Jonathan Roberts (born May 10, 1956) is an American screenwriter,^[1] television producer and author. He is known for having co-written Disney's The Lion King.

Life and career

Born in Boston, Roberts studied English literature at Brown University and took a summer graduate program on book and magazine publishing at Harvard before launching his career.

His first written work was on the 80s: A Look Back and The Official Preppy Handbook, which became a New York Times bestseller.

Roberts's first screenplay credit was on The Sure Thing in 1985. He later went on to write for Fast Times, in which he also served as a producer.

Roberts then joined Disney's story department and worked on the award-winning 1994 animated feature The Lion King with Irene Mecchi and Linda Woolverton.

He also co-wrote the screenplays for James and the Giant Peach and The Hunchback of Notre Dame while at Disney.

Roberts served as a producer on Beverly Hills 90210 and Head of the Class.

Filmography

• The Sure Thing (with Steven L. Bloom) (1985)
• Fast Times (1986) (TV) (also Producer)
• Once Bitten (with David Hines and Jeffrey Hause) (1985)
• Head of the Class (1989–1990) (TV) (co-producer)
• Beverly Hills 90210 (1991–1992) (TV) (also Co-Producer)
• Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) (uncredited writer)
• The Lion King (with Irene Mecchi and Linda Woolverton) (1994)
• James and the Giant Peach (with Steven L. Bloom and Karey Kirkpatrick) (1996)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (with Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White) (1996)
• Jack Frost (with Steven L. Bloom, Mark Steven Johnson and Jeff Cesario) (1998)
• Dinosaur (2000) (additional screenplay material)
• The Emperor's New Groove (2000) (uncredited writer)
• Monsters, Inc. (2001) (additional screenplay material)