John Korty began filmmaking at the age of 16. After receiving a liberal arts education at Antioch College, Korty designed and directed animated television commercials. He was nominated for an Oscar for his short film Breaking the Habit (1964). His first feature, Crazy Quilt (1965), is a character study in black and white with narration by Burgess Meredith and music by Peter Schickele. The highlights of his following film, Funnyman (1967), include the comedy troupe The Committee (with Peter Bonerz) and Korty's animated vignettes.
Korty's work on made-for-television-movies is extensive and includes, such projects as: Go Ask Alice, The Silence, Class of 63, Farewell to Manzanar, Ewok Adventure, and many others. John Korty won an EMMY for his direction of Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), and was honored with both an EMMY and an Oscar for the documentary Who Are the Debolts -- and Where Did They Get 19 Kids? (1977).