This UVA Alum Is Heading to the Oscars – Again

Mark Johnson started his journey in the film industry in front of the camera, but his career took off once he moved behind the scenes. The 1971 University of Virginia alumnus grew up in Spain and was booked as an extra for a few British and American movies, but found he enjoyed his gigs as a production assistant more than he ever liked being on camera. Plus, he admits, he wasn’t a very good actor. After graduating from UVA, he went to the University of Iowa, eventually earning a master’s degree in film scholarship. “I just fell in love with the romance of making movies,” Johnson said. “I never thought that it could be a career.”