John Hockridge obit

John Hockridge, First Assistant Director on ‘Anger Management,’ ‘Wayne’s World’ and ‘Tommy Boy,’ Dies at 79

Based at Paramount, he worked often with directors Peter Segal, John Badham and the Zucker brothers.

 He was not on the list.

John Hockridge, an accomplished first assistant director who collaborated with director Peter Segal on eight films, including the Adam Sandler starrers Anger Management, 50 First Dates and the remake of The Longest Yard, has died. He was 79.

Hockridge died April 17 of liver cancer in Portland, Oregon, his daughter Lindsey Hockridge told The Hollywood Reporter. He was diagnosed at stage 4 in December.

Hockridge also teamed with John Badham on Drop Zone (1994) and Nick of Time (1995), with Jerry Zucker on Ghost (1990) and Rat Race (2001) and with David Zucker on Scary Movie 3 (2003).

His A.D. résumé included Soapdish (1991), Necessary Roughness (1991), Penelope Spheeris’ Wayne’s World (1992), Leap of Faith (1992), Philip Noyce’s Sliver (1993), Kevin Hooks’ Black Dog (1998), The Mothman Prophecies (2002), Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010) and When in Rome (2010).

He worked on the first three features Segal directed, Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), Tommy Boy (1995) and My Fellow Americans (1996), followed by Get Smart (2008) and Grudge Match (2013).

Just what does an A.D. do? “Generally, we A.D.’s are logistics people,” he said in 2003. “I jokingly say that I’m the chief yeller and screamer on the set. But I really don’t work that way and don’t like people who do. The biggest job an A.D. has is to try to minimize the time for the D.P. to have the set and actors ready and the cameras rolling.”

John Edward Hockridge was born on April 2, 1947, in Mexico, Missouri. His father, D.W., was a manager with JC Penney, and the family moved around often with his dad in charge of opening new stores. He studied engineering at the University of Oklahoma before graduating with a degree in graphic design in 1969.

He and his red afro came to Hollywood in his Volkswagen van in ’69 and spent a year at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. He began work on commercials after handling photo development and printing as an intern for a local photographer.

He served as an A.D. on such TV shows as Charlie’s Angels and T.J. Hooker, then got to work on his first film, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), directed by Leonard Nimoy. He would return to television, with gigs on Matt Houston, Airwolf, Beauty and the Beast and The District.

Hockridge worked for Paramount for many years before transitioning to freelance and then to retirement in 2013, and he spent much of his later years traveling around the world. His family noted he also “enjoyed nothing so much as having a great meal with his family, watching the clouds as the sun began to set.”

Survivors include his daughters, Lindsey and Kailey; their partners, Michael and William, and his three grandchildren.

 

Second Unit or Assistant Director

Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone in Grudge Match (2013)

Grudge Match

6.4

first assistant director

2013

 

Dwayne Johnson, Vanessa Hudgens, and Josh Hutcherson in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

5.7

first assistant director

2012

 

Christina Applegate, James Marsden, and Katt Williams in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

4.4

first assistant director: second unit

2010

 

When in Rome (2010)

When in Rome

5.5

first assistant director: second unit

2010

 

Anne Hathaway, Steve Carell, and Dwayne Johnson in Get Smart (2008)

Get Smart

6.5

first assistant director

2008

 

Burt Reynolds, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Bill Goldberg, Terry Crews, Nelly, Lobo Sebastian, Nicholas Turturro, Bob Sapp, Michael Irvin, and Dalip Singh in The Longest Yard (2005)

The Longest Yard

6.4

first assistant director

2005

 

The District (2000)

The District

7.2

TV Series

first assistant director

2003–2004

6 episodes

 

Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in 50 First Dates (2004)

50 First Dates

6.8

first assistant director (as John E. Hockridge)

2004

 

Torque (2004)

Torque

4.2

first assistant director: second unit

2004

 

Charlie Sheen, Leslie Nielsen, Denise Richards, Queen Latifah, Simon Rex, Anthony Anderson, Anna Faris, and Eddie Griffin in Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Scary Movie 3

5.6

additional first assistant director: additional photography

2003

 

Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler in Anger Management (2003)

Anger Management

6.3

first assistant director (as John E. Hockridge)

2003

 

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

The Mothman Prophecies

6.4

first assistant director

2002

 

John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green, Jon Lovitz, Breckin Meyer, and Amy Smart in Rat Race (2001)

Rat Race

6.5

first assistant director

2001

 

They Nest (2000)

They Nest

5.2

TV Movie

first assistant director

2000

 

Mutiny (1999)

Mutiny

5.7

TV Movie

first assistant director (as John E. Hockridge)

1999

 

Claire Danes, Giovanni Ribisi, and Omar Epps in The Mod Squad (1999)

The Mod Squad

4.4

first assistant director

1999

 

Patrick Swayze in Black Dog (1998)

Black Dog

5.5

first assistant director

1998

 

Richard Gere and Mark Knapton in Red Corner (1997)

Red Corner

6.3

first assistant director (as John E. Hockridge)

1997

 

Dan Aykroyd, Jack Lemmon, and James Garner in My Fellow Americans (1996)

