John Otrin

John started his filmmaking career at the American Film Institute in 1975 producing And Sara Laughed; A Greg Brooks film. The same year he studied and worked with the late Academy Award winning Director Jon Kadar and Cinematographer George J. Folesy who where the instructors at the American Film Institute where John performed with student directors' Marty Brest, Amy Heckerling, John McTiernan and others in The Blue Hotel. It was at AFI where John worked with Sean Penn and Crispin Glover in The Orkly Kid. John was Associate Producer on the feature film Hollywood Boulevard starring Jon Tenney. Mr. Otrin worked with Peter Deyell as the Video Producer for the Artists Rights Foundation. Earlier in his career Mr. Otrin was the Assistant Entertainment Director for the Mill Run Theatre in Chicago, Illinois and worked with over 100 different Stars including Lana Turner, Sammy Davis Jr., Woody Allen, Jack Benny, Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Alda, Vivian Blaine, Eddy Arnold, Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, David Brenner, Glen Campbell, Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Dionne Warwick, Jerry Vale, Danny Thomas, Sandler and Young, Don Rickles, and many more. As a professional actor; he starred in Thomas M. Hammel's "Me and Mama". He also Co-Starred as Mr. Shepard in Friday the 13 Part VII, John was the Cat-Con in Andrel Konchalovsky's Runaway Train with Eric Roberts and John Voight, He played a reporter in Native Son with Geraldine Page and Matt Dillon. He can be seen in such Movies as Mel Brook's To Be or Not to Be with Jose Ferrer and Tim Matheson, Sir Richard Attenborough's Chaplin and Lance Hool's Missing In Action II-The beginning with Chuck Norris. He has worked extensively in television starring opposite Mark Harmon in the Prince of Bel Air. He was requested back by the Producers for the final episode of "Mash". John co-starred "In the Heat Of The Night" with Carrol O'Conner. Mr. Otrin is a graduate of Dakota Wesleyan University with a BA in Mathematics and Minor in Physic and History. He has produced and directed over ten stage plays and is the recipient of Theater Americana's Best Director award for Penelope's Web a play written by the late Academy Award winning writer Sheridan Gibney. He also appeared in Twelve Angry Men at The Rita Hayworth Theater, directed by Walter Koeing of Star Trek fame. John studied with Second City with Jo Forestberg, John Candy,and Betty Thomas. Mr. Otrin also trained with Gordon Hunt, Cory Allen, and Byrne Piven. In 1988, John was one of the United States representatives in the World Celebrity Chess Tournament in Mazatlan, Mexico where he held a world ranking. It was there that Mr. Otrin tied the US Chess Champion in a blitz game of Chess. John performed for the Northern Lights Aid Benefits along with Helen Hunt, Ted Danson and Fischer Stevens. John is currently the President of Laddie O Productions and Executive Director of the Film Actor's studio where he and Gregory Avellone have produced and /or directed 50 Short films and in 1997 produced a festival short film screening in the Chaplin Theatre at the Raleigh Studios. Mr. Otrin also produced Gregory Avellone's Tina Gets Her Man, which can be seen on PBS."The Red House" can be seen in the USA,Canada,Germany,etc. which John Produced and starred in. He is attached to several film projects currently in development as a Director/ Producer and as Actor.