John Watson, son of the Somerset cricketer of the same name, was born in Puyntington, Dorset, England. He graduated from Sherborne School, and from Churchill College, Cambridge University. His breakthrough came in 1991, when two films Watson produced were simultaneous hits: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman; and Backdraft, starring Kurt Russell and Robert De Niro, directed by Ron Howard. He has since produced a slate of major features: Blown Away; Moll Flanders; Tank Girl; Larger Than Life and The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. All these projects were developed and produced under Watson's direct supervision. Branching into television in the mid-1990s, Watson executive-produced over 300 hours of network and cable television; 7 seasons of The Outer Limits, 4 seasons of Poltergeist: The Legacy, 1 season of Fame LA and 1 season of The Twilight Zone. Watson developed the CBS series, The Magnificent Seven, on which he was the sole showrunner for 2 seasons, and co-created and executive-produced the TNT and Bravo series Breaking News.