John Cornell (born 2 February 1941) a film producer, actor and businessman. An Australian icon, he was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Cornell once managed Paul Hogan and often appeared alongside Hogan in his popular television show The Paul Hogan Show as Strop, a dim-witted dinkum Aussie surf lifesaver. He produced and co-wrote the screenplay for Hogan's 1986 film, Crocodile Dundee that became the highest grossing Australian film ever. He also produced and directed the successful 1988 sequel, Crocodile Dundee II. Cornell was also involved in the initial stages of World Series Cricket. He was, in fact, one of the prime-movers in the setting up of WSC, working closely with Kerry Packer and Austin Robertson. Cornell married Australian television personality Delvene Delaney with two children together, Allira and Liana. His daughter Melissa was from a previous marriage. Until its sale for a record price of $65 million in 2007, Cornell owned the Beach Hotel, the most recognised pub in Byron Bay. He had built it for $9 million in 1990.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 2, 1941
- July 23, 2021 (aged 80)
- Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Australia
- Producer, director and writer
- 3 on MovieCove · 4 credits in all
What are John Cornell's films like?
Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3
Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch John Cornell's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 3 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (2).
Subscription and free streaming for John Cornell's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
4 credits, 3 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Almost an Angel(1990)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Crocodile Dundee II(1988)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Crocodile Dundee(1986)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
The Paul Hogan Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Career shape
A full career of 4 titles from 1973 to 1990.
How do John Cornell's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 29th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 34th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
None of their 3 titles divides audiences: 1 is Crowd Pleaser.
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 62/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is John Cornell's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does John Cornell work with?
People who share at least 2 of John Cornell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Paul Hogan shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Paul HoganShared titles: Almost an Angel (1990), Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Paul Hogan
Actors
- Linda KozlowskiShared titles: Almost an Angel (1990), Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Linda Kozlowski
- John MeillonShared titles: Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee (1986)See all 2 shared titles with John Meillon
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- David StivenShared titles: Almost an Angel (1990), Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee (1986)See all 3 shared titles with David Stiven
- Russell BoydShared titles: Almost an Angel (1990), Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Russell Boyd
- Peter BestShared titles: Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Best
Producers
- Mark TurnbullShared titles: Almost an Angel (1990), Crocodile Dundee II (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Turnbull
- Jane ScottShared titles: Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Crocodile Dundee (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Jane Scott
