Joseph Zito

As a director, Zito started by making documentaries and then soon segued into directing feature films: Abduction (1975) and The Prowler (1981).

He has worked with his wife, Bobbi Leigh Zito, on the films Bloodrage (1980) and The Prowler (1981).

Joseph Zito is a well known action film director. Three of his movies--Missing in Action (1984), Invasion U. S. A.

(1985) and Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984)--each reached the #1 box office position of top grossing film in the country in their opening weeks of U. S. theatrical release. "Missing in Action" is Chuck Norris' most successful movie and, along with "Invasion U. S. A. ", set new box-office records for the action star. "Missing in Action" not only spawned a series of sequels but also turned martial arts veteran -+Norris into a legitimate movie star and household name. Zito attended the City University of New York where, as an undergraduate, he majored in economics and went on to earn a Masters Degree in psychology. He has worked in the motion picture industry as a director, producer and writer. He even dabbled in exhibition, fulfilling a childhood fantasy: he owned a grand old movie palace, the Sanders Theatre in New York. He also had a post-production editorial service and became well known as a film "doctor," performing emergency surgery on ailing films to turn them into healthy box office prospects.