. Mark L. Lester began his film career as a documentary filmmaker; his first feature-length documentary, Twilight of the Maya (1971), which he filmed in Mexico for six months, was awarded the highest prize at the Venice Festival. Then, according to his script, he staged a parody of Tricia’s Wedding, with the satirical cabaret troupe The Cockettes – a bold picture became an underground favorite and a hit of the “Midnight Cinema”, putting the director at the forefront of the new American cinema. In 1973, the film "Steel Arena" was released, which gained success with the public and favorable reviews from critics. By the end of the 1970s, having on the creative account of the films “Women Stop Trucks” (1974), “Madness in the White House” (1975), “Bobby Joe and the Bandit” (1976), “Stuntmen” (1977) and creating his own production company, Lester became a very successful director, shooting for a small budget quite successful films. In 1982, he directed the thriller “Class 1984”, which alarmed criticism by embodying on the screen a whole range of fears of parents and politicians about violence in school and became the most controversial film in his career. After this hit, Mark L. Lester put on the novel by Stephen King fantastic film "Giving Fire" (1984), with the young Drew Barrymore in the title role. Then followed the action movie "Commandos" (1985), which in fact began the "star" way in the movie Arnold Schwarzenegger. After the release of the comedy “Armed and Dangerous” (1986), Lester began producing, returning to directing in 1990 the film “Class of 1999”, a kind of continuation of the theme of the film released eight years ago. In 1991, the director directed a police action movie with an “orientalist bias” “Showdown in Little Tokyo”, where the main roles were played by Dolph Lundgren and Brendon Lee. In the 1990s, although not repeating previous successes, Mark L. Lester continued to be an active director and producer. Among the action films he staged for cinema and TV are Elite Squad (1993), Night of the Fugitive (1994), Revenge from the Past (1999), Ordered Killer (1999), Base (1999), Base-2 (2000), Sacrifice (2000), Steal a Beauty (2002), Betrayal (2003).