Jack Sholder was born in Philadelphia (U.S.A.), in June of 1945. He began his film career as an editor, working on films like The Burning, directed by Tony Maylam. His work in this field would lead him to great success, including an Academy Award nomination for his documentary King: From Montgomery To Memphis and an Emmy for the film 3,2,1 Contact.

Sholder then went on to combine editing with screenwriting –for example, the film Where Are The Children? By Bruce Malmuth- and directing, both for the big screen and and television.

And so in 1982, he directed his first feature film, Alone In The Dark, starring Jack Palance, Martin Landau and Donald Pleasence, and three years later, in 1985, he was given the opportunity to make A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge, a horror classic together with the other parts. He also directed The Hidden, starring Kyle MacLachlan, a film that has become a clear reference point for lovers of the genre, and Renegades, a thriller starring Kiefer Sutherland.

From among his recent films, it’s worth pointing out Wishmaster 2. Evil Never Dies, also starring, as in the first part, Andrew Divoff.

In the field of television, Sholder  has directed episodes of series like "Tales from the Crypt". "Mortal Kombat: Conquest or The Omen", based on The Prophecy, as well the films "12:01", winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Brussels Fantasy Film Festival, and "By Dawn’s Early Light", for HBO.