John Lee Hancock

John Lee Hancock Jr. (born December 15, 1956) is an American filmmaker. He directed the sports drama films The Rookie (2002) and The Blind Side (2009), and the historical drama films Saving Mr. Banks (2013), The Founder (2016), The Alamo (2004), and The Highwaymen (2019). Most recently, he wrote and directed the horror film, Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022).
Hancock was born in Longview, but grew up in Texas City. His father, John Lee Hancock Sr., played football for Baylor and in the NFL and went on to become a football coach at Texas City High School. His mother, Sue Hancock is a retired English teacher who taught in the Texas City ISD. The eldest of four children (two brothers and one sister), John Jr. played football and competed in swimming while in high school (his brother played briefly in the NFL). Throughout high school and when home from college, John worked in his grandfather's pi…