Born in Philadelphia on July 20, 1946, Randal Kleiser 's career began at the University of Southern California (USC). His thesis, the medium-length film Peege (1973) was his passport to Universal Pictures Television. It details the relationship between a woman in a nursing home and her grandson as they reminisce about happier times. Kleiser's big hit on the small screen was The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (The Boy In The Plastic BubbleABC, 1976), his first encounter with John Travolta, which would lead them both to Grease (USA, 1979), one of the highest-grossing musical films of all time. It was Kleiser's debut on the big screen.
The Blue Lake (The Blue Lagoon(USA, 1980) was a social phenomenon that brought actress and model Brooke Shields to the big screen in a leading role. The 1980s would not end without another cult film. Flight of the Navigator (The Flight of The NavigatorUSA, 1986) is a children's science fiction film that has a legion of fans around the world. Other acclaimed films directed by Kleiser are A Summer Love (Summer LoversUSA, 1982); White Fang (White Fang, USA, 1991) based on the novel by Jack London; the groundbreaking HIV drama Farewell Party (It's My Party(USA, 1996); or the thriller Shadows of Suspicion (Shadows Of Doubt(USA, 1998), starring Tom Berenger and Melanie Griffith.
The filmmaker directed two major sequels: The Great Pee-Wee (Big Top Pee-WeeUSA, 1988), from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (Pee-Wee's Big AdventureUSA, 1985) by Tim Burton; and Honey, I've Enlarged the Child (Honey, I Blew Up The KidUSA, 1992), and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (Honey, I Shrunk The Kids(Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, USA, 1989) by Joe Johnston.
Randal Kleiser's commitment to technology led him to take up the challenge of Honey, I Shrunk The Audiencea medium-length film created specifically for the Disney parks in Orlando, Tokyo, Paris and Anaheim, where he experimented with virtual reality, combining 4D technology with 70 mm format, 3D, and physical effects. In 2004 he used the virtual set in Little Red Riding Hood: a classic tale with a touch of magic (Red Riding HoodUSA, 2006), a musical version of the famous children's story starring Lainie Kazan, Henry Cavill and Morgan Thompson.
Between 2015 and 2017 Randal Kleiser wrote and directed the Defrost series filmed in 360-degree stereoscopic 3D. In this technological trajectory, the filmmaker directed the Grease XR project, a 2019 augmented reality short film featuring 20 volumetrically captured dancers performing four scenes inspired by the iconic film Grease.
On Friday, July 22, 2022 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California, USA, the Basil Poledouris, The Music and The Movies event took place. Kleiser was present at the heartfelt tribute to his friend and collaborator.
In 2024, the filmmaker premiered the documentary Baby Boomer Yearbooka moving chronicle, which revisits the story of his high school classmates decades later.
Kleiser has also written several books. The first was Grease: The Director's Notebook, published by Harper Collins in 2019. In 2023, he published Drawing Directors: Volume I, which contains sketches of celebrated filmmakers. It was followed by Drawing Directors: Volume II in 2025, continuing his series of portraits in visual essay format.
