John D. Hancock is an American stage and film director, producer and writer. He is perhaps best known for his work on Bang the Drum Slowly, Weeds and Prancer. Hancock's theatrical work includes direction of both classic and contemporary plays, from Shakespeare to Saul Bellow. He also directed several films with his wife actress and screenwriter Dorothy Tristan. Hancock worked closely with Tristan on a number of projects including the aborted first version of Jaws 2 in 1977 (which Tristan co-wrote with Howard Sackler) as well as California Dreaming, Weeds, A Piece of Eden, Suspended Animation and The Looking Glass. Dorothy Tristan passed away on January 8th 2023.