John Lee Hancock, Jr. BA '79
- Media & Arts Medal of Service
John Lee Hancock loves a great story and from a young age fueled that passion through writing. Today, he is among the most notable writers, directors and producers in Hollywood. We honor his significant contributions through the presentation of the Baylor Medal of Service for Contributions to the Professions in the field of Media and Arts.
Raised in Texas City, the eldest of four children whose parents also attended Baylor, John Lee Hancock (BA ’79, JD ’82) was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, played a lot of intramural sports and wrote for “The Phoenix,” a publication of the English department.
Hancock loved bringing meaningful stories to life and sharing them with the world, so he majored in English. He went on to Baylor Law School in pursuit of a more viable career alternative.
While working for a prominent Houston law firm after graduation, Hancock continued to write on the side. Within a few years, he decided to pursue screenwriting and moved to Los Angeles. To quell the temptation to use his legal career as a safety net, Hancock opted not to take the California bar exam. Instead, he held numerous non-legal jobs for the next several years while taking acting classes and working in local theater. This eventually led to his current career as a writer, director and producer.
A screenplay he wrote in 1991 was noticed by Clint Eastwood and went on to become “A Perfect World,” directed by Eastwood and starring Eastwood and Kevin Costner. He then produced the critically acclaimed “My Dog Skip” before finding widespread recognition as director of “The Rookie,” which won an ESPY for Best Sports Movie in 2002.
He wrote the screenplay for “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil“ and directed “The Alamo.” “The Blind Side,“ written and directed by Hancock and starring Sandra Bullock, received an Academy Award Best Picture nomination. Hancock has also worked in television, writing and producing the CBS drama “L.A. Doctors” and producing the CBS show “Falcone.”
His most recent work includes writing the screenplay for “Snow White and the Huntsman” and directing “Saving Mr. Banks,” which was named a Movie of the Year by the American Film Institute.
