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Dukakis, John

John Dukakis

John Dukakis (né John A. Chaffetz) born on June 9, 1958 to actress Kitty Dukakis and businessman John A. Chaffetz in Santa Clara (Greater San Jose). At three years old, after his mother remarried, he was adopted by his stepfather Michael Stanley Dukakis (D-MA), he was then raised in Boston by Kitty and Micheal. He is also the nephew of Olympia and Apollo Dukakis (cousins to Michael).  His half-brother is Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)

While at Brown University in Rhode Island (mid 1970's), John was cast in Jaws 2. At that time he decided to move to California to pursue acting, which he did for six years.  He made his exit from show business after moving to New York and getting a few Broadway and Off-Broadway plays under his belt.

Dukakis stepped off Broadway (acting) and into Washington, D.C. politics.  He was a legislative assistant to US Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA) for the Senator's first 2 years in office. In 1987 Dukakis' step-father Michael (D-MA), announced his bid for the Presidency and Dukakis moved to Atlanta to run the Southern campaign and became National Political Director, campaigning all over the country for the Dukakis-Bentsen ticket. In the mid-90s Dukakis moved away from politics and 

 Since 1988, he has been working in music business management, first with Bob Woolf, then with Paisley Park Records. In 1994 he was a co-founder of Southpaw Entertainment, which represented Boyz II Men, Janet Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Brownstone and Blackstreet. In 2002, he became an Executive Vice President of Overbrook Music, owned by Will Smith and James Lassiter

Dukakis lives in Newton, Massachusetts. He has a grown daughter, digital journalist Alexandra Jane (b. Jan. 1989) from a previous marriage to Lisa Thurmond.



Film
Split Image~1982 - Aaron
Making Love~1982 - Tim
King of the Mountain~1981 - Duke
The House Where Death Lives~1980 -
Delusion~1980 - Gabriel Langrock
Jaws 2~1978 - Paul 'Polo' Loman

Film Executive Producer
RISE~2014 (short)
The Home Team~2014 (doc short)
Crooked Lines~2013 (doc short)
The Rein of Mary King~2013 (doc short)
Secrets of the Mongolian Archers~2013 (doc short)
MLB Fan Cave~2012
The Red Pill~2012 (doc short)

Film Political
March on Sacramento~1988 - Himself

TV
Race for the White House~2016 - Himself in Bush vs. Dukakis
American Playhouse: Three Sovereigns for Sarah~1985 - Joseph Putman in Part 1
Guiding Light~1984 - Lawrence Luvonaczek in 1.9412
Family Ties~1983-1984 - Jeff Wakefield (Mallory's French tutor) in:
    Go Tigers
    The Homecoming
    The Fifth Wheel
    French Lessons
This House Possessed~1981 - Donny
Hart to Hart~1981 - Danny Wilson in Hart, Line, and Sinker
Lou Grant~1982 - Parker Paterson in Obituary
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones~1980 - Jack Daniels
Marathon~1980 - Young Man
Little House on the Prairie~1980 - Tim Mahoney in A New Beginning
Taxi~1979 - Goodwin in Louie Sees the Light

TV Executive Producer
Vanessa Williams & Friends: Christmas in New York~1996

Theatre
Ah! Wilderness~1993 - Arthur Miller (Haft Theatre, New York, NY)
Stitchers and Starlight Talkers~1982-1983 - (Arena Stage, Washington, DC)
A Knife in the Heart~1982-1983 - (Arena Stage, Washington, DC)
Theater in the Time of Nero and Seneca~1982-1983 - (Arena Stage, Washington, DC)
Some Rain~1982-1983 - (Arena Stage, Washington, DC)
Playing in Local Bands~1982-1983 - (Arena Stage, Washington, DC)
Coyote Ugly~1982-1983 - (Arena Stage, Washington, DC)
The Diary of Anne Frank~1982 - (Philadelphia Drama Guild: Zellerbach Theater, Philadelphia, PA)
Tribute~1982 - (Fiesta Dinner Theater, Spring Valley - Greater San Diego -  Ca)
Secret Service~1976 - Lieutenant Maxwell (Faunce House Theatre, Warwick, RI)

Radio
Star Wars - Return of the Jedi Radio Drama~1996 - Rebel in "A Wind to Shake the Stars"

Album Producer
Vanessa Williams: Next~1997 (Executive Producer)

Books (mention)
New Kids on the Block: Five Brothers and a Million Sisters~2012

Social Media
Instagram:
jdukakiso
LinkedIn:
jdukakis
Twitter:
@JDukakis

Awards, Honors, and Nominations
AdWeek Watch Award:
Rec'd 2014 Best Programming Series for RISE
Cannes Lion:
Rec'd 2012 for MLB Fan Cave
Hatch Awards:
Rec'd 2014 Gold Hatch for Home Team
London International Award:
Rec'd 2014 Bronze for Branded Entertainment/Content for RISE

Miscellany
2007 - Hill Holliday's Senior Vice President - branded-entertainment division.

2002 - Executive Vice President of Overbrook Music (Will Smith and James Lassiter are owners). Projects and acts: Wild Wild West (soundtrack), Love and Basketball (soundtrack), Christina Vidal, Jordan Knight, Deborah Cox, Javier, Maria, Samantha Mumba.

1994 - Co-founder of Southpaw Entertainment, represented: Boys II Men, Janet Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Brownstone, and Blackstreet.

Became general manager of Paisley Park Records (joint venture Prince and Warner Bros. Records

1988-1992 - worked for Bob Woolf representing/developing New Kids on the Block, working with Boys II Men, and Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch.

1977 - Edgartown, MA. John Dukakis played softball games, first base, with his step-father, Michael Dukakis and Roy Scheider of Jaws series fame (John was in Jaws 2).  It was the Jaws Crew vs. Harborside Inn Crew

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