Jon Davison was born on July 21, 1949, in the charming town of Haddonfield, New Jersey. He later attended the prestigious New York University's Film Institute, where he had the privilege of learning from renowned director Martin Scorsese. During his time at NYU, Jon showcased his skills by staging film retrospectives at the iconic Fillmore East in the vibrant East Village.
After completing his studies, Jon began his career by running the St. Marks Cinematheque movie theater in New York. His fellow NYU classmate and future film director, Jonathan Kaplan, encouraged Jon to take the leap and move to Los Angeles, California. In 1972, Jon joined the ranks of New World Pictures, a prolific B-flick outfit founded by the legendary Roger Corman.
Initially, Jon served as the director of advertising and publicity for New World Pictures, before making his debut as an associate producer on the film "Big Bad Mama." He went on to produce a string of successful and iconic films, including the hilarious exploitation feature parody "Hollywood Boulevard," Ron Howard's directorial debut "Grand Theft Auto," and Joe Dante's tongue-in-cheek killer animal treat "Piranha."
Jon left New World Pictures in 1980 and went on to produce a slew of hit comedies, including "Airplane!" and "Top Secret!" for the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams. He also produced the science fiction cult classics "RoboCop" and "Starship Troopers" for director Paul Verhoeven, as well as their respective sequels.
In addition to his work behind the camera, Jon has made appearances in several films, including a memorable turn as the tinny metallic voice of the murderous malfunctioning robot ED-209 in "RoboCop." He also handled second unit director chores on both "Rock'n'Roll High School" and "The Howling."
