Alex Johns (August 23, 1966 – August 7, 2010) was an American film and television producer. Johns is best known for his work as the co-producer of more than seventy episodes of the animated television series Futurama. He was also the co-executive producer of the 2006 film The Ant Bully.[1] [2]
Johns was born in Roseville, California, on August 23, 1966,[1] [2] the son of Xandria Walker and Wendell Johns (who predeceased him). Johns was one of five brothers, along with Michael, Christopher and Daniel Johns, and David Cimino.[2] He was the grandson of actor Steve Cochran (1917–1965).[1] Johns graduated from Escalon High School in Escalon, California, in 1984.[2] He attended both San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego.[1]
Johns began his career in the film industry by colorizing classic black-and-white movies in the late 1980s.[2] Johns was successful in this work despite the fact that he was colorblind, which he kept a professional secret.[1] He began working in television in the 1990s on the series, The Ren & Stimpy Show.[1]
Matt Groening, the creator of Futurama, hired Johns to work on the show. Johns would eventually co-produce more than seventy episodes of Futurama during his career.[1] [2] Groening also gave Johns a prominent production role on the 1999 Christmas television special, Olive, the Other Reindeer, which starred Drew Barrymore and Ed Asner.[1]
Director John A. Davis hired Johns to co-executive produce the 2006 animated film, The Ant Bully. In a professional twist, Johns had actually fired Davis from the production staff of Olive, the Other Reindeer in the late 1990s due to tactical and budgetary reasons.[1] Davis spoke of the unusual situation in an interview in 2010 explaining, "Alex was in the uncomfortable position of telling me I was being replaced, but to hear his spin, it sounded like I was getting a promotion! He was awesome...He did such a great job firing me, I had to hire him! [for ''The Ant Bully'']."[1] The film went on to gross more than $28 million at the U.S. domestic box office.[2]
Johns died on August 7, 2010, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a long-term illness at the age of 43.[1] The 100th episode of Futurama, "The Mutants Are Revolting", was dedicated to his memory.[3]