My Fellow Americans

6.5

first assistant director

1996

 

Salma Hayek, Stephen Baldwin, and Laurence Fishburne in Fled (1996)

Fled

5.5

first assistant director

1996

 

Johnny Depp in Nick of Time (1995)

Nick of Time

6.3

first assistant director

1995

 

Chris Farley and David Spade in Tommy Boy (1995)

Tommy Boy

7.1

first assistant director

1995

 

Wesley Snipes in Drop Zone (1994)

Drop Zone

5.6

first assistant director

1994

 

Leslie Nielsen in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

6.5

first assistant director

1994

 

Danger Theatre (1993)

Danger Theatre

8.3

TV Series

first assistant director (segment "Fatal Distraction", as John E. Hockrdge)

1993

1 episode

 

Walter Matthau and Mason Gamble in Dennis the Menace (1993)

Dennis the Menace

5.7

first assistant director: second unit

1993

 

Sharon Stone and William Baldwin in Sliver (1993)

Sliver

5.1

first assistant director

1993

 

Steve Martin in Leap of Faith (1992)

Leap of Faith

6.2

first assistant director: second unit (as John E. Hockridge)

1992

 

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in Wayne's World (1992)

Wayne's World

7.0

first assistant director (as John E. Hockridge)

1992

 

Scott Bakula, Jason Bateman, Hector Elizondo, Rob Schneider, Sinbad, Harley Jane Kozak, and Larry Miller in Necessary Roughness (1991)

Necessary Roughness

6.2

first assistant director

1991

 

Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Shue, Robert Downey Jr., and Sally Field in Soapdish (1991)

Soapdish

6.6

first assistant director (as John E. Hockridge)

1991

 

Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Perkins in He Said, She Said (1991)

He Said, She Said

5.7

first assistant director

1991

 

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in Ghost (1990)

Ghost

7.1

first assistant director

1990

 

Lisa Hartman and Joe Penny in The Operation (1990)

The Operation

6.2

TV Movie

first assistant director

1990

 

Joan Severance, Hulk Hogan, Tom Lister Jr., and Mark Pellegrino in No Holds Barred (1989)

No Holds Barred

4.4

first assistant director

1989

 

Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman in Beauty and the Beast (1987)

Beauty and the Beast

7.0

TV Series

first assistant director

1988–1989

10 episodes

 

Michael Paré and Michael Beck in Houston Knights (1987)

Houston Knights

7.4

TV Series

first assistant director

1987

1 episode

 

The New Gidget (1986)

The New Gidget

6.3

TV Series

first assistant director

1987

1 episode

 

Robert Picardo, Carmen Argenziano, and Lewis Smith in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1987)

The Man Who Fell to Earth

4.9

TV Movie

first assistant director (as John Edward Hockride)

1987

 

Stacy Keach and Lindsay Bloom in The New Mike Hammer (1984)

The New Mike Hammer

6.8

TV Series

first assistant director

1987

3 episodes

 

Courteney Cox, Kevin Peter Hall, Dean Paul Martin, and Mark Thomas Miller in Misfits of Science (1985)

Misfits of Science

7.3

TV Series

first assistant director (as John E. Hockridge)

1986

1 episode

 

Ernest Borgnine, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Alex Cord in Airwolf (1984)

Airwolf

6.7

TV Series

first assistant director (as John E. Hockridge)

1985

2 episodes

 

Melissa Sue Anderson in Finder of Lost Loves (1984)

Finder of Lost Loves

6.7

TV Series

first assistant director

1985

4 episodes

 

Lee Horsley in Matt Houston (1982)

Matt Houston

6.5

TV Series

first assistant director

1984

1 episode

 

The Jesse Owens Story (1984)

The Jesse Owens Story

7.1

TV Movie

first assistant director

1984

 

Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Merritt Butrick, and Robin Curtis in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

6.7

first assistant director

1984

 

T.J. Hooker (1982)

T.J. Hooker

6.1

TV Series

first assistant director

1982–1983

15 episodes

 

Dorian Harewood, Michael Goodwin, Trisha Noble, Richard Romanus, and Robert Stack in Strike Force (1981)

Strike Force

6.9

TV Series

assistant directorfirst assistant director

1981–1982

5 episodes

 

Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith in Charlie's Angels (1976)

Charlie's Angels

6.6

TV Series

assistant director

1981

6 episodes

 

Desperate Voyage (1980)

Desperate Voyage

6.5

TV Movie

first assistant director

1980

 

Actor

Burt Reynolds, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Bill Goldberg, Terry Crews, Nelly, Lobo Sebastian, Nicholas Turturro, Bob Sapp, Michael Irvin, and Dalip Singh in The Longest Yard (2005)

The Longest Yard

6.4

Guard Hock

2005

 

Producer

Anne Hathaway, Steve Carell, and Dwayne Johnson in Get Smart (2008)

Get Smart

6.5

associate producer

2008

 

Thanks

Making 'Rat Race' (2001)

Making 'Rat Race'

6.7

Video

special thanks

2001

 

Self

Day by Day: A Director's Journey Part II

5.6

Video

Self

2